Split chef Hrvoje Zirojević invented new genres in Croatian gastronomy and catering at Laganini restaurant in Palmižana. With Zirojević’s innovative and passionate but always elegant fish cuisine and excellent service set in the extreme conditions of a beach restaurant, Laganini has become a restaurant institution and a model for many similar attempts.
However, after eight intensive years at Laganini, Zirojević is taking over the kitchen at popular Split restaurant Dvor. He will be succeeded at Laganini by chef Matko Bukovec.
“I felt it was time for a new phase. No less ambitious, just different,” Zirojević said for Plava Kamenica.
“Apart from wanting to be closer to my family, I want to apply in a new way everything that has proven to be a winning combination for both work and guest satisfaction.”
Dvor, a restaurant in an attractive Firule location that Zirojević will run in cooperation with Split restaurateur Marko Balić, will boast a concept based on a specific interaction of traditional and modern cuisine that Zirojević very successfully established at Laganini, but applied in a different, broader way.
Dvor has an aquarium with live fish, fresh French oysters, and some classic French dishes such as cold duck breast. Still, the menu also includes risotto with shrimp and asparagus and Zirojević’s signature dishes such as tuna rolls with goose liver, tartare with timut peppercorns, and onion and ceviche jam.
One of the huge assets of Dvor is a beautiful terrace with a garden on the sea, in which there will be a lounge area. Although preparations for the season are still ongoing, Zirojević is already receiving guests at Dvor.
“We started calmly and quietly; the situation is still uncertain due to the pandemic; it requires experience and caution. But regardless of that, I think that the restaurant must promote quality first of all, and we still have a lot of plans in that segment. If you are really good, you will find people wherever you are,” says Zirojević.
Dvor, however, will not be difficult to find. It is located in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Split, behind one of the most beautiful terraces in Split, and has one of the best Croatian chefs.
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