Bistro and bakery Salo
Magical tastes reminiscent of the old days and tradition at the market in the historic heart of Zagreb
Salo Bakery opened its doors with a fanfare of publicity. Justifiably so because this project really brings together the best of the best!
A partnership of three experts of the gastronomic scene that led to the launch of this project guarantees the ultimate pleasure for the senses: the first among them is one of the best Croatian pastry chefs Petra Jelenić; the second is one of the most successful and progressive Croatian chefs Tvrtko Šakota, and the third partner is Matija Belković, the founder of the famous Croatian coffee brand Cogito.
This romantic foodie corner is a treasure trove of traditional savoury and sweet pleasures for everyone's taste buds, made from local, sustainable and organic ingredients, served in a bright, enjoyable space whose walls, decorated with jars of pickled and fermented vegetables, sacks of flour and coffee, and handmade pottery irresistibly draw you into the world and philosophy of this progressive venture that cherishes tradition and originality. This bakery is also a bistro where you can sit down and enjoy lunch or one of Petra's bakery delicacies, but beware – you have to arrive on time because the fight for some 20 seats is fierce! :)
What is served
The basic idea is traditional cooking, freshness, seasonality, sustainability and natural approach, choosing organic foods, working with old types and varieties of vegetables and grains, supporting small and conscientious growers.
Here you will find a selection of breads of various sizes and shapes, made from several types of freshly ground grains, daily offer of sandwiches, simple traditional hot dishes and a selection of desserts that vary in type from rich cakes to delicious dry cookies. There are also “pizza from protvan” (protvan is a dialectal word for “baking pan”), grilled ham, cheese and mushrooms sandwiches, French toasts, buhtle (sweet rolls) and much more. From the drinks offer, we have to mention the top specialty coffee Cogito, as well as a selection of Croatian beers and biodynamic wines.
What our chefs had
Among the savoury dishes, which Tvrtko is in charge of, we first tried wonderfully creamy jagle, which is coarsely ground corn cooked into a kind of porridge and a traditional dish from Zagorje, made from 8-row corn with cheese from Pag Island.
After that, we had savoury pie-like zlevka with dry spicy salami kulenova seka, cream and fermented chili. It was bursting with familiar flavours, but again in a new, better way. We also had wheat bread with fresh cheese and cream, pickled carrots and fennel, followed by a delicious 'old-fashioned' sandwich with ham, lamb’s lettuce and fermented horseradish.
From Petra’s sweet corner, we first chose sweet pie-like zlevka, with sour cherry jam and hazelnuts. We continued with excellent husari cookies with jam, then delicious salenjaci, which are a kind of Croatian counterpart to a croissant, made with lard. Finally, we rounded everything off with Petra's well known chocolate cake with poppyseed, with a complex profound taste, which is an absolute must.
