In the centre of Istria is the charming town of Žminj, which is also the centre of Žminjšćina. A quiet place about half an hour's pleasant drive away from the larger Istrian coastal cities, such as Pula, Rovinj, and Poreč, offers the perfect opportunity to take a break from the hectic city bustle and overcrowded beaches. In the centre of town, next to the market and the football stadium, the newly opened Ružmarin bistro & bar offers visitors brunch. According to their description, brunch is a local word for eating and drinking before noon. The charming owner, Aurora Božac, introduced us to the menu and the idea behind starting the business.
There are also apartments within Ružmarin, and the idea to start a place for brunch was born from thinking that guests often don't want to bother with preparing breakfast in the morning, so it would be good to have a place where they can eat something. Currently, they are focused on the morning, but shortly, they intend to expand the offer for evening gatherings. The ingredients for the dishes are procured from local producers, and thus, the products are procured from Dairy Latus, Pršutarna Jelenić, OPG Bančić, OPG Žminjski gusti. Fresh fruits and vegetables are purchased daily from the market across the street from Ružmarin.
If you want to eat something very light, then we highly recommend homemade granola with yogurt, seasonal fruit (in this case, peaches), and honey. When purchasing fresh fruit, the staff always tries to ensure that it is the fruit that is the freshest that day, and therefore, you can eat granules with different types of fruit on other days. In addition, you can try several dishes with eggs, such as Ki je peći jaja, which consists of poached eggs, dry plate, and vegetables. Dal' na oko is a poached egg placed on toasted homemade bread with prosciutto, vegetables, and rucola. It is important to note that the bread is baked in Ružmarin itself. Il' fritaja is a frittata with prosciutto, rucola, cherry tomatoes and curd.
If someone happens not to be a fan of eggs, you can try Hummus bruschetta, which consists of homemade bruschetta, hummus, seasonal vegetables, and arugula, or Štabela bruschetta with homemade bruschetta, prosciutto, curd, homemade pesto, and arugula. Focaccio panin served as the basis for two dishes: Panin and puol with prosciutto, curd, yogurt sauce, and salad; and Pesto panin with mozzarella, tomato, homemade pesto, and salad.
The portions are pretty large and plentiful, so the guest may be surprised if they were expecting only a short meal, as is usually offered. This meal ensures a full stomach and enough energy to carry out work until returning home in the afternoon. In the end, you can enjoy desserts inspired by your childhood in Žminj. Supe is toasted sweet bread with honey and fruit. In addition, Aurora introduced us to Pandešpanja - a traditional delicacy of continental Istria that was also found at my grandmother's wedding. The treat is made from sponge cake with grated orange peel and topped with egg white cream mixed with Istrian Malvazija.
In the afternoon and evening, guests can enjoy salaries for two people. You can choose between Prosciutto and cheese, Cheese plate and Cold plate. You can also enjoy the desserts Teranie - teran brownie with cherries or Ružmarin - rosemary cream parfait, vanilla crumble with caramel sauce and aceto balsamico. For drinks, in addition to wines from local producers such as Insylvia, Rossi, Valenta, and Benvenutti San Salvatore, you can also enjoy liqueur-based cocktails. Liqueurs are purchased from local producers Frane and Krulčić. Ros Marinus is a malvasia liqueur with malvasia and orangeade, Teranino Tonic is teranino with lime juice and tonic, Olivander is an olive liqueur, lemon juice, Schweppes bitter lemon, Sour Rosso has a base of teranino and blackthorn with lime juice and horseradish and Thorne mule with blackthorn, lime juice, and ginger beer.
With good food and pleasant company, time passes quickly, and it's a shame we couldn't stay longer. In any case, if you are looking for a place in Istria with no crowds, mass tourists, and the hustle and bustle of the city, then Žminj is the perfect location for you. If you also want to have a good bite to eat in the morning or relax in pleasant company in the evening, then Ružmarin is the right choice.
Bistro & Bar Ružmarin
Ul. 9. rujna 2, 52341, Žminj
Text: Domagoj Krpan i Danijel Ratković
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