Tratoria Al Pittor

Veteran food writer, novelist and broadcaster Veljko Barbieri drew up the menu for this venture, a mixture of old and new recipes with Adriatic pasta and seafood providing the central themes. The pittor ('painter') in the title refers to Vojo Radojčić, the artist who provided all the visuals: logo, menu and wall paintings included. It's certainly a fun place to eat, with bright, bold-coloured rooms overlooked by Radojčić's deceptively infantile paintings of fishing boats and seaports. The menu is varied and contains several fascinating exercises in culinary rediscovery with the deliciously creamy juha od raštike (collard soup; 25kn) serving as a reminder of what Dalmatian grannies used to cook in days of yore. Hand-made ravioli with garlic (45kn) is the stand-out of the pasta dishes; while the cod served with grilled polenta (80kn) is one of several highly individual mains. Outdoor tables are set right in the centre of Zagreb’s main café strip.