Once you reach the end of Tkalčićeva Street, the most sleek and tourist street in Zagreb, you just need to walk a few minutes to reach a beautiful building. A brick building with more brick inside blended with light wood and outstanding tables and, voilà, you got yourself Mano Restaurant. One of the most famous places to have an unforgettable meal in the entire country, its elegance and pleasant ambiance just beckons you to feel good from the moment you set foot in Medvedgradska 2...
Mano is renowned for being a meat house, but this is definitely not the only thing they have to offer. Even though you may have opted for a light meal such as fish or vegetables, every meat lover will at least skim through the daily meat menu. The meat will be brought out on a tray by a good-mannered waiter, just like fish in a tavern. And then everything is up to you...
Notwithstanding that it’s a Spanish wine, you have to try Marques de Caceres, after which a broad range of top-quality Croatian winemakers is brought to your attention. The wines stem from Pleševica, Slavonia and Istria and best Dalmatian vineyards. The champagne and sparkling wine list is among the best in the country...
But let’s get back to what matters. Meat. It’s written black in white which cut of meat you’ll get, which breed and what country it originates from. You can even see everything in diagrams. If maybe you’re not quite sure what sets a rib eye steak apart from a T-bone steak, then you’ve come to the right place. Meat originating from Croatia, France, Austria and the United States is offered, but the choice won’t be an easy one because everything looks delicious, especially given the fact that a sharper eye will be drawn to the open kitchen and observe how the food is being prepared. Pure bliss...
It goes without saying that Mano offers soups with at least three different ones being on the daily menu. The fish assortment is also large. Although there was talk about frogfish, sea bass and John Dory, but local Croatian beef had already found a way to our hearts. The meat was exceptional, a perfectly roasted tenderloin, a more piquant and flavourful tomato sauce and a more bitter superb mustard sauce... Both sauces were to die for...
Come dessert time, the choice came down to triple chocolate cake and apple crumble. The apple crumble proved to be a fabulous choice, even though every grandma would frown upon the designer serving arrangement. Plenty of picture time and even more time for relishing.
Mano is the place to be if you enjoy the best meat and other food, a pleasant getaway just a stone’s throw away from the capital’s centre that has its distinct look, story and a wholesome identity. Beyond any doubt, a lavish meal.
Author of photography: Davor Puklavec/PIXSELL
-- Your Gourmet 365
