El Toro

Occupying the ground floor of one of those curvy, almost art-deco buildings on Šubićeva, this much-touted steak-and-much-more besides house cultivates an aura of design-magazine cool, with a suave blend of browns and matt blacks, and a convex window that provides a swivel-eye view of the street scene outside. A lot of people come for the steaks (160-220Kn), which are expertly grilled to the customer’s specifications and certainly count among the best that you will get east of the Adriatic. There’s a pronounced Latin-American-fusion approach to the starters and snacks, and it’s here that El Toro’s creative side comes to the fore – the prawn ceviche (raw prawns in a lime, coriander and chili sauce; 95Kn) is a divine way to kick off a memorable meal; while the Korean beef taco (two pieces; 55Kn) hits the right sweet-and-sour spots although may not be quite as spicy as some people might like. Music is for the most part jazzy or loungey, service the right blend between informal and attentive.