When a restaurant has a Michelin recommendation, a long-standing reputation, a carefully written menu, and an ambience that balances between traditional and refined, expectations are not a mistake. You expect more – excitement, boldness, unpredictability. In the end, you expect to eat something you won’t forget by the next morning. Konoba Trs offers a lot: a beautiful space, decent service, thoughtful dishes. However, it also leaves the impression of playing it safe, as if carefully making sure not to make a mistake, but in doing so, missing the opportunity to shine.
Located in the heart of Trogir, beneath the vine and old stone, Konoba Trs comes across as a restaurant that knows who it is and where it belongs. It has elegance, but doesn’t force luxury. It has tradition, but isn’t conservative. And it has a team that knows what it’s doing, from the kitchen to the service, but that doesn’t mean every dish was flawless.
Dinner opened with an amuse-bouche: olive oil butter, homemade, soft, salty in the best possible way and full, rounded flavor. One of those small bites that immediately makes you sink deeper into your chair and think: “Okay, we’re starting seriously.” Unfortunately, the first discordant note arrived right after: homemade bread, specifically focaccia, was dry, hard, almost flavorless, as if it had sat out a day too long. In a restaurant of this caliber, especially one that relies so much on the idea of homemade, local, and fresh, that’s a detail that shouldn’t happen. Bread is not a decoration, it’s an extension of the kitchen.
The first real appetizer, cod balls in white (18 €), served with spicy salsa, cuttlefish ink, capers, and olive oil powder, was an almost perfect dish. The texture of the balls was soft, the salsa just spicy enough to awaken the palate, while the cuttlefish ink added a note of sea depth, not too much, but precise. The plate composition was clear, sensibly arranged, and the overall impression very good. The second appetizer, beetroot tartare (18 €) with goat cheese espuma, walnuts, basil mayonnaise, and grated Istrian truffle, was perhaps the most elegantly conceived dish of the evening, but also an example of how one ingredient can ruin everything. All the components made sense: beetroot and goat cheese are a proven pair, the mayonnaise brought creaminess, and the walnuts texture. But the truffle, specifically, the summer Istrian truffle, didn’t bring anything at all. No aroma, no flavor, no character. It was present as decoration, not as an ingredient. And because of that, the whole dish felt a bit insincere, like an attempt to impress without considering the sense of every element.
The third appetizer, beef carpaccio (2 €), brings things back to safer territory. Thin slices of beef served with truffle mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Veli Jože cheese cream, and celery chips. All in superb balance, with textures alternating – soft, crunchy, creamy. The only thing perhaps missing is a sense of surprise. Everything is very good, but very predictable. As if you’ve already eaten it, not necessarily here, but somewhere else.
Main courses continued in a similar vein: correct, technically well-executed, but with little character. Risotto with shrimp and scallops (30 €) was gentle, balanced, but also a bit bland. It lacked that flavor that lingers on the tongue and draws you back to the plate. On the other hand, lamb with beetroot, orzotto with peas and spring onion (40 €) was a much better idea. The lamb, roasted to medium rare perfection, remained juicy, soft, but also with character. The sides didn’t try to outshine the meat and that was completely fine.
Desserts were perhaps the most generic part of the evening. One plate with strawberries in several interpretations, with white chocolate, and the other a variation on panna cotta. Both desserts were technically fine, but without any excitement (each costs 8 euros). In a world where desserts have become a true platform for creativity, here they stayed in the safe zone. Not bad, not particularly good – just familiar.
The wine selection deserves a special chapter, which pleasantly surprised us. We took wine pairing with one appetizer, main course, and dessert (21 €). Even though we’re in the heart of Dalmatia, the glasses featured Slavonian classics: Galić Sauvignon Blanc, then their Chardonnay, and finally – the always reliable Šember. At first glance, an unusual choice, but the waitress, extremely friendly and skilled, explained the philosophy: “We love their labels and freshness.” And you could feel that in every sip. The combination of local mildness and continental elegance felt bold and refreshing, especially in pairing with dishes that often sought just such a balance.
The evening at Trs was more than decent. The kitchen knows what it’s doing, the plates are carefully thought out, and the service, especially the communicative and professional waitress, makes the experience pleasant and smooth. However, the feeling remains that more could be expected from this kitchen. More risk, more personality, more courage. Everything that today’s restaurant scene demands – not another decent risotto, not another glazed vegetable, but a plate that tells a story. Trs has the foundations, the technique, and the knowledge. It also has a Michelin recommendation, which is no small thing. But to rise among the exceptional, it must move out of the safety zone.
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