In Beograd (how they call Belgrade there locally), I had dinner at this out-of-this-world avant-garde restaurant. I found the restaurant while searching for places to eat at Tripadvisor. What I normally search for in a restaurant is a combination of:
- Good rating so it means visitors have enjoyed the food and their stay (does not have to be number 1 or in the top 5).
- Have a stunning view (I hanker for this) or...
- Must have a great ambiance of course.
- Interesting concept if it’s a themed restaurant. The original and wierder, the better!
Since I am staying 3 days and 2 nights in Belgrade, that means I have 2 dinners in the pipeline. The first dinner was at this Opera themed restaurant in the Old Town called Bay Opera Restaurant. For my second night I picked Lorenzo & Kakalamba, a restaurant located in the Vracar neighbourhood. Just the name of the restaurant already stimulates my senses, haha.
So after my late afternoon walk in Skardalija and drinks at the Republic Square, I headed back to my lovely hotel apartment in Terazije to freshen up. Afterwards I chatted the reception guys on my options on how to get to the restaurant. Walking would be half an hour, that is if I am seasoned enough to navigate the streets at night. They didn’t like that idea. The same goes with taking my rental car. So they suggested I take a cab and that they will call one for me. They advised strongly not to take the taxis waiting outside the hotel because they will charge me twice.
My best advice for taking cabs in Belgrade: Call in advance or pick a running cab. Taking the cab is really cheap here!
When I got to the restaurant I was welcomed by bright glaring lights and colours. The whole restaurant is like a museum of some bizarre avant-garde kitschy art. It’s a jungle of extravagant, outrageous colourful pieces and whatnot. Standing male and female in tuxedo lamps. Mismatched chandeliers, tables and chairs. The city of Florence architecture background painted on the walls. Preposterous very bright art sculptures and installations. A giraffe at my back? Oh yes, pink flowery curtains! Black and white striped pillars. Garlic, tomatoes, paprika and sheep hanging upside down from the ceiling. It is indeed a surreal of a place.
They seated me with a good view of the restaurant and I seem to have company as well. At my back is a huge giraffe acting like a guardian, and well, well, I am dining with an unusual Mr & Mrs pair.
My table mates, the Mr. & Mrs. pair and the giraffe at my back. Some company I got, huh =)
The restaurant’s cuisine is a fusion of Florentine and Pirot cuisine. We know Florentine right? That is Florence in Italy. While Pirot is a place in south-eastern Serbia. This is going to be a very interesting culinary combination.
After thoroughly scanning the menu I found the local traditional section. I want to eat something local, not some fusion experimentation. I quickly spotted the sausages. Aha, Ćevapi (plural: Ćevapčići)! The national food of Serbia. Mini skinless minced meat sausages on the grill. I have eaten them before as they are sold frozen in packs in supermarkets (LIDL has them). But I want the real deal this time in Serbian soil.
In addition to this I asked for a pickled cabbage side dish called sarma. If you are into kimchi and sauerkraut, you will love this.
Did I say that their menu card is just way too cool?
The menu card: Wearing a spaghetti dress and slowly being undressed by your glutton boyfriend, haha. I know, this restaurant is really weird in a nice way.
My last evening meal in Belgrade: Cevapi/Cevapcici and Sarma.
The verdict: The food here was quite okay. Perhaps what I had was not the best food in the restaurant to order since this restaurant is specialised in Florentine and Pirot cuisine, but it sure is a great place to compromise my wants. By combining my curiosity of the place and having my last evening meal in the city traditionally.
And oh, by the way, you can also take a peek at the kitchen below through the huge glass tiles on the floor. Pretty cool. Scroll down this entry for a picture.
So this is a super fun, outlandish, kooky, quirky place and comes highly recommended if you are looking for something different in Beograd. Staff were very helpful and friendly as well.
Do take note that the restaurant is not in the immediate premises of the Old Town so you would need to get a cab to come here (approximately 7-10 minutes drive from the Old Town). They will also call you a taxi going back to your hotel or wherever you want to go.
More pictures below...
My traditional and simple Serbian meal.
The restaurant has a circus of super bright garish colours and decorations.
Cevapi or Cevapcici - Serbian national food.
This is sarma, Serbian pickled cabbage. I love these. I ate them all.
Say HELLO to the kitchen below!
No dessert for me please but some coffee.
Travel Period: March 2016
Destination: Vracar (Belgrade), Serbia
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
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