A combination of modern and traditional

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After a LONG period, I'm back in action with posting and working. I've been so busy lately but it's no excuse. 
So also after a long time, we've finally been to a restaurant that's worth writing about. I've been to several bistros around town lately but none had something special.
This place, however, had a special twist. We were celebrating Mum's birthday so we wanted something different.

 It's a restaurant placed in a newly built resort in a small town in Marija Bistrica. It's in the part of Croatia that's known for its tradition and genuine local food.
The place is called Academia and in listed among the best restaurants in Croatia since 2012. The chef, Tomislav Kozic, was trained in Ritz (Paris) and made the menu with every meal having something special and unexpected to it.
Looking at the menu, you can notice the presence of barley and parsley in almost every meal- which is pretty cool considering that most people take those two as very common and plain ingredients. 
Also, a big plus for the interior- since it's placed as a part of a hotel building they had limited space, but the combination of modern surfaces and secession-like decor give a warm feeling. 






I'm a sucker for the purple-gold combo, so they got me from the start. Also the concept where you see the chefs working is really cute. First time I saw it was when I was little and we were at an Asian-fusion place in Vienna. I'll never forget that- the guy working there juggled a wok filled with food and was throwing fish in the air so you can imagine how it affected a kid. 

When we ordered I totally had no clue what we were gonna get from the names on the menu. I was expecting a barley risotto but instead I got barley with celery and parsley formed in balls and fried with mushrooms, served with friend bacon. Mum had (I think) onion soup with a lot of cheese and someone had cheeses with pork, I can't remember who it was. 




For main dish I had roasted duck with pears, barley (again) and red cabbage infused with spices. The pears gave it a twist, and I like when they combine savory meat with sweet fruit.
The best way to end a meal such as this is to have a good choccolate cake. I had to split it with my brother though, because I was so full at that point. We drank a lot of great grey pinot and laughed a lot, so the whole experience was great.



Hope I'll write soon! xx