Cantina de Frida

Poslednje dana leta rešila sam da iskoristim u šetnji po keju sa najboljom drugaricom. I tako mic po mic dođosmo do Beton hale, i rešismo da napravimo pauzicu u Cantini de Frida, restoranu u koji sam ranije često dolazila, ali iz nekih nepoznatih razloga odavno nisam. Pa taman da se malo podsetim nekih starih dana.

Cantina de Frida

Cantina de Frida se zaista izdvaja od ostalih restorana u ovom kraju po svojoj autentičnosti. Originalno uređena bašta sa palmama i pogledom na reku daće vam osećaj kao da ste na obali Španije. Enterijer je takođe u skladu sa tom pričom, što i ne čudi s obzirom da je restoran dobio ime po meksičkoj umetnici Fridi Kahlo. Moram da naglasim da je ovo definitivno restoran sa najoriginalnijim toaletom, tako da ako ikada budete svraćali ovde na klopu, nemojte da preskočite i odlazak u toalet (zvuči smešno, ali zaista je tako).

Cantina de Frida - eksterijer

Cantina de Frida - enterijer

Ali da se mi bacimo na najvažniju stvar zbog koje smo ovde - hranu. Kao što je i za očekivati meni je mediteranskog karaktera. Čine ga tapasi i normalne porcije. Izbor tapasa je zaista ogroman, ali posle konsultacije sa konobarom koji je na moje direktno pitanje da li mogu da se najedem ko čovek od toga, odgovorio negativno, odluka je definitivno pala na Frango Asado Con Piri-Piri (otkoštan pileći batak i file mariniran u arisa salsi serviran sa fritiran krompir čipsom i svežim paradajzom) i Ensalada caliente con calamari pulpo (topla salata od grilovanih lignji i hobotnice na salsi od čeri paradajza, kapra i svežeg korijandera). Kada je hrana stigla, prva pomisao mi je bila pa koliki su onda tek tapasi? Ali dobro, aj nije ni veličina porcije najbitnija (tešila sam se), ako ću već da uživam u ukusu. Ali i tu sam bila šokirana. Moju salatu kao da je pravila osoba koja nema blage veze koji su sastojci salate koju sam naručila! U mojoj salati sa lignjama i hobotnicom, od hobotnice sam dobila samo trećinu jednog pipka, a salsa (španski prevod - umak) se sastojala od par polovina svežeg čeri paradajza, malo kapra i cele glavice (ako nije bilo i dve) crvenog luka iseckanog na kockice. Tako da sam za 1150 rsd dobila desetak lignji i dve glavice luka. Ovo je zaista veliki propust ovakvog restorana. Što se tiče bataka, on je bio koliko para (650 rsd) toliko i muzike. Takođe ništa specijalno, ali bar se na tanjiru nalazilo ono što i piše u opisu jela. Tako da se meni večera na kraju svela na hleb koji poslužuju sa ljutim umakom (160 rsd).

Hleb sa ljutim umakom

Ensalada caliente con calamari pulpo

Frango Asado con Piri-Piri

Što se tiče atmosfere ovog restorana, muzika uživo je skoro svako veče (detaljan program po danima možete da pogledate na njihovom sajtu - zaista su ažurni i sve pohvale za to). A kada smo već kod pohvala, sve pohvale i za osoblje koje je zaista vedro i nasmejano sa sve cvetnim motivima na majicama koje prosto ne mogu da vam ne izmame osmeh na lice. Pa da bar odete nasmejani iz ovog restorana, ako već niste siti.

Voli vas vaša Gastro policija!!

http://www.cantinadefrida.com/

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I decided to spend the last days of summer by taking a stroll along the quay with my best friend. And little by little, we reached Beton hala area, so we decided to take a little break in Cantina de Frida, the restaurant I visited often before, but for no reason, I haven’t been there for a while. Just the right time to remind myself of the good old days.

Cantina de Frida

The authenticity of Cantina de Frida makes this restaurant stand out from all the other restaurants in this area. Originally decorated garden with palm trees and a view of the river, will make you feel like you are somewhere on the coast of Spain. The interior is similar, which is not surprising considering that the restaurant is named after the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. I must emphasize that this is definitely the restaurant with the most original toilet, so if you ever stop by, do not skip paying a visit to the toilet itself (sounds funny, but trust me).

Cantina de Frida - exterior

Cantina de Frida - interior

But let’s get to the most important thing here - the food. As expected, the menu is of Mediterranean character. It consists of tapas and normal portions. The selection of tapas is really huge, but when I directly asked the waiter whether those tapas are enough to make my stomach full, his answer was no, so after that we decided for Frango Asado con Piri-Piri (boneless chicken drumstick and fillet marinated in arisa salsa, served with potato chips and fresh tomatoes) and Ensalada caliente con calamari pulpo (grilled squids and octopus salad with cherry tomato, capers and fresh coriander). When the food arrived, after seeing my dish, my first thought was: I wonder what the size of tapas is? But well, if the dish is tasty enough, the portion size is not the most important (I consoled myself). But then, another shock. It was like my salad was made by a person who doesn’t  have a clue about the ingredients that go in the salad I ordered! In my salad with calamari and octopus, I only got a third of one octopus tentacle, and salsa (Spanish translation - sauce) consisted of a few halves of fresh cherry tomatoes, few capers and a whole diced red onion (maybe even two). So for 1150 rsd, I got about ten pieces of calamari and two onions.This is a really big mistake of this restaurant. As for the chicken drumstick, you get what you pay for (650 RSD). Also nothing special, but at least, on the plate you can find  every ingredient that was listed in the description of the dish. So, in the end, my dinner came down to the bread that is served with hot sauce (160 RSD).

Bread with hot sauce

Ensalada caliente con calamari pulpo

Frango Asado con Piri-Piri

As for the atmosphere in this restaurant, there is live music almost every night (you can find their daily program in detail on their website, - they update it regularly, big plus for that). The praise goes out to the jolly staff, and when you notice that they are dressed in cute floral T-shirts, you just have to smile. So even though you’re still a bit hungry, at least you leave this place with a smile on your face.

Love, Gastro police !!

http://www.cantinadefrida.com/

Klub književnika

A sad malo mesta za kulturu! Ako želite nešto drugačije, mesto gde ćete osetiti duh starog Beograda, gde ćete osetiti nostalgiju za nekim boljim vremenima, gde ćete u potpunosti osetiti da ste poštovani kao gost i gde ćete videti kako je kad vas usluže pravi profesionalci, u tom slučaju put može da vas navede samo u Klub književnika.

Smešten u strogom centru grada, u Francuskoj 7, ovo je restoran koji je bio okupljalište beogradskih intelektualaca, ali nije bio stran ni inostranoj eliti. Decenijama su ovde provodili dane i noći pisci, filozofi, glumci, političari, jednostavno rečeno, ovo je bio restoran akademskih građana. I danas je restoran zadržao taj akademski duh. 

Klub književnika

Kad prođete kapiju i dvorište Francuske 7, ulazite u ovaj čuveni restoran, gde će Vas dočekati preljubazna hostesa i pored toga što će vas upitati za rezervaciju, ponudiće vam da vam ostavi stvari u garderobu, što svakako preporučujem, naročito ako dolazite ovde zimi. Iz predsoblja stepenicama silazite do restorana, gde možete da birate da li želite da sedite unutra ili u bašti. Nećete pogrešiti za koji god od ova dva ambijenta da se odlučite, jer su i jedan i drugi veoma lepi. Ako se odlučite da sednete unutra, nećete moći da se mislima ne vratite u period od pre nekih 60-70 godina, kad verovatno niste bili ni rođeni. Salonac, hrastov parket, klavir, stilski nameštaj i još mnogo detalja, navešće vas da zamislite kako je ovde dolazio Andrić, kome je ovo bio omiljeni restoran, ili kako je Žan-Pol Sartr uvek voleo da svrati ovde kad bi došao u Beograd. Ako je letnji dan, sigurno ćete želeti da sednete u baštu, pod strehom koja daje hlad, mada nećete pogrešiti ni ako ovde sednete zimi, jer je lepo zatvore i zagreju, tako da ćete uživati u svom obroku dok gledate kako veje sneg. Prizor kao iz bajke. 

Klub književnika - enterijer

Klub književnika - bašta

Jelovnik je veoma zanimljiv, mešavina domaće i internacionalne kuhinje. Pored stalne ponude, imate opciju i dnevne ponude jela, gde možete po veoma pristupačnim cenama, oko 600 rsd (od 12h-16h) da pojedete izuzetno ukusan obrok. Pre glavnog jela, u okviru kuvera, poslužili su nam rotkvice u preslatkim činijicama, što nam je bilo izuzetno simpatično. Posle malo razmišljanja, ja sam se odlučila za specijalitet ovog restorana - dorćolsku mućkalicu, jelo koje je više od dve decenije na meniju (mućkalica od svinjskog filea i povrća u tortilji, zapečena u pećnici), a drugarica za Budinu salatu od bifteka (goveđi file, paprika, zelena salata, suncokretove semenke, parmezan i dresing). Odmah da naglasim da nisam neki ljubitelj svinjskog mesa, ali nisam bila skeptična kad sam naručila svoje jelo, jer sam računala da je specijalitet restorana sa ovakvim ugledom i tradicijom sigurno nešto što će me oduševiti. I nisam pogrešila - preukusna tortilja, meso pečeno taman koliko treba, sa savršenim spojem povrća i začina, ostavila je takav utisak na mene da sam se više puta vratila u ovaj restoran da počastim svoja čula ovim jelom. Što se tiče drugaricine salate, mislim da je dovoljno da napišem to što je ona od ove salate postala ljubitelj obrok salata, i ona je, kao i ja, uzela nešto što nije tako često jela, verujući prethodnim pohvalama drugih ljudi. Porcije su i više nego dovoljne, već na polovini smo se zasitile, ali jela su bila toliko lepa da zaista nismo imale srca da ostavimo nešto u tanjiru, već smo se polako, ali sigurno, izborile i pojele sve.

Dorćolska mućkalica Budina salata Konobari su preljubazni i profesionalni, stara garda školovanih konobara. Kada smo završile sa obrokom ponudili su nam da nas časte kafom ili desertom (da naglasim, tada još uvek nije ni postojala ideja ovog bloga, tako da to nije imalo veze sa tim).  Zaista nismo imale srca da odbijemo ovakvu ljubaznost, pa smo podelile jednu porciju palačinki sa eurokremom i plazmom (ne znam kako smo uspele i to da pojedemo, ali uspele smo). Cena i jednog i drugog jela je oko 1000 rsd, a cene drugih jela su uglavnom kao i u drugim dobrim beogradskim restoranima.

Ovde dolaze ljudi svih generacija, a naročito oni koji i dalje veruju da je od tog starog duha Beograda ipak ostalo nešto sem sećanja. Nije retko da ovde sretnete nekog istaknutog pisca, voditelja, retke primerke današnje intelektualne elite. Celokupan utisak je bio i više nego prijatan i osetile smo se kao da smo u nekom drugom vremenu, kad su lepo ponašanje i kultura bili stub svakog civilizovanog društva. 

Ne morate da budete akademski građanin ili poznata ličnost da biste uživali u čarima ovog restorana. Dovoljno je da poželite da malo odstupite od svakodnevnice i da se prisetite nekih dobrih, starih vremena. Na vama je samo da dođete, a osoblje Kluba književnika će se pobrinuti za ostalo.

Voli vas vaša Gastro policija!!

http://www.klubknjizevnika.rs/  

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Make a little room for culture! If you want something different, a place where you will feel the spirit of old Belgrade, where you will feel some nostalgia for good old better times, where you will feel trully respected as a guest and where you will see how it is when you are being served by the true professionals, if that’s the case, the only road you need to take is the one to Klub književnika.

Located in the city center, in 7 Francuska street, this is a restaurant where the intellectuals of Belgrade gathered, but the foreign elite knew about it as well. He writers, philosophers, actors, politicians spent their days and nights here for decades, simply put, this was a restaurant for academics. Today the restaurant kept that academic spirit.

Klub književnika

When you pass the gate and the garden in 7 Francuska street, you enter this famous restaurant, where you will be welcomed by a kind hostess, she will ask if you have a reservation, and then she will offer you that you leave your coat or jacket in their dressing room, which I recommend, especially if you come here in the winter. From the hallway, you take the stairs down to the restaurant, where you can choose whether you want to sit inside or in the garden. You won’t make a mistake for whichever of these two environments you choose, because they are both beautiful. If you choose to sit inside, you will have an impression of returning to a period of some 60-70 years ago, when you probably weren’t even born. Parlor floor apartment with high ceilings, wooden floors, a piano, parlor furniture and many more details would make you imagine of Ivo Andrić visiting this place, to whom this was a favorite restaurant, or of Jean-Paul Sartre who always liked to stop by here when he came to Belgrade. If you come during summer, you will want to sit in the garden, under the eaves that provides shade, though you will not make a mistake if you choose to sit here in the winter time, because it is nicely closed and heated, so you can enjoy your meal while watching the snow fall. The sight of a fairytale.

Klub književnika - interior

Klub književnika - the garden

The menu is a very interesting mix of local and international cuisine. In addition to their standard offer, you have the option of a daily menu, you can eat a very tasty meal at very affordable prices, about 600 RSD (12h-16h). Before our main course, within the cover charge, they served us  radishes in a cute little bowl, it was really nice. After some thinking, I chose a specialty of this restaurant – Mućkalica a la Dorćol, a dish that has been on the menu for more than two decades (pork fillet, kaymak, stewed onions, sweet peppers, hot peppers, mushrooms served in tortilla, baked in the oven), my friend ordered Salad a la Buda (beef fillet, sweet peppers, lettuce, sunflower seeds, parmesan, dressing).Immediately to emphasize that I am not a big fan of pork, but I wasn’t skeptical when I ordered this dish, because I thought that the specialty of a restaurant with such a reputation and tradition, would certainly be delightful. And I wasn’t wrong - delicious tortilla, meat roasted perfectly well, perfect harmony of vegetables and spices, it left such an impression on me that I have repeatedly returned to this restaurant just to treat myself with this dish. Regarding my friend’s salad, I think it is enough to write that since this salad she became a fan of salad meals, and she, like myself, chose a dish that wouldn’t be her first choice of food, we took a chance and believed the previous praises of other people. Portions are more than adequate, after eating half of it we were already full,  but since the dishes were so beautiful, we really didn’t have the heart to leave something on the plate, so we continued and, slowly but surely, ate everything.

Mućkalica a la Dorćol

Salad a la Buda

The waiters are too kind and professional, trained in the old school way. When we finished our meal they offered us coffee or dessert, on their behalf (to point out, back then this blog wasn’t even an idea, so it had nothing to do with that). We did not have the heart to refuse such kindness, so we split one serving of pancakes with eurocream and plasma (I don’t know how we managed to eat that too, but we did). The price of both dishes is around 1000 RSD each, while the prices of other dishes are like the prices in any other good Belgrade restaurant.

People of all ages come here, especially those who still believe that there is something left from that old spirit of Belgrade , not just a memory. Here, it is not uncommon to encounter a prominent writer, tv presenter, rare specimens of today's intellectual elite. The overall impression was more than nice and we felt like we were in another period of time, the time when good manners and culture were the pillar of any civilized society.

You do not have to be an academic or a celebrity to enjoy the delights of this restaurant. It is enough wanting to take a rest from everyday life and take a walk down memory lane of some good old times. Just come visit this restaurant and the staff of Klub književnika will take care of the rest.

Love, Gastro police !!

http://www.klubknjizevnika.rs/

Pivo i kobaja

Pivo i kobaja. Pivnica i restoran, kao što i samo ime kaže. Nalazi se na dve opštine, na Vračaru (mojoj omiljenoj) i na Zvezdari. Gastro policija je naravno kao veliki ljubitelj piva posetila obe lokacije, i ovom prilikom prenosimo vam svoje utiske paralelno sa oba mesta. Pa da se bacimo na posao!

Pivo i kobaja

Na Vračaru, ovaj pab se nalazi na samom početku Braničevske ulice, te nema šanse da omašite ovo mesto. Smešten na ćošku sa ogromnim nazivom - Pivo i kobaja (na ćirilici, čemu dajem veliki plus, da malo negujemo srpsko pismo) i mini baštom prosto će vas namamiti da makar zavirite kakvo je mesto u pitanju. Ukoliko se smestite u ovu malenu baštu, imaćete pogled pravo na Hram Svetog Save, što je zaista opuštajuće. Ukoliko pak želite da uživate u većoj bašti, onda se zaputite na Zvedaru, jer je tamo veći akcenat stavljen na baštu. Naravno na obe lokacije, i enterijer i ekterijer su isto zamišljeni. Bašta je u pabskom fazonu, sa drvenim stolovima i stolicama u boji svetlog drveta, i malim separeima sa visokim sedenjem. U unutrašnjem delu dominiraju tamne boje drveta i ovo je jedan od retkih pabova čijim sam enterijerom ostala oduševljena. Zidovi su prepuni ukrasnih krigli, fotografija, natpisa, ukrasa i svega ostalog što vas može asocirati ili ima veze sa pivom na bilo koji način. Po stočićima možete da primetite i lampe čiji stalci su u obliku pivskih flaša, a u pabu se nalazi i nekoliko Harley Davidson stolica. Kada je ovaj pab u pitanju imala bih samo zamerku na njihov toalet, koji je toliko malen (na Vračaru) da iako ste žensko moraćete polučučeći da obavite malu nuždu jer je jednostavno nemoguće smestiti se na wc šolju (da naglasim da spadam u sitnije devojke). Ali i na njihov mali toalet se čovek vremenom navikne.

Pivo i kobaja - enterijer na Vračaru Pivo i kobaja - eksterijer na Zvezdari Što se tiče njihovog menija, sam naziv paba vam kaže da je ovde najveći akcenat na pivu i kobajama. Pored toga, tu su Cezar salata, tortilje, krilca i sve što spada uostalom uz pabsku hranu. Osoblje mi je za nijansu simpatičnije i ljubaznije na Zvezdari, ali zaista su nijanse u pitanju. Kada su kobaje u pitanju, možete da birate da li želite manju ili veću porciju (ja sam se opredelila za manju), i zaista sam preoduševljena. Kobaja je servirana sa prebrancem, i ne zna se šta je ukusnije. Krilca (takođe možete da birate da li želite manju ili veću porciju) su servirana uz pekarski krompir i barbecue sos i takođe su bila preukusna sa hrskavom kožicom koja se topi u ustima. Uz pomfit smo rešile da uzmemo i njihov ljuti sos, ali smo se tu malo zeznule, sos je bio preljut da jednostavno nije mogao da se jede, tako da smo ga ubrzo zamenile za dobri, stari kečap. I naravno da ne zaboravim da pomenem njihove bavarske perece koje su preukusne i uvek sveže. Kada su cene u pitanju zaista su jeftini, te za male pare ovde zaista možete sjajno da se provedete. Krilca - mala porcija Bavarska pereca i pomfrit Kobaja Vrelo sa sirom - mala porcija Kada su u pitanju piva izbor je ogroman. Vrste točenih piva se malo razlikuju na Vračaru i Zvezdari, dok je izbor flaširanih isti na obe lokacije i malo je reći da je ogroman. Kod točenih piva je interesantno to što pored standardnih mera od 0,3 l i 0,5 l možete da naručite i pivo od 0,4 l, 0,6 l, 0,7 l, 1 l i 2,5 l. Takođe možete da naručite i pintu piva.  Pivo i pogled iz bašte na Vračaru Ekipa je uglavnom lokalna, atmosfera je domaćinska, a ja sam presrećna jer sam pronašla još jedno opušteno mesto gde mogu sa društvom da provedem ugodno veče kad god poželim. Voli vas vaša Gastro policija !! http://pivoikobaja.rs/   _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Pivo i kobaja. A pub and a restaurant, as the name suggests. It is located in two Belgrade municipalities, Vracar (my favorite) and Zvezdara. Of course, as a big fan of beer, Gastro police visited both locations, and on this occasion we bring you our impressions in parallel. So let's get to work! Pivo i kobaja At Vracar, this pub is located at the beginning of Branicevska street, and there's no way to miss it. Located at the corner of the street, with a big restaurant name board – Pivo i kobaja (in Cyrillic, I give a big plus for that, let`s respect the Serbian alphabet a little) and a mini garden, all of this will simply lure you to at least take a look of what this place is like. If you sit in this little garden, you will face the Church of Saint Sava, which is really relaxing.On the other hand, if you wish to enjoy in a bigger garden, then go to their location at Zvedara, because there is a greater emphasis on the garden. Of course, in both locations, both the interior and the exterior are of the same design. The garden looks like a typical pub garden, wooden tables and chairs in light wood color, and small booths with high seating. The color of dark wood dominates in the inner area and this is one of the few pubs whose interior impressed me. The walls are covered in decorative mugs, photos, signs, decorations and anything else that you can associate with beer in any way. On the tables you can spot the table lamps whose stands are in the form of beer bottles, and in the pub there`s a few Harley Davidson chairs. When it comes to this pub I'd have only one objection, their toilet, which is so small (at Vracar) that although you`re a girl, you'll need to be in semi-squat position during your business there, because it is simply impossible to sit on the toilet (and I am petite girl) . But the one eventually gets used to their small toilet. Pivo i kobaja at Vracar - interior Pivo i kobaja at Zvezdara - exterior As for their menu, the name of the pub itself suggests that here the greatest emphasis is on the beer and the sausages. Besides those, there are Caesar salad, tortillas, chicken wings and basically everything  that belongs to the pub foods. Their staff is a bit nicer and more polite at Zvezdara, but it`s barely noticeable. As for the sausages, you can choose whether you want a small or big portion (I chose a small one), and I was really impressed. The sausage is served with beans, and I can`t decide which one is tastier.The chicken wings (you can also choose whether you want a small or big portion) are served with baked potatoes and barbecue sauce and that also was delicious, crispy skin that melts in your mouth. We decided to order their hot sauce along our  fries, but we made a mistake there, the sauce was too spicy and we just couldn`t eat it, so we soon replaced it with good old ketchup. Of course, not to forget to mention their Bavarian pretzels, which are delicious and always fresh. When it comes to their prices, everything is really cheap and for a small amount of money, you can really spend a great time in here. Chicken wings - small portion Bavarian pretzel and fries Wellhead sausage with cheese - small portion As for the beer selection, it is huge. The types of beers are a little different between Vracar and Zvezdara, while the selection of bottled beer is the same at both locations, and I can`t stress enough how big the selection is. As for draught beers, it is interesting that in addition to the standard ratios of 0.3 l and 0.5 l, you can order a beer in 0.4 l, 0.6 l, 0.7 l, 1 l and 2.5 l. You can also order a pint of beer. Beer and the view from the garden at Vracar The guests are mainly local, the atmosphere is home-like, and I'm happy because I found another normal place where I can spend a pleasant evening with my friends,  whenever I want to. Love, Gastro police !! http://pivoikobaja.rs/