For many visitors to the town of Krk, a walk along the waterfront inevitably includes desserts at the Casa del Padrone. This is certainly the most famous sweet place in Krk. It is less known, and completely undeservedly, that Casa del Padrone is also an excellent restaurant in which the famous chef Dalibor Perinčić found his new working place at the beginning of 2022. Now on the Krk waterfront you can enjoy the flavours and aromas of the island from breakfast to dinner, and we visited Casa del Padrone during the gastronomic event "Road to the taste of the island of Krk". This event is especially valuable at a time when Krk's caterers are preparing for the tourist season and bringing all the beauties of spring. Chef Dalibor, therefore, put together the entire menu on the topic of homemade Krk lamb as it is prepared through the Academy of Lamb Flavour!
Thanks to organic breeding with autochthonous stamp, unique grazing provided by pastures rich in aromatic plants, and the original breed of Krk sheep, Krk lamb meets the strictest environmental standards and the requirements of the most demanding gourmets. Such is the case with lamb in Casa del Padrone because the lamb is domestically raised by the owner Daniel Jurešić. They are happily jogging at the newly-opened family farm in the vicinity of the city, where vegetables and herbs for the restaurant are also grown.
While we are enjoying the mild Trojišćina, one of the flagships of the Vrbnik winery Šipun of Ivica Dobrinčić, we also get a couvert: mousse of lamb liver and crumble with homemade olive oil from organic olive groves. The sweet taste of crumble goes well with the unmistakable aromas of lamb liver, which is treated with cognac and spiced only with a pinch of salt. Altogether it is attractively served in a jar, which gives an interesting introduction to the entire Academy of Lamb Flavour.
From 2023, the month of April is planned to be presented as the month of lamb in this restaurant. The peculiarity of this offer in Casa del Padrone is that the lamb will be fully used; not only the lamb leg and ribs but also the brain, tongue and cheeks,. We felt the announcement of this in lamb tongue carpaccio served with walnut and milk foam, egg yolks of quail eggs and cream of infused apple. The cold and meaty carpaccio has traces of drops of wine vinegar, while the foam is salty.
Quail eggs come from the Stošić family in Štinjan, Istria, and enchant with both yellow and rich flavors, and we are looking forward to this return to quails, which have been somewhat neglected in Croatian gastronomy in recent years. Finally, the infused apple also has traces of lemon and this refreshment completes the whole epic of flavors of this region. In addition, Žlahtina Sv. Lucija Katunar 2020 gives a lasting aftertaste of tropical fruits.
In the special ambiance of the restaurant, which exudes the island's architectural heritage as well as modern twists, gastronomy lovers are not deprived of either the outdoor pine forest or the terrace by the sea, all in the center of Krk. Although outside the medieval city walls, this oasis of gastronomy had to find its expression in the originality of taste and offer. What could be more interesting than lamb cheeks in glazed own sauce, with mutton risotto and forest asparagus emulsion ?! Cheeks were prepared by sous-vide method, which chef Dalibor Perinčić especially likes, and since the lambs were small, the taste is almost milky and divine! Equally, sweet sauce is replaced with asparagus and especially buttermilk, as a by-product of sheep's milk that has found a good place in Dalibor's kitchen. This is a favorite dish of the entire staff, and they served it to us with Kapitul 2015, a phenomenal wine from the Šipun winery.
Curd has its rightful place at this table too. Salty Sorbeto from a young sheep's curd is a welcome break, and the bitterness and saltiness of this dish go great with floral Chardonnay Ferne Degrassi 2018. A break was really needed, because the second main dish was lamb neck with a crown of aromatic potatoes, with burnt kale and cherry sauce. Again, this is a spring rhapsody on a plate, woven with the culinary inspiration of the gifts of island nature. Perhaps this is what attracts the most to Casa del Padrone, because if there is nothing in the production of the restaurant itself, then it is found on nearby or regional family farms. The cheese comes from the famous cheese factory Magriž, šurlice are handmade using eggs produced by Oblić, and the wine list is a combination of Kvarner and Istria into a harmonious whole.
The neck should be eaten warm because only then can all the aroma of meat be felt. It is further accentuated by flavoured potatoes that come with cow’s cheese, butter, thyme, and olive oil. The harsh kale is paired with a mild cherry sauce, and such strong flavours are best rounded off by Syrah Korlat 2017 in which wood and smoke predominate.
A serious "objection" to this sequence is that the dessert is not made on the basis of lamb! Joke aside, parfait of forest asparagus, white chocolate and gelled strawberries captivates all lovers of sweet flavors, and so that the creamy dessert would not prevail over the whole experience, we were served Marcello Langhirano, a quite strong sparkling wine from Italian Parma. He also woke us up from a lamb's dream that we will remember for a long time.
Casa del Padrone is therefore an unavoidable place of island gastronomy and the experience and skill of the chef raises him to a higher level of expectations and programs based on the foods that Krk abounds. We are coming again soon and we are expecting more!
Casa del Padrone
Šetalište Svetog Bernardina 5, 51500 Krk
+385 99 702 27 20
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