Hotel Esplanade becomes the gourmet centerpiece of Advent in Zagreb

02/12/2024

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Hotel Esplanade becomes the gourmet centerpiece of Advent in Zagreb

During this year’s Advent, the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel will again become the most attractive and luminous gourmet centre of the city’s social life.

From November 28 until the New Year, on the Oleander Terrace of this iconic Zagreb hotel, the FOOLING AROUND holiday spectacle awaits you again this year: Felicita, bringing a note of Venice to the city, a superb music program, and the most exciting gourmet street offer.

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Pork knuckle in tortilla, tripe with pancetta, crispy sardines with avocado salsa, juicy beef burger, indispensable creamy croquettes, famous oven-crisped štrukli, chocolate mousse with cherries, cranberry crumble, apples cooked in white wine, hot cocktails – at the Esplanade House you will be awaited by an absolutely magical gourmet offer that you must taste.

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In addition, the Hotel’s magical atmosphere invites you to holiday gatherings while enjoying divine seasonal menus, Afternoon tea, irresistible Christmas desserts, and signature cocktails.

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A glamorous New Year’s Eve at the Esplanade is not something to be missed.

With sparkling wine, a red carpet, and sensational courses of delicacies by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, the famous music group Showtime will usher you into the 2025 New Year with dancing and joy.

Again this year, with a view of the magical fountain and other city landmarks, the Esplanade’s terrace becomes the epicentre of the magical Advent, inviting everyone to feel the unique blend of charm, tradition, superb gastronomy, and a relaxed holiday atmosphere.

Fooling Around opens its doors on Thursday, 28 November at 4 p.m. and will offer visitors throughout the whole of December a supreme music program and outdoor events that guarantee a great time. To enjoy culinary sensations, be sure to visit the Esplanade Advent House with gourmet signature by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, which will be an unmissable destination for true gourmets once more this year.

STREET FOOD SENSATIONS BY CHEF ANA GRGIĆ TOMIĆ

With her Fooling Around team, Ana has created a fantastic street food offer that will make your mouth water. A special highlight of the menu is the dry pork knuckle with sauerkraut, which Ana creatively packed in a delicious tortilla, rounding off the flavours with homemade horseradish and herb cream – for perfect winter comfort food with a note of tradition. In addition, for those who like to warm up with traditional spoon food, Ana has included irresistible tripe with pancetta, which she rounded off with herbs and parmesan cheese. For fans of fresh fish, Ana created an original snack with an exotic touch – fresh sardines from the Adriatic Sea, cleaned and fried in panko crumbs. The sardines are served with a fine homemade chickpea and black sesame cream, with avocado, mango, cucumber, and mint salsa, along with citrus fruit and olive oil dressing, and coconut and lime cream – for an ideal healthy snack. There is also a delicious beef burger, which is prepared from the finest pure beef with a little salt and pepper, so that the emphasis remains on the quality of the meat. The burger is enriched with onion marmalade, pickles and pickled shallots – everything from Ana’s home production, served with creamy sauce with mustard and crunchy arugula. Following huge demand over the past years, this year Ana has again included in the menu the widely known crispy-creamy croquettes, this time in a combination of kulen salami with pepper marmalade, pepper aioli, arugula, and pickled onions. The Advent street menu wouldn’t be complete without the Esplanade’s most famous classic, which is adored by both young and old not only in Zagreb, but also outside the borders of Croatia – hot štrukli, filled with fresh cow’s cheese and oven-crisped with cream – a true comfort food.

SOMETHING SWEET – SELECTED BY THE ESPLANADE’S PASTRY TEAM

Every dish should be rounded off with something sweet, and the best choice are the masterful delicacies of the Esplanade’s pâtissiers. This year, visitors will be able to indulge their sweet tooth with chocolate mousse with spices, with the addition of cherries cooked in wine and cherry jelly. There’s also a delicious hot cranberry crumble flavoured with orange and ginger with maple syrup and vanilla cream. The pastry team prepared another dessert dedicated to the seasonal queen of fruits – apple cooked in white wine, orange juice, and cinnamon peel, served with fine walnut cream, vanilla sauce and caramel sauce, which will surely satisfy even the most demanding palates.

Seductive hot cocktails signed by Vjenceslav Madić MASTER KISHONI

Sensational hot cocktails signed by the Esplanade’s famous cocktail master Vjenceslav Madić Master Kishoni, have already won over the visitors of the Esplanade 1925 Lounge & Cocktail Bar and the Fooling Around market, and they will warm you up from head to toe again this year. Kishoni has created as many as six new cocktails for winter Advent gatherings outdoors. He imbued indispensable winter classics with character – Festive Esplanade white mulled wine comes with a fantastic combination of selected wines and spices along with elderberry liqueur and dehydrated lime, while Festive Esplanade red mulled wine combines as many as four excellent wines refined with spices, Cassis liqueur, and dehydrated orange, which give this hot cocktail a special note. Esplanade Fizz is designed for lovers of gin and Gin Fizz versions, and brings refreshing fruity and floral flavours through a touch of red grapefruit and elderberry that make this cocktail perfect in its warm version. Mojito – the famous classic is now also available as a warm cocktail – based on Cuban rum along with lime, mint, and a hint of barman’s creativity – so simple, yet the best. Oleander is a modern, elegant cocktail based on vodka, in which the fruity notes of the tropics are perfectly combined with the vanilla flower. Orient Express intertwines the taste of sweet apricots and fresh citrus fruits with winter spices. This cocktail, named after the opulent railway that ran through Zagreb in the 1920s, which is also responsible for the construction and opening of the Esplanade Hotel back in 1925, will surely delight even the most demanding palates. These same cocktails are served in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Esplanade 1925 Lounge & Cocktail Bar with ice in a cold version, so Vjenceslav once again created something unimaginable – he turned cold cocktails into hot ones without changing their taste and texture. Therefore, we definitely recommend that you try both varieties and abandon yourself to the cheerful holiday spirit.

MAGICAL HOLIDAYS AND A GLAMOROUS NEW YEAR’S EVE 2025 AT THE ESPLANADE

This sumptuous hotel has always held a special place in the hearts of the people of Zagreb and over the years has become a favourite place for family gatherings, socialising with friends and partners, Christmas celebrations, and the most glamorous New Year’s Eve in the city. Book your accommodation in one of the beautiful rooms and apartments with a view of Zagreb Advent, be in the centre of everything and indulge in the enjoyment of the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Esplanade 1925 Lounge & Cocktail Bar with Christmas Afternoon Tea and a selection of small snacks and desserts served on a tiered stand, warm up with a hot cocktail or hot chocolate flavoured with hazelnut and espresso, or taste the delicious Esplanade Christmas cake with dried fruit and chocolate. This Advent, get together with you family over a traditional Advent brunch in Zinfandel’s – during four Advent Sundays, a magical holiday atmosphere awaits you, as well as a selection of fine delicacies accompanied by background piano music and a welcome sparkling wine. Toast to the holidays in the charming Christmas atmosphere of Le Bistro with special cod dishes and Christmas desserts. Experience Christmas Day in the fairytale atmosphere of the Esplanade Hotel. And for the craziest night of the year, there is a magnificent New Year’s Eve in the Emerald Ballroom and Zinfandel’s, with a red carpet, premium sparkling wine, a six-course dinner, a musical program, as well as an indispensable children’s New Year’s party – all for a glamorous entry into an even better 2025 New Year.

Indulge in the sparkling holiday atmosphere of this special historic hotel in the heart of Zagreb, which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year. Get ready for the magic of Advent at the Esplanade, where every corner glimmers with a special holiday glow, and unforgettable moments await you!

More about the holiday offer of the Esplanade Hotel available at https://advent.esplanade.hr/
Offer and price list for the Esplanade Advent House: Esplanade stand by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić – Advent Esplanade
Book your accommodation in Esplanade at esplanade.hr

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DOWNLOAD PHOTOS: Esplanade Zagreb Hotel – Fooling Around i blagdani 2024