Dubrovnik natives Romano Nikolić, actor and director, and his best friend, producer Pavla Miličić, spent their childhood as next-door neighbors, and their childhood games most often ended up in the kitchen. Both of them loved cooking, but they never dreamed they would one day own their own restaurant. They started cooking more seriously together during their student days for friends, and as they grew older, they wanted to combine their two greatest passions – art and cooking, so they recently opened the bistro Ođe, Ođe at the Trešnjevka market – a place of fine flavors, encounters, good atmosphere, friendship, and love for food.
“Honestly, the feelings are mixed. On one hand, there is great relief because we finally managed to open, and on the other, excitement because we’re just at the beginning of Pavla’s and my dream of creating a space where the two of us will feel relaxed, and so will our guests,” says Romano.
The road to opening was not easy at all, the paperwork and the whole process took longer than expected, but now that the doors are open, all worries are behind them. Their wish is for Ođe, Ođe to become a bistro that is not just a place to eat, but a stop before or after shopping at the market. A place to take a break. The bistro is designed as a space for sharing, dishes are ordered so you can try a bit of everything, just like when friends sit down at a shared table.
"I can‘t single out my favorite dish because it varies depending on the moment, but maybe tomato salsa is one of those that‘s always at the top of the list. I fell in love with cooking through gatherings with friends. Probably after a few successful attempts, confidence followed," says Romano.
Ingredients from the Croatian South
And to show they are serious, they attend courses whenever they find time, so this year they were in Florence for a ravioli-making course. Their signature dishes are fritters – with fish, with olives, and even with pancetta.
“They can be made from anything, but we always add rose brandy,” reveals Pavla. Ingredients for Ođe, Ođe come directly from Konavle, Korčula, and Pelješac – from homemade pancetta and sausages to bitter oranges, anchovies, figs, and bottarga (dried mullet roe) typical for southern Croatia. Everything that can’t be brought from the coast is bought at the Trešnjevka market.
“The menu will change seasonally, even micro-seasonally, because we buy what’s available at the market. Whatever is fresh that day is served at the restaurant,” says Pavla. For now, besides savory fritters with olives and fish, the menu includes eggplant with ricotta on tomato salsa, then a sunny side up egg with bottarga and lemon zest, salad and focaccia, which they get from Bread Club, salad with grilled peaches, pancetta, goat cheese and walnuts, and the dish Pjat – a small platter with cheese, pancetta, marinated anchovies, shrimp, samphire and dried tomatoes, and occasionally there will be a vegan stew prepared by actress Anita Matić Delić.
"Romano and I know each other from the Academy of Dramatic Art, I taught him stage speech and we understood each other well, I was a very dear mentor to him, we worked together nicely. I really enjoyed watching him grow as an actor, and it came to the point where he is capable of acting, directing, running the Arterarij theater and the restaurant. I perform in his two plays, everything came together nicely, and now especially our love for food. They love their region so much that they decided to preserve those traditional recipes and bring in some innovations, a bit more contemporary. I’m really delighted," says Anita.
And the wine list follows the restaurant’s philosophy – local labels, such as Dubrovnik malvasia, homemade brandies and liqueurs, with plans to expand further over time, and this year they will again be part of Advent.
"Our savory fritters have, in two years, become a recognizable segment of the Ođe, Ođe Advent house, so this year we plan to offer them again during Advent," explains Romano.
Stuffed Sardines
INGREDIENTS:
- 600 g fresh sardines
- 40 g almonds
- fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon capers
- breadcrumbs (for coating and 20 g for stuffing)
- 20 g pecorino
- lemon zest
- pepper
- olive oil
- a little flour
- two eggs for breading
PREPARATION:
Clean the sardines (remove scales, head, entrails and backbone), then open and dry them.
For the filling, put breadcrumbs, basil, capers, pecorino, almonds, lemon zest, a little pepper in a chopper, pour in 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil and chop everything well until you get a compact mixture (if desired, add or substitute herbs, for those who like sweeter flavors, add raisins instead of basil). Fill each sardine with the mixture and cover with another sardine, coat and fry. Serve with potato salad to which pickled samphire is added.
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