Tag Archives: Chef

Croatia: Le Mandrac, The Gourmet Restaurant in Opatijia

Croatia-Opatija-Le Mandrac-8-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2013

After my long visit of Opatija

with Zé under a blazing sun, we follow Lungumare (a paved path along the sea with a beautiful view) to Le Mandrac, a gourmet restaurant. We are in a small cove with a backdrop worthy of the golden age of the Italian cinema. It feels like home… and also reminded me of the Marseille’s Calanques and a distant dinner at Chez Fonfon (a famous restaurant in Marseille).

I love the scenery, I’m blown away! The view from our table is just WOW (picture 1)! Impeccable service. The black bread looks like the one I tasted in South Tyrol (picture 4). Excellent starters (pictures 2 & 3), followed by a perfectly grilled fish with olive oil (pictures 6 & 7) and a chocolate cake, with in the middle some hot chocolate and garnished with a lemon sorbet … OMG and beleive me, I am not at all a dessert person (pictures 8 & 9). After the second starter, I wasn’t hungry!

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The chef Denis Zembo

Honestly, I think it must be a nightmare to have lunch with me. Each dish is carefully photographed before and sometimes even after, as below, LOL! Here everything is so flavorful and tasty that between the main course and dessert, I improvise a quick meeting with the talented chef and owner of Le Mandrac, Denis Zembo (picture above): 

How would you describe your cooking? – Mediterranean cuisine with a twist. Unpredictable and surprising. 

What kind of ingredients inspire you? – Only some Mediterranean herbs and garlic found in the mountains. I like to use different techniques, such as caramelize. The presentation is half of the dish too. 

– What traditional Croatian dish would you recommend to someone who comes for the first time in Croatia? – The risotto, all made pasta, scampi. My avant-garde interpretation of traditional fritaja (fritaya), with scrambled eggs and local ingredients: wild asparagus, truffles and mushrooms. 

Thank you Denis Zembo.

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Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés. 

Informations 

Le Mandrac : Obala F. Supila 10, Volosko, 51410 Opatija – Tel +385 51 701 357. Opatija Tourist Board www.visitcroatia.be  

Follow my whole trip in the CROATIA section. ENJOY! I was hosted by the Office National Croate du Tourisme and as usual all my opinions are mine.    

Related posts : DESTINATIONSLIFESTYLE & HOTEL REVIEWS 

Croatie: Le Mandrac, le restaurant gastronomique d’Opatija

Croatia-Opatija-Le Mandrac-8-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2013

Après ma longue visite d’Opatija

avec Zé sous un soleil de plomb,  nous longeons Lungumare (chemin pavé en bordure de mer, au superbe panorama) jusqu’au Mandrac, restaurant gastronomique. Nous nous retrouvons dans une petite crique digne d’un décor de l’âge d’or du cinéma italien. Ca m’a aussi rappelé les calanques marseillaises et un lointain dîner chez Fonfon. Bref gros gros coup de coeur, suis bluffée!

La vue depuis notre table est juste WOW (photo 1)! Service impeccable. J’ai cru reconnaître le pain noir goûté au Sud Tyrol (photo 4). Excellentes entrées (photos 2 & 3), suivies d’un poisson parfaitement grillé (photos 6 & 7) et d’un gâteau au chocolat, avec au centre du chocolat chaud et garni d’un sorbet au citron… Une tuerie et pourtant je ne suis pas du tout dessert (photos 8 & 9). Dès la seconde entrée, je suis rassasiée! 

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Le chef Denis Zembo

Honnêtement, je pense que ça doit être assez insupportable de déjeuner avec moi. Chaque plat est scrupuleusement photographié avant et même après parfois, comme ci-dessous, LOL! Tout est tellement goûteux et savoureux qu’entre le plat principal et le dessert, une rencontre flash s’improvise avec le volubile et talentueux chef et propriétaire du Mandrac, Denis Zembo (photo ci-dessus)

– Comment décririez-vous votre cuisine? – Méditerranéenne avec un twist. Imprévisible et surprenante.

– Quels genre d’ingrédients vous inspirent? – Uniquement certaines herbes méditerranéennes et l’ail que l’on trouve en montagne. J’aime utiliser différentes techniques, comme caraméliser. La présentation aussi est importante, c’est la moitié du plat.  

– Quel plat traditionnel croate recommanderiez-vous à quelqu’un qui vient pour la première fois en Croatie? – Le risotto, les pâtes, les scampi. Mon interprétation plus avant-guardiste de la traditionnelle fritaja (fritaya), composés d’oeufs brouillés et d’ingrédients locaux : asperges sauvages, truffes et champignons.

Merci Denis Zembo.

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Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

Informations

Le Mandrac : Obala F. Supila 10, Volosko, 51410 Opatija – Tel +385 51 701 357. Opatija Tourist Board www.visitcroatia.be  

Suivez mon voyage dans la rubrique CROATIE (tous mes posts). ENJOY! J’ai été invitée par l’Office National Croate du Tourisme et toutes mes opinions sont les miennes. 

Autres articles: DESTINATIONS, LIFESTYLE & HOTEL REVIEWS     

Fooding at The Awesome Sungai Gold, Bali

Sungai Gold-Bali-Fooding-Lunch-1-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Foodies, enjoy!  

I had an amazing stay at Sungai Gold, a beautiful rental villa where every meal was a feast for the eyes and palate. Every morning, the chief asked me what I wanted for lunch and dinner.            

I like eating light and prefering the quality of ingredients to a complex cooking. Mostly I wanted to discover Balinese specialties. What interest ordering pizza whe you’re in the Balinese countryside? So here are some of my meals. 

Let’s begin with the famous Nasi Goreng (on the photo above, the No. 2): steamed rice with leeks, mushrooms, carrots, garlic, chilli and oyster sauce and fish sauce. Fried chicken and an egg on the rice. A delicious dish very nutritious, served with sauces, including one very spicy (3). 1. Fresh coriander juice (I think) with lime, the whole is very bitter.

Sungai Gold-Bali-Fooding-Breakfasts-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

The breakfasts   

(pictured above). I always had the same breafast, enjoying sun-drenched fruits with a fresh fruit salad and orange juice (1).   

Depending on my activities, when I didn’t have lunch at the villa, I added a bowl of whole grains (2) or scrambled eggs with mushrooms sprinkled with parmesan (3).

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The  dinner of my arrival    

When I arrived after more than 20 hours of flight, I was not hungry. Unable to resist, I ate because it was so good (ten times too much for me alone)! And the setting was magical!     

Photos 1, 2 & 3: the starters. 1. Scallops with chilli and cream of coconut. 2. Tempura barramundi (a fish of Southeast Asia and Australia) with a Thai salad. 

3. Spring rolls of lamb with cumin seeds. 4. The main course: grilled chicken salad with green mango. In all the dishe, there are coriander and chilli. A divine meal!

Sungai Gold-Bali-Fooding-Dinner-1-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Do you know the Barramundi and some Asian fruits?   

Above, photo 1: steamed Barramundi with lime sauce and coconut, with mashed sweet potato. Among the ingredients: lemongrass, coriander, ginger, palm sugar, coconut milk, lime juice, garlic and “green bird eyes” chili.     

2. The dessert! What a dessert: a plate composed of dragon fruit (white flesh dotted with edible black seeds and pink skin not to eat), passion fruit (viscous seeds in the strawberries) for those I liked.

I really liked the dragon fruit, mixed with a scoop of homemade coconut ice cream​​: a real treat! This became my favorite dessert (usually I’m not dessert)! 3. Passion Fruit.

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Pleasure for the eyes       

At lunch: grilled chicken with vegetables (carrots and cucumbers) marinated in white vinegar, small chillis and sugar. The chicken has also marinated in fish sauce and shrimp paste, long hot pepper, garlic, tomato and oil. It’s great and beautiful to look at (1)!       

For dinner: baby snapper with Balinese spices, garlic, chili, lime, shrimp paste, tomato and oil, plus lemongrass (2). This dish is served with steamed rice with coconut that I found pretty dry (3).   

Big surprise when I saw the dessert (which I couldn’t finish!): banana fritters served with ice (4)! Two million calories, lol! If you say fritters, you mean: rice flour, topped with a sauce made from palm sugar, cream and butter !!! Really not good for any diet ; )

Sungai Gold-Bali-Fooding-Snack & Dinner-3-Photo Mademoiselle Le K-copyright 2014

Hearty dinner after a sightseeing day  

I did the visit of two temples quite distant from each other, without having time to lunch. When I got home in the early evening, the chef prepared me some spring rolls to snack before dinner.       

I used to dine late. 1. Spring rolls & 2. Typically Balinese: corn fritters made of maize, sweet chili sauce, garlic, pepper, celery, egg and rice flour. A very filling dish that peasants cook when they do not have enough rice.     

3. Dinner with a classic Nasi Goreng. Well I hope this gives you want to taste some Balinese dishes (do not miss the Balinese chicken Satay)! Suksma to the entire team of Villa Sungai Gold and especially the chef for this delicious culinary journey!        

Photos : Mademoiselle Le K – copyright 2014, tous droits réservés.    

Informations

Sungai Gold

To go to Bali : Qatar airways  

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I was invited by the Villa Sungai Gold Bali and as always these are my opinions.