Bistro Točkica
Retro bistro in Remiza serving nostalgic dishes
At the mere mention of the bistro Točkica (točkica meaning a small dot in English), people's faces light up. That says a lot about this place, which attracts its guests with its food, but also the atmosphere. This retro-style bistro with nostalgic dishes and interior design got its name after dots on enamel cookware, reminiscent of past lunches at grandparents'; dishes in Točkica are served in such cookware. And when filled with classics of Croatian gastronomy, it is no wonder that Točkica become such a popular place in short time.
Bistro Točkica accommodates its guests on 2 levels and on the terrace, where people sit even in winter, despite the low temperatures. The interior is designed in vintage style – the ground floor is in red tones that create a warm atmosphere, and the upper one is in pastel green. The chairs are retro and mismatched, and the tables have cloth pads reminiscent of crochet milieux, with a pattern of — you guessed it — dots.
The service is nice and very helpful, and the portions are huge.
What is served?
The menu includes seasonal dishes, daily dishes, fish Friday and the classic à la carte menu. The seasonal offer includes winter classics such as pumpkin soup, sarma (stuffed cabbage leaves), smoked pork hocks with sour cabbage, black pudding and beans, and the daily dishes range from tripe with bacon, pašticada (braised beef in a sweet and sour sauce), fried liver to brudet (a fish stew), lamb shank and turkey with mlinci (a type of local pasta) on Sundays. Friday is the day for fish – octopus under the bell prepared on the terrace, fried fish and black risotto are just some of the fish specialties prepared in Točkica.
The menu also includes 3 appetizers, beef and seasonal soup, štrukle (thin dough stuffed with a mixture of fresh cheese and eggs) and black risotto, and veal or octopus under the bell. As for the main dishes, there are, among other things, Viennese-style suckling veal, breaded chicken with rice and peas, gnocchi in veal sauce and steak in green pepper sauce.
There are four desserts to choose from – Kaiserschmarn, homemade strudel, Bund cake and a cheese board.
It is interesting that with each dish listed in the menu there is also a wine recommendation. Točkica has one of the more creative wine lists, full of natural and biodynamic wines, some of which are poured open. For lovers of this specific type of wine, Točkica is a real little gem.
What our chefs had?
To start with, the Delicious Zagreb team shared a black risotto, which was served in a charming red dotted bowl. It was definitely one of the better black risottos – full of flavour, creamy, with nice acidity and a surprising amount of quite large cubes of cuttlefish. We continued our lunch with a selection from the daily menu – shortly fried liver with potatoes – first boiled and then sauteed, onion chips and a nostalgic main course — breaded chicken with rice and peas. The liver was perfectly cooked, tender and still slightly pink in the middle. The counterpoint to this taste bomb was a mild side dish of boiled and sauteed potatoes served with crispy onion chips on side, to be added to your dish according to your preferences. As for the chicken – we got a boned drumstick and thigh that kept their fantastic juiciness thanks to breading. Rice with peas and green leafy salad are an ideal side dish for this authentic Zagreb dish.
For dessert, we tried homemade apple strudel with bourbon vanilla cream, which is prepared à la minute and comes hot to the table. It resembles a štrukla, and is filled with fine apple cubes. It was an excellent choice for the end of lunch.
