November the 15th, 2024 – The festive season is almost upon us once again, and one of the most popular parts of the festivities is undoubtedly Fooling Around by Fuliranje. Here’s what we can expect at Zagreb Advent this year.
The beautiful Esplanade Zagreb hotel, the Kokoš ili jaje creative agency and the MPG agency previewed the gastronomic offer of this year’s edition of the wildly popular Fooling Around by Fuliranje at Zagreb Advent.
if you’re feeling hungry…
At the exclusive pre-tasting held on November the 14th, guests had the opportunity to taste the mouthwatering creations of eminent Croatian chefs and restaurants. Throughout December, they will turn the Oleander terrace of the gorgeous Esplanade Hotel into a unique gourmet oasis.
Carefully selected dishes that combine tradition and innovation, precision and passion were presented to the crowd by: the chef of Esplanade’s kitchen and Zinfandel’s, a restaurant with a green Michelin star, and chef Mario Mandarić from Noel, the first restaurant in Zagreb with a Michelin star.
That was far from all. Gathered under the umbrella of the Jeunes Association of Restaurateurs, Vjeko Bašić from the Boba tavern in Murter, chef Ante Udovicič from the Lemongarden restaurant in Sutivan, and chef Floriana Ružić from the San Rocco restaurant in Brtonigla were all present. Chef Marko Gajski from LD Restaurant on Korčula will also join them.
Rich Istrian flavours combining heritage and a touch of luxury were showcased chef Ante Miletić from the Meneghetti restaurant. This impressive line-up of chefs who showed how their original haute cuisine dishes can be presented as street food form was joined by the famous chef Mate Janković with his Sausage Institute/Institut za kobasice.
Then we come to Ivan Zidar, whose Mason Burgers & Stuff is considered one of the pioneers of the gourmet burger scene in Zagreb. We can’t forget the amazing Boogie Lab, an artisan bakery, restaurant and brunch bar whose quality has even conquered New York. The talented Dino Kušena will also be on the hotel’s Oleander terrace, who will delight visitors not only with his selection of the most prestigious international wines and champagnes, but also with selected steaks.
thirsty, too?
The Fooling Around by Fuliranje fun at Zagreb Advent doesn’t begin and end with food, as there will be plenty of refreshing liquids available to help it go down.
There will be a diverse and creative drinks offer, with a rich and well-chosen selection of wines, brandies, selected wine cocktails, sparkling wines, mulled gins and hot cocktails. Ginglebells, Rakijarnica, Tikves wines and the Esplanade’s very own talented Vjenceslav Madić will take care of that.
Madić has designed six tasty cocktails which are perfect for outdoor festive winter gatherings. One of them is the warm Mojito and the Orient Express, which combines the taste of sweet apricots and fresh citrus, intertwining them with winter spices. With that, he perfectly introduced this year’s theme…
from paris to venice on the orient express
After last year’s theme centring around Paris, Fooling Around by Fuliranje at Zagreb Advent is taking us to Venice this year. Venice is of course yet another station of the legendary Orient Express, which also had a station in Zagreb. In fact, that famed train was the main reason for the construction of the Esplanade, as passengers needed to have an equally sophisticated hotel at their disposal.
In true Venetian style, the tasting session began with a dish called Tartarissimo (beef tartar, sourdough foccacia and Veli Jože cheese) by the Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery.
Those who are set to bridge the gap between heritage and luxury will offer Bakalar in Bianco (cod, pulled dough, tomato and coconut sauce), Dolce Vita (mortadella, buratta, pumpkin, toasted sourdough focaccia), Maiale Rustico (pulled pork, basil pesto, kajmak, pastry) and Panettone with vanilla cream.
This was followed by the JRE house’s presentation, which will boast as many as four chefs and restaurants with original dishes at Fooling Around by Fuliranje at Zagreb Advent this season. There will be several more guest appearances from JRE chefs in December, as well.
The Lemongarden restaurant and chef Ante Udovičić were the first to introduce themselves. They delighted the crowd by serving shrimp yakitori with a creamy garlic soup, smoked paprika and bread with herbal oil, as well as glazed cabbage on an open fire, homemade hummus and pink ginger powder.
Then came chef Floriana Ružić from San Rocco, who served excellent pork flambé in a pistachio crust, with cabbage cream and leek sauce and juice. That was followed by chef Vjeko Bašić from Konoba Boba, who rounded off the JRE house’s presentation by serving powerful Ćufte with salsa and more.
esplanade’s irresistible offers this festive season…
Chef Ana Grgić Tomić presented the offer of Esplanade’s Advent house this year, and her menu featured Dry buncek in a tortilla, with homemade horseradish cream and herbs. For those who like to warm up with a traditional dish eaten with a spoon, Ana has included filets with pancetta, herbs and parmesan in her offer. For lovers of fresh fish, she’s designed an original snack with a touch of something rather exotic – fresh sardines from the Adriatic fried in panko crumbs with the addition of fine homemade cream of chickpeas and black sesame with avocado, mango, cucumber and mint salsa. As if that wasn’t enough, citrus and olive oil dressing and cream of coconut and lime.
There is also a delicious beef burger enriched with onion marmalade, pickles and pickled shallots to be enjoyed. It should be noted that this all comes from Ana’s home production, and is served with a creamy mustard sauce and crunchy arugula. Considering the huge demand in the past, Ana has included the famous crispy and creamy croquettes in the menu once again this year. This time, it’s set to be served in a combination of kulen with paprika marmalade, paprika aioli, arugula and pickled onions.
The Fooling Around by Fuliranje street menu for this year’s Zagreb Advent wouldn’t be complete without the Esplanade’s famous classic. It’s adored by all generations not only of Zagreb locals, but people from across the world. You guessed it – hot štrukli, filled with fresh cow’s cheese and baked with cream.
Esplanade’s own kućica (cottage) will also offer delicacies from its confectioners this year. That includes chocolate mousse with spices with the addition of cherries cooked in wine and cherry jelly, hot cranberry crumble, flavoured with orange and ginger with maple syrup and vanilla cream, and apple cooked in white wine, orange juice and cinnamon bark with walnut cream, vanilla sauce and caramel sauce.
noel’s Mario Mandarić brings a touch of autumn
Chef Mario Mandarić from Noel will bring a dish from the autumn menu to Zagreb Advent’s Fooling Around by Fuliranje this year. That is the incredible Roe Deer Ragu with Stout Beer & Yeast. It will give the audience on the Oleander terrace the opportunity to enjoy a course from an incredible Michelin-starred menu.
Along with the aforementioned ragu, the plan is to present a number of dishes created under the watchful eye of co-owner and head chef Mario Mandarić, who is being reinforced just for this event in the form of the talented Ivan Temšić.
The well-known holder of the prestigious Croatian MasterChef title, the former chef of the acclaimed eVala 1903 restaurant and a huge talent, will offer several gastronomic concepts. They’ll all be locally recognisable, with his special signature thrown in. In addition to food, there will also be a fantastic cocktail menu available from Noel.
there can be no advent without sausages!
It’s hard to imagine any Advent period without sausages, therefore the grand finale of the presentation of Fuliranje delicacies went to the Institute for Sausages/Institut za kobasice by Mate Janković. Mate presented those present with his amazing debrecinka with stewed sauerkraut, pickled fennel and toasted pumpkin seeds, as well as his rich beef shish sausage spring onions, kajmak, and cheese in paprika relish. Meat lovers will be equally delighted by the news that will be a Mason Burgers & Stuff house run by talented chef Ivan Zidar. For many years now, he has been creating unique burgers by combining local ingredients with top quality meat and brioche pastry. For Fooling Around by Fuliranje at Zagreb Advent this year, they’ll present their famous burgers as well as other delicacies.
Among the dishes on offer will be Spalette with Istrian cheese, the Butter burger (either with or without truffles), the Dry aged burger, and their Pork belly with kimchi and pineapple that he prepared for tasting. Then come their amazing Smash dogs, their roast pork sandwich, and for dessert, there’s rice with milk in the form of arancini to enjoy.
anyone for dessert?
Speaking of desserts, chef Mijo Volarević from Boogie Lab arrived with the sugar infusion at the end of the pre-tasting, in the form of Apple Strudel. The strudel is otherwise one of the three Boogie Lab delicacies that they have prepared for Zagreb Advent’s Fooling Around by Fuliranje, and they’ll also have sourdough lasagne with ragu and lasagne carbonara.
Everyone quickly agreed that this year’s Fooling Around by Fuliranje in cooperation with Metro Hrvatska (Croatia) will delight even the most picky palates, and once again deservedly bear the epithet of the most exciting gourmet Advent location in Zagreb.
In addition to top delicacies and drinks, Fooling Around by Fuliranje at Zagreb Advent this winter will delight visitors with a carefully selected additional programme whose main leitmotif is happiness, or Felicità. As soon as they set foot on the Oleander terrace, visitors will be enveloped in a feeling of unfeigned happiness and festive cheer, which will be in perfect harmony with the elegant decorations, intimate and unique atmosphere, and great music.
This year, visitors will be proverbially taken to Venice by a masked ball. We can expect creative themed parties on Fridays, acoustic performances by talented young musicians Vocales, and countless surprises that will gradually be revealed!
make sure to keep up with Fooling Around by Fuliranje 2024 by following them on facebook and instagram!
The place to be: The Oleander terrace of the Esplanade Hotel, Zagreb
Duration: From the 28th of November to the 31st of December 2024
Working hours: Mon-Fri: 12:00 – 23:00
Sat/Sun, Christmas Eve, New Year: 11:00 – 23:00
Christmas: 16:00 – 23:00
