In recent years, a new life has been awakening at Zagreb‘s markets, which makes us especially happy, because besides visiting our favorite stands and chatting with beloved market ladies, we now finally have more and more exciting places where we can stop for a while, rest, have a drink and eat something that isn‘t just a bakery product, gemišt (not that we mind) or juice, and enjoy the view of the hustle and bustle happening in front of us. Zagreb‘s Dolac has for some time now been a place where, besides shopping, people also go for breakfast or brunch, even queue up for good coffee and toast, and now the same might happen with the Trešnjevka market. There, in fact, a small, charming spot called Ođe, ođe has opened these days.
You might remember this team for their excellent fish fritule from the Advent hut at European Square, so you‘ll be glad to know they offer them here too, but they‘ve expanded the menu to several small dishes and one daily special. We visited them early in the week at the end of working hours, managed to try a few dishes, and ended up chatting with the friendly team, who are quite excited that a new chapter is starting right here.
Behind Ođe, ođe are friends Romano Nikolić and Pavla Miličić, whose success at Advent was exactly the boost they needed to finally dare to open something of their own. Although both come from Dubrovnik, they‘ve lived and worked in Zagreb for years, since their student days, and the Trešnjevka market has always been that one place they loved visiting together. When they decided to open the place, they say, they didn‘t have to think long about the location—their favorite market imposed itself as the ideal solution.
They opened last weekend and immediately sparked curiosity, from vendors to random passersby, everyone wanted to know and try what‘s on offer here. And what‘s offered is a handful of small but well-prepared dishes, among which are savory fritule in two ways, with mol and with olives, sardines stuffed with pesto and potato salad, eggplant with ricotta on tomato salsa, then a sunny-side-up egg with bottarga and lemon zest, salad and focaccia, which they source from Bread Club, salad with grilled peaches, pancetta, goat cheese and walnuts, and on the menu there‘s also a dish they call Pjat, which is actually a small platter with cheese, pancetta, marinated anchovies, shrimp, samphire and dried tomatoes. During our visit, the daily dish was a rich minestrone priced at 6.50 euros. Other dishes range from 5 to 12 euros.
"We wanted to offer people homemade food, something of ours, and the market works in our favor because whenever we run out of something, we can just pop into the fish market or to one of the stalls and get it. That‘s exactly why we‘ll change the menu seasonally, depending on what‘s at the market," owner Pavla Miličić told us in a short conversation.
As for wine, they offer Blato Korčulanka, which they also use for gemišt, Pošip Merga Victa, Tezoro Crvik Malvazija, Grk Radovanović, Plavac Mali Marica, Negromat Crvik Merlot and Postup Mare. They also offer several rakijas and liqueurs, all sourced from small Dalmatian producers, Estrella beer and Dubrovnik Habitat gin.
Besides the fact that the food is pretty good, it‘s also a special pleasure to sip a glass of good homemade wine with a view of the market, and the team here is quite charming—there‘s also a familiar face in the kitchen, Nikolić‘s colleague, Kerempuh actress Anita Matić Delić—so the whole experience of what they offer is even sweeter. Ođe, ođe is a place that, we hope, will thrive here, because the Trešnjevka market really needed something like this. Alongside a hot burek at Mira‘s, now we know where we‘ll go for coffee, a glass of wine and ‘something to nibble on‘ when we‘re in the area.
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