EM has checked into … Pelegrini @ Šibenik, Croatia

It was my husband’s birthday when we were travelling in Croatia so we took this opportunity to celebrate his birthday at a top rated fine dining restaurant in the picturesque town of Šibenik, and more importantly one of the best restaurant in Croatia!

The restaurant Pelegrini is located next to the famous Cathedral of St. Jacob’s in Šibenik. In fact, its name comes from the religious pilgrimage to the cathedral. Pelegrini is located in a cozy Mediterranean ambience with natural stone walls, and boy the food blew our mind with fresh local produce done in an innovative way.

Pelegrini is not just a fine dining place. It is a landmark restaurant that you shouldn't miss during your stay in one of Croatia's most cherished coastal destinations.

Trying a glass of their local white wine

We started with a light appetiser followed by their homemade bread along with a generous serving of olive oil. If I could, I would probably drink the olive oil like it’s my wine. Believe it or not, Croatian’s olive oil is also one of the best in the world, which can be comparable side by side with Spanish’s olive oil.

Homemade meatball with carrot cream

The best meatball I ever had! It’s packed full of flavour with the smoothest yet solid texture.

Scallop with beetroot cream

The prettiest scallop dish I ever seen due to the vibrant colour of the beetroot cream. My mood was already instantly lifted by its colour and no wonder they say that you eat with your eyes!

Butter and crisps

When they presented this, I was confused to be honest, since I was expecting a tube or block of butter. Instead the butter was in tiny ball form, and they taught us how to eat with the crisps by using a pair of tweezers. That was fun to interact with our dish!

Veal tartare with tuna and chive

A different type of tartare, much creamier and more flavourful. Who knew veal tartare could be an upgraded version from beef tartare!

Octopus with white bean, puree and sea urchin

Didn’t see massive octopus pieces here as it was sort of like an in between ceviche and mashed form. Paired really well with the white beans.

Mussels with celery and capsicum

Being a mussel fan, this was not the best mussel dish I have had but still not too bad. I always prefer a pot of mussels cooked with white wine, garlic and chilli. But this is my personal preference though!

That’s a pretty cool display of the underground cellar

Love the design of the label for one of the wines we’ve tried

We got to choose our own knives for mains!

We got to choose knives for our mains!

They presented us with four different knives at our table and asked us to choose one. Basically it was four different knife handles depending what you like. It might seemed like a minor factor but to us, we were so impressed by the fact that you can choose your own knife for mains! That was also because we love the knowledge and art of knives since our travels to Japan few years ago.

If you are wondering what were the two dishes above, honestly we forgot LOL! We were most likely too engrossed with the knife selection and forgot to write down what were those dishes. But they did look delicious though!

Local fish with carrot puree, hazelnut and cabbage

I actually love this dish a lot because of how the sweetness of the carrot puree paired superbly with the freshness of the white fish and finished off with tones of nuttiness from the hazelnut. It was just sensational!

Local rabbit with handmade cuttlefish ink pasta

On the other hand, we also had a comforting dish with bold flavours. Rabbit is a famous delicacy here so it was a great opportunity for us to try.

Custard with blueberry gel, cookie crumbles and egg white

I literally LOL’ed when the waiter came out with a massive birthday candle and placed in front of my husband. It was more like a firework! He couldn’t blow it out obviously but it was really hilarious at that time.

Custard with cookie crumbles, blueberry gel and beaten egg white

Mmmmm the rich and luscious consistency of the custard followed by the softness of the egg white and the crunchiness of the cookie crumbles. It was like tasting a fountain of custard matched with the clouds in heaven!

Pineapple and coconut with vanilla chips

Growing up in Asia, I could not resist the pairing of pineapple and coconut. Now this was a dessert made for those who are seeking that tropical paradise, but in a dessert form! It was perfect to end the night for sure.

A must try when in Croatia

If you have done your research for a trip in Croatia, you would already know that it is one of the most underrated culinary destination in the world. The food is fantastic at the cheapest price that you cannot possibly imagine compared to other top culinary places in the world like Australia, Japan and France.

Pelegrini is a must to experience and highly recommended by a foodie like me. It is not well known to the world but it is certainly a hidden gem.

If you would like to experience fine dining at a cheaper cost, come here or even a few fine dining places in Croatia. You will get your money’s worth every single buck. Trust me, I have been to a few fine dining places that would easily cost at least $300 (which is the industry standard) and the food is not as delicious, soulful or thoughtful as Pelegrini in Šibenik, Croatia.

Till next time, take care and stay inspired.

xoxo EM

Hi Everyone

Mar 8 Pelegrini @ Šibenik, Croatia