Lorenzo & Kakalamba

I konačno je došao i taj dan - gastro policija je posetila čuveni restoran Lorenzo & Kakalamba (LK)! Ne mogu da vam opišem uzbuđenje koje sam imala pred dolazak ovde, jer zaista je duže vreme bio na spisku, ali nikako nismo stizale da ga obiđemo. Mislim da mi je bilo veće uzbuđenje od onog koje bih imala pred ispit.

Ovaj restoran je smešten u mirnom delu grada, zavučen, u Cvijićevoj ulici i spolja uopšte ne odaje ni približan utisak šta ćete zateći unutra. Pošto je ovo jedan od najpoznatijih beogradskih restorana, verujem da retko ko ovde dolazi prvi put a da ga pre toga nije pogledao na netu, shodno tome većina zna da je ovaj restoran mešavina Firence i Pirota. To zaista zvuči nespojivo, slažem se, a da li je tako, videćemo u sledećoj priči.

Na samom ulazu u restoran, sa desne strane ''dočekaće'' vas poznati Piroćanci, a sa leve poznati Firentinci. Slike poznatih, tj. slavnih svojim stilom i rasporedom podsećaju na fotografije glumaca u bioskopu Tuckwood. Na kraju tog ulaznog dela, ''hodnika slavnih'', dočekaće vas prijatna hostesa koja će vas upitati za rezervaciju. Naravno da nismo htele da rizikujemo, da dođemo ovde bez rezervacije, tako da nas je odvela do stola za dve osobe. Iz tog ulaza, ''hodnika slavnih'' i mesta gde su hostese, pravo nastavljate za baštu, a levo u glavni deo restorana. Mi smo bile smeštene u glavnom delu.

Na prvi utisak, moglo bi se reći da je ''kičerica'', da je previše stvari, detalja i nespojivih stilova na jednom mestu. Ja se, lično ne bih složila sa tim, mislim da je sve to veoma lepo odrađeno. Po mom mišljenu, kad sam prvi put čula da se ovde spajaju Pirot i Firenca bila sam u fazonu mogu misliti na šta to liči, ali ovaj ambijent je učinio da se ja osećam i više nego prijatno i za njega dajem čistu 10-ku restoranu. Ko kaže da ne primećuje detalje (ja lično spadam u te ljude), za njega je idealno da dođe ovde i testira svoje vizuelne sposobnosti. Apsolutno sve što pogledate ima neki detalj, što sitniji, što krupniji. Kad zakoračite u glavni deo, sa desne strane ćete videti šank, a sa leve statuu žirafe, gusarskih papagaja, pirotske ćilime na zidu, slike renesansnih ideala žena i muškaraca. Kako nastavite da koračate, naići ćete na lampu u obliku ženske siluete kojoj abažur predstavlja šešir, stolove čije su noge u obliku ćupova, skulpture renesansnih ljudi... Taman kad pomislite koliko je neobičnih i zanimljivih stvari na jednom mestu, podići ćete glavu usled uzvika vau, međutim i tamo će vas dočekati iznenađenje - pored kristalnih lustera videćete i ovcu koja visi na plafonu, a kad nastavite da šetate restoranom videćete i kamin iznad koga stoji slika koze i posude za začine. Detalja ima još mnogo, mnogo, mislim da bi mi trebalo bar još deset puta ovoliko teksta da bih mogla da opišem sve, a verovatno bi mi i tada nešto promaklo.

Lorenzo & Kakalamba

Elem, koliko god da me je prostor oduševio, ipak sam došla u restoran i očekivala sam isti takav utisak i za hranu. Kad smo se smestile za sto čekale smo 15 min da nas konobar usluži (češ, češ)... Dan pre nego što sam došla ovde sam detaljno pogledala jelovnik na sajtu i bila na velikoj muci šta uzeti, jer izbor je zaista veliki, a ja volim jelo koje će imati ono nešto što će mu dati neki šmek. Posle teških, može se reći Tantalovih muka, odlučila sam se za teleće skalopine sa suvim šljivama i marsala vinom, a drugarica za skalopine u picajola sosu (zapečene teleće šnicle u aromatizovanom paradajz sosu sa njokama i mocarelom). Pre glavnog jela, odlučile smo da uzmemo i predjelo, čuveni specijalitet LK - topal đubek (grilovani staroplaninski pareni sir, poslužen uz čeri paradajz i rukolu). Da ne zaboravim da smo pre toga dobile i kuver, ukusne, tople hlepčiće, sa namazom sira i crvene paprike. Ovde bih jedino imala zamerku na to što se uz kuver ne dobija zaobljen nožić kojim se maže namaz, već smo za to morale da koristimo veliki, oštar nož koji je namenjen za glavno jelo. Predjelo je bilo preukusno, obe smo bile veoma zadovoljne i bile smo skroz predane čulu ukusa za glavno jelo. Pošto mi apetit nije nešto, posle silnih dijeta, palo mi je na pamet da li da uzmem pola porcije i kad sam pitala konobara kolika je porcija nije znao da mi kaže gramažu nego je rekao da je porcija za jednu osobu. Složićemo se da je vrlo individualno šta je za jednu osobu, tako da mislim da bi trebalo malo detaljnije informacije davati po tom pitanju. Skalopine su stigle i jedna stvar mi se uopšte nije svidela - moje su bile poslužene sa pire krompirom, što nigde nije pisalo u meniju, niti mi je to konobar naglasio kad sam se raspitivala o jelu. To ne bi bilo strašno, ali ja pire krompir zaista ne volim, tako da je to bio prizor koji mi se nimalo nije svideo, ali šta je tu je. Srećom je meso bilo odvojeno od pirea, tako da sam samo to diskretno još udaljila i trudila se da ignorišem pire. Inače, kad smo završile sa predjelom, konobar nam je odneo escajg i kad je doneo glavna jela zaboravio je da nam donese drugi escajg, ali pošto sam mu to istog trenutka rekla odmah je ispravio grešku.  A sada utisci - iskrena da budem, jelo me nije ostavilo bez daha, ali bez para jeste. 1380 rsd za teleće šnicle sa suvim šljivama, mislim da je preterana cena. Naravno, kad sam naručivala ovo jelo znala sam vrlo dobro kolika mu je cena, ali verovala sam da će suve šljive i vino dati mnogo veći šmek, jer sam više puta jela specijalitete sa suvim šljivama koji su bili veoma dobri. Meso kao meso je bilo ukusno, pečeno taman kako treba, ali šljive ovom jelu nisu dale nikakvu posebnu aromu. Lično mislim da bi sos od šljiva i više začina mnogo bolje išli uz ove šnicle, ali neću da se igram kuvara. Što se tiče drugaricinog jela, njeno meso je bilo tvrđe, a sos od paradajza je svojom kiselošću dominirao. Iskreno, jela ne vrede toliko koliko koštaju, u top beogradskim restoranima sam za te pare plaćala mnogo bolja jela sa mnogo kvalitetnijim mesom.

Kuver

Topal đubek

Teleće skalopine sa suvim šljivama i Marsala vinom

Skalopine u picajola sosu

Kako bih opisala svoj generalni utisak? Prostor bez zamerki, veoma interesantan, čulom vida ćete sigurno sve vreme uživati. Atmosfera malo uštogljena, sa mnogo tihom muzikom, koja je u jednom trenutku prestala, pa su je posle malo pojačali. Gosti svih tipova i generacija, dosta stranaca. Cene su definitivno veće nego na drugim mestima u Beogradu, što nije strašno, s obzirom da se nalazite u ovakvom, muzejskom okruženju, ali bi ipak morale da budu malo realnije, bar što se hrane tiče.

Nekom prilikom ću sigurno ovde opet doći, ali na piće, a ako ogladnim, predjelo će mi biti dovoljno da se zasitim.

Voli vas vaša gastro policija!!

http://www.lk.rs/

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The day has finally come - Gastro police visited the famous restaurant Lorenzo & Kakalamba (LK)! I cannot describe the excitement I had before coming here, because it was on our list of restaurants for a really long time, but we never had the time to visit. I think I was more excited than I'd had been before taking an exam.

This restaurant is located in a quiet part of town, tucked away in Cvijićeva street and on the outside it doesn`t give even an approximate impression of what you will find inside. Since this is one of the most famous restaurants in Belgrade, I believe that hardly anyone comes here for the first time before previously checking it on the web, accordingly, most know that this restaurant is a mixture of Florence and Pirot. It really sounds incompatible, I agree, but is it true or not, we will see in the following story.

At the entrance to the restaurant, to the right, you are '' welcomed '' by famous people born in Pirot, and on the left, the famous Florentines. Celebrity photos, by their layout style remind me of photographs of actors in the cinema Tuckwood. At the end of the entrance area, '' hall of fame '', you will be welcomed by a pleasant hostess who will ask for a reservation. Of course we didn`t want to take the chance and come here without a reservation, so we were led to a table for two. From this entrance, '' hall of fame” and the place where the hostesses are, straight ahead is the garden, and on the left, is the entrance into the main part of the restaurant. We were seated in the main part.

My first impression, it could be said that the restaurant`s style is kitschy, that there is too many things, details and disparate styles in one place. I, personally, would not agree with that, I think it's all very well placed together. In my opinion, when I first heard that this is the place where Pirot and Florence meet, I was like, I can imagine of how bad that looks like, but this ambiance made me feel more than comfortable and for that I give a straight A to the restaurant. For people who say that they do not notice the details (I personally am that kind of person), it is ideal for them to come here and test their visual skills. Absolutely everything you look at has some detail, either small, or big. When you step into the main area, on the right you will see the bar, and on the left a statue of a giraffe, pirate parrots, Pirot carpets on the wall, images of Renaissance ideals of women and men. As you continue to move forward, you will find a lamp in the shape of female silhouettes with a lampshade which represents hat, tables whose legs were in a shape of clay-pots, sculptures of Renaissance people ... Just when you think how strange and interesting things are in one place, you will raise the head due the exclamation wow, but there will also be a surprise – next to the crystal chandeliers, you will see a sheep hanging on the ceiling, and when you continue to walk you will see a fireplace, above which stands the picture of a goat and spice containers. There is a lot more details, I think we would need at least ten times as many text so that I could describe everything, and even then I would probably have missed something.

Lorenzo & Kakalamba

Anyway, no matter how much I was thrilled by the environment, I came to the restaurant and I expected the same impression for food as well. When we settled,  we were waiting 15 minutes for a waiter to serve us (scratch, scratch) ... The day before I came here, I looked at the menu in detail on the website and I was in great torment what to order because the choice is really big, and I love eating a dish that will have something charming and new. After tantalizing thinking, I decided for Veal scaloppini with prunes and Marsala wine, and my friend ordered the Scaloppini in pizzaiola sauce (baked veal steaks in aromatic tomato sauce with gnocchi and mozzarella). Before the main course, we decided to take the starter, the famous dish of the restaurant LK - warm djubek (grilled yellow cheese from Stara Planina, served with cherry tomato and rocket salad. Not to forget that before the starter we have been given a cover charge, tasty, warm buns, with cheese and red peppers spread. Here I would only have to criticize one thing, along the cover charge you don`t get the butter knife, we had to use a regular one, the one for the main course. Appetizer was delicious, we were both very satisfied and we were totally committed to the sense of taste for the main course. Since my appetite is not that big, after all of my dieting, it crossed my mind that I could order half of the portion of the dish, and when I asked the waiter what size the portions is, he did not know the grammage but he said that the portion is for one person. We`ll agree that it is very individual what it means “for one person“, so I think there should be a little more information if someone asks about this. Scaloppini arrived and one thing I did not like - it was served with mashed potatoes, which is nowhere written in the menu, nor was it said by the waiter when I asked about food. It would not be that bad, but I really do not like mashed potatoes, so that was something that I did not like at all, but it is what it is. Fortunately the meat was separated from mashed potatoes, so I just moved it discreetly and tried to ignore it. Anyway, when we finished the appetizer, the waiter took our silverware when but when he brought the main courses, he forgot to bring us new silverware, but when I asked for it, he  immediately corrected the mistake. Now the impressions - to be honest, the dish didn`t leave me speechless, but penniless it did. 1380 rsd for veal chops with prunes, I think the price is excessive. Of course, when I ordered this dish I knew very well what its price is, but I believed that prunes and wine would give a much better taste , because a lot of times I ate specialties with prunes, which were very good. The meat alone was delicious, cooked just right, but the  prunes gave no special flavor to this dish. Personally I think that plum sauce and more spices would come along much better with these steaks, but I am not a chef. Regarding my friend`s  dish, meat was harder, and tomato sauce dominated by its acidity. Frankly, the dishes are not worth as much as they cost, in the top Belgrade restaurants for this amount of money I ate much better meals with higher quality of meat.

Cover charge

Warm djubek

Veal scaloppini with prunes and Marsala wine

Scaloppini in pizzaiola sauce

How would I describe my general impression? Environment unremarkable, very interesting, visually you will surely enjoy all the time. The atmosphere a little uptight, with a lot of quiet music, which at one point stopped, so after a little while they increased the volume a bit. Guests of all types and generations, a lot of foreigners. Prices are definitely higher than in other places in Belgrade, which is not bad, considering that you are in this, museum like environment, but would still have to be a little more realistic, at least as far as food is concerned.

Sometimes I will surely come again here, for a drink, and if I get hungry, appetizer is going to be enough to get my stomach full.

Love, Gastro police !!

http://www.lk.rs/