Has
A charming bistro liked by neighbours and tourists alike
Has is a charming bistro located in the wider Zagreb centre, not far from the so-called "džamija" (mosque), i.e. Meštrović Pavilion, which today is the home of the Croatian Association of Fine Artists. The restaurant can accommodate about twenty guests, and it opens only for dinner. It is owned and run by a husband and wife who are also the main protagonists of this gastronomic story — they decorated the restaurant and designed the menu themselves; he cooks, and she serves the guests. The name Has comes from a slang word "hasati", which means to eat.
Has is just as popular with locals as it is with tourists. Across the restaurant there is a tree from which the light bulbs are strung up to the very entrance, which looks especially charming in the evening. While we are having our dinner, the local guests come; the owner tells us that in summer they are full of tourists. The decor is minimalistic with neutral tones, and the atmosphere is warm and homely. There is also a small gallery which can accommodate about ten guests.
What is served?
The menu is rather short, but changes often and according to the season. Along with one warm and one cold appetizer, there is also a seasonal soup to start with. There are eight main dishes, ranging from homemade green gnocchi with Adriatic prawns, to salmon, chicken, duck, sous vide lamb, veal cutlet and beefsteak, to a vegetarian risotto. For dessert, they offer Schnee-Eier and a chocolate cake with no flour in it.
The drink menu includes, among other things, craft beers, home-made grapefruit and hazelnut liqueurs they make themselves, and 5 cocktail classics. The wine offer is based exclusively on Croatian wines — from small winemakers to large wine houses, except for sparkling wine; they also offer Spanish sparkling wine in a 2 dcl bottle, as Croatian options are not offered by the glass. Certain wines are poured open.
What our chefs had?
After the welcoming bite, for starters we had a fanciful bruschetta with smoked trout, leafy salads in cocktail sauce, crispy pickled cauliflower and roasted beets. The bruschetta was served on homemade bread; the trout is bred in Gračani and smoked in-house. To accompany the starters, we shared the 2 dcl bottle of the Spanish sparkling wine Pere Ventura. The choice for the main course was salmon fillet and veal cutlet. Grilled salmon was served with a side of green peas, spinach, chickpeas and sun-dried tomatoes, and the veal cutlet was served on a bed of Milanese risotto with saffron. The meat was juicy and perfectly cooked, and the risotto was served with cherry tomatoes. The salmon had a nice crispy crust, and the spring vegetables gave it the right dose of freshness. We paired the main dishes with Dalmatian Dog Babić wine. For dessert, we enjoyed a rich chocolate cake with bourbon and orange, which is made without flour and served with Greek yogurt.
