The Selce waterfront is full of cafes and restaurants, but if you're looking for a place that resonates with tradition and locality, it's Konoba Ulika. We visited it during the gastronomic event "Month of Blue Fish" on the Crikvenica Riviera. This well-attended event is dedicated to the historical nurturer of Kvarner, and the fishing heritage is translated into a series of imaginative recipes. At Ulika, they surprised us with great and fresh fish in combinations that reveal the culinary skills of the owner and chef Zoran Tonković.
While tasting the excellent local grapevine, we notice the old olive press, which was the name of this restaurant before it was renamed Ulika. Even then, it was a cult place in Selce that offered pizzas in addition to brunches. The bread oven is still there, producing excellent and widely known pizzas, as we have seen on countless visits.
It's brunch time, and the restaurant fills up at lightning speed. The changeable weather has led many guests, mainly from Germany and Austria, to enjoy the warm corner of the tavern. Eye-pleasing bruschetta with anchovy fillets is served on the table. Fresh and beautifully balanced anchovies go great with very soft and warm bruschetta. Traditional taverns are places where anchovies could often be found on the appetizer list, and in addition to fried ones, marinated anchovies are also popular.
Anchovies are considered one of the best fish for salting, a practical way of preserving them for when fresh fish is not so easy. At the same time, marinating is a simple method by which you can prepare this fish for eating without much effort and with just a few ingredients. Anchovies have been marinated in vinegar since ancient times, sometimes with the addition of wine, onions, and spices, and, let's add, fish aged in salt and acid was exported from the Croatian coast to Venice as early as the 14th century and a century later it was also served to the clergy in Rome.
Right next to the tavern is a beach and a beautiful view of the eastern coast of Krk. The narrow passage between Krk and the mainland was traditionally a fishing area, although today, fishermen sail to the Kvarner Bay and beyond. The real delicacies, however, come from more distant places. Although swordfish can be found in the depths of the Adriatic, this strange-looking fish is primarily a farmed commodity that requires skill in preparation. In the hands of Zoran Tonković and his colleague Neven Malnar, a fish skewer of swordfish and tuna with cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, and potatoes is created. The juiciness of these fish pieces is immediately noticeable, which is not a feature of every tuna and swordfish preparation we have tasted. The meaty fish goes perfectly with zucchini and especially with sips of the house red wine Merlot.
The kitchen also brought us swordfish with polenta, another succulent fish dish in a great sauce, and a reasonably neutral polenta. Swordfish is a particularly popular fish for cooking. Because swordfish are large, the meat is usually sold as steaks, often grilled. Swordfish meat is relatively firm and can be cooked in ways that more delicate fish cannot (such as grilled on skewers).
Swordfish fishing has ancient origins dating back to the second century BC. We learn about it from some Greek historians, such as Polybius, who were fascinated by this type of fishing and described the technique in detail. A legend also explains how, when Achilles died, his warriors, very skilled spearmen, threw themselves into the sea in despair and were transformed into swordfish by the goddess Thetis.
Konoba Ulika is the only restaurant in Selce that is open year-round. Every day, five to six types of brunch are served, and on Sundays, guests enjoy shank and lamb. Although young, Zoran Tonković has 28 years of cooking experience, which is evident in every detail of his restaurant.
We were served an excellent crème brûlée with blueberries and blackberries to end our stay. France, England, and Spain claim to be where crème brûlée originated. The first printed recipe for a dessert called crème brûlée is from the 1691 edition of the French cookbook Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois, written by Francois Massialot, a chef at the Palace of Versailles, but the beauty of making this dessert can easily be attributed to Konoba Ulika!
Konoba Ulika
Ul. Emila Antića 25, 51266, Selce
+385 51 847 347
תגובות