Seasonal, delicious, colourful

Young pea and mint salad with yoghurt mousse, trout caviar, and a crispy beer and rice flour basket, olive croquette with rhubarb marmalade, salicornia and olive oil aioli, brined tuna with watermelon carpaccio, cold cucumber and wasabi soup, creamy roasted tomato soup, salmon with caramelized goat milk and elderberry cream with homemade nettle gnocchi, American striploin steak with charred corn and pine cream, green apple and ginger ice cream, sour cherry and fleur de sel sorbet – these are just some of the extraordinary dishes you can enjoy in the relaxed summer ambience of the popular gourmet hotspot.

The tempting combinations of flavours are a result of Ana’s inexhaustible creativity and imagination. While creating this menu, she was inspired by what many consider their favourite season of the year.

The high, sometimes unbearable, summer temperatures are best spent in the shade, and one of the legendary places that provides enough shade during the hottest time of the year, as well as a unique Parisian chic ambience, is the Esplanade’s Le Bistro. Whether seated on the charming terrace with a view of the city streets, or in the green ambience of the glazed garden, you can truly enjoy excellent coffee, a selection of premium and sparkling wines by the glass, delicious cakes, or irresistible à la carte flavours created by the Esplanade’s famous Executive Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, who is once again introducing new interesting flavours this season, inspired by the ease and freshness of summer.

“The new à la carte menu is dominated by seafood such as fish and shellfish. I included tuna and salmon in the appetizers because they are light fish, and very nutritional at the same time. I lightly brined the fish, to remove excess water and fat, and then prepared them with minimal thermal processing.  I processed the salmon using a special gravlax technique and combined it with homemade nettle gnocchi and caramelised goat milk and elderberry cream. We dry the nettle ourselves, grind it into a powder, which we then use in the preparation of homemade gnocchi dough. For example, I combined tuna with watermelon carpaccio and cold cucumber, wasabi, and coriander soup. A true summer dish that provides great refreshment!” Ana pointed out.

The new Le Bistro’s à la carte menu contains interesting combinations of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and spices for those who prefer vegetarian dishes. You should definitely try the olive croquette that Ana combined with rhubarb marmalade, olive oil aioli and salicornia, i.e. sea asparagus, which gives another fresh touch to sweet and sour dishes. According to Ana, they brine the olives themselves because they want as many ingredients as possible to be completely fresh and usable. Cooperation with eco-suppliers and local family farms, from whom they purchase vegetables and herbs, is an important part of Ana’s culinary journey and the Esplanade’s restaurant business. It is necessary to highlight the crostata with asparagus and herbs, fresh sorrel and asparagus carpaccio among the vegetarian appetizers, then a true summery creamy roasted tomato soup with basil oil and pickled fennel, as well as Ana’s award-winning risotto, this time combined with roasted zucchini cream, ricotta, chili, parsley oil, pine nuts, and fresh zucchini – ideally enjoyed with a glass of wine or sparkling wine.

Ana did not forget about true meat lovers either. In the summer appetizer offer, she combined roasted foie gras, a Le Bistro classic of sorts, with plums, which are in season right now. “I boil one part of the plums and make a consommé, and I make a gel from the rest, to which I add a little tonka bean. The tenderness of the main ingredient and the sweetness of the plums complement each other perfectly, and to round it off, we have a homemade cocoa brioche. Among the meat dishes, I would especially like to highlight the American striploin steak. It is a very nice piece of meat, juicy and intense, which I brown and add a fine charred corn and pine cream with the addition of a chili and brown butter crown, and I serve it with roasted corn. Although it seems heavy at first, this is a light summer dish that will delight all lovers of good steaks”, says the Esplanade’s chef.

Veal cutlet with mushroom ragout, oven-crisped baby potatoes with herbs and artichoke confit, as well as beef steak with caramelised root vegetables and creamy sweet potato with the addition of fried sage stand out among the main dishes in the new menu. Ana dreamed up an especially juicy turbot fillet in an oven-crisped version with parmesan and herb cream, and roasted broccoli and black garlic crumble as a side dish, while poached John Dory fillet comes with sautéed fava beans with baby spinach.

Indispensable classics

Le Bistro also offers indispensable classics like the iconic oven-crisped Esplanade štrukli – a hotel speciality, which can also be made gluten-free, excellent steak tartare, Caesar salad with chicken, French classic – soupe à l’oignon gratinée, and extra fine Viennese steak with creamy mashed potatoes.

Le Bistro’s wine list includes excellent chilled wines and sparkling wines, for which the staff, led by Head of Restaurant Ivan Trbušić, will be happy to make a recommendation. We especially like the long list of local wines and sparkling wines by the glass, so that you can pair a distinct flavour with each course.

Irresistible gluten-free desserts

It does not hurt to round off your lunch or dinner with a dessert, especially if these desserts are prepared with healthy and fresh ingredients, do not contain gluten, and are suitable for vegetarians. The green apple and ginger ice cream is especially refreshing in combination with pistachio sponge cake and a ginger bar, and the finishing touches are apple gel and pistachio cream. The almond and ricotta cake is also irresistible, with innovative rosemary ice cream and the addition of marmalade and lemon curd, and there is also a juicy roasted apricot sponge cake with mascarpone, lavender, and pine nuts, as well as sour cherry ice sorbet in a contrasting combination with fleur de sel, chocolate, mint, and sesame.

Delicious and healthy meals for the little ones

If you are planning a family meal, you and your little ones will be delighted by Ana’s carefully crafted children’s menu. As a mother herself, she is aware of the importance of a healthy and varied diet for children. She carefully chose the ingredients herself, so that even the pickiest children can enjoy the taste of the food they like, with special emphasis on the parents’ wishes and the children’s eating habits. For example, the children’s favourite spaghetti comes with homemade sauce from fresh tomatoes that are supplied to Le Bistro by trusted producers, in combination with Istrian extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil from the Esplanade’s garden on the Oleander Terrace. Children’s picky palates will certainly be delighted by baby carrot soup that comes with carrot sticks in honey, as well as poached sea bass with a lovely sweet potato cream with olive oil and freshly prepared sweet potato chips. For little ones with special eating habits, allergies, or food intolerances, the Esplanade’s chefs will be happy to prepare dishes according to parents’ suggestions. All dishes are prepared without additional sugars or additives.

Start the day à la carte

If you arrive at the Esplanade in the morning, Le Bistro has been offering à la carte breakfast for years. Crispy toast with fine avocado cream, poached egg and fried pancetta, a vegetable omelette, or eggs Benedict served on a hot brioche with butter are just some of the perfect options for a morning meal. Complement your breakfast with freshly squeezed juice or delicious French toast with honey and orange marmalade. Breakfast is served every day from 9:00 to 11:00.

Menu du Jour

Le Bistro’s permanent offer includes the Daily Menu (Menu du Jour) with three courses of fresh dishes chosen daily by the Chef, accompanied by a glass of Krauthaker house wine and coffee or tea for only €42. The daily menu is offered every day from 12 noon to 5 pm.

Le Bistro is open every day from 9 am to 11 pm (the kitchen is open until 10:30 pm), and reservations are made by phone at 01 45 666 11 or by email at [email protected]. You can find more information at the Le Bistro website. Le Bistro provides superfast free Wi-Fi and browsing through the à la carte menu, with faithful photos of dishes, through the Esplanade’s app. If you would like to give a loved one a gourmet experience at Le Bistro, we suggest a stylised gift voucher. For more information, please contact the Esplanade Hotel staff by email at [email protected].

The always innovative and imaginative flavours by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, a helpful and charming staff, and the pleasant and relaxed ambiance of Le Bistro are reasons enough to take a break in great company and with delicious dishes and irresistible desserts that will surely remain in your fondest memories!

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Published: 19.7.2024.