28 Apr Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Restaurant 360 Dubrovnik

Sitting on the Old Wall of Dubrovnik, overlooking the harbor on one side and the mountains on the other, we sat down for our first meal in Croatia. Add to that delicious food at Restaurant 360, a newly minted Michelin Star restaurant, it was a magical first evening in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Restaurant 360 Dubrovnik is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Restaurant 360 is literally set within the great walls of Dubrovnik itself. Located just outside the Ploče gate, we entered the contemporary space surrounded by the old stone walls. We were escorted downstairs and across a patio where we saw the open kitchen where the chef was at work. And then we were escorted back up some stairs to the tables along the wall. The cuisine of Restaurant 360 is Mediterranean, mixing traditional flavors of Croatia with creative twists while using locally sourced products. A four or five course tasting menu is available but the typical menu is two-courses, one item from the starters and one item from the mains. Amuse: Three little bites were served to start the meal. A gazpacho marshmallow covered in Parmesan cheese was a delicate little pillow. A crispy Jerusalem artichoke leaf was topped with black pork meat and chili mayo. The “baby eggplant” was actually puree of eggplant dipped in liquid charcoal. We were also served house-made breads with two butters – a seaweed butter and an olive oil butter that had the intense green taste of olive oil. Starters: Carrot – slow cooked carrots cooked in their own juice, served with pickled carrots, carrot chips and carrot puree. Celery salad, pine nuts, mushroom and fermented garlic cream. Scallops and Pearls – Scallop tartare and Ston bay oysters are coated in a turnip dressing, parsley oil, apple brunoise and horseradish. Mains: Sea Bass – The extra-crispy skin of the sea bass was dipped in hot oil before being roasted with the fish. The fish was on top of garlic and potato puree, sea fennel and cuttlefish, pickled salad, spinach, parley and fish stock. Octopus – Sous vide, the octopus was tender perfection on top of chickpea puree, lime ravioli and dark fish stock. The lime ravioli were exquisite. Biting into the al dente ravioli, I was surprised by the precision of the lime flavor. While we were too full for dessert, we did enjoy wines throughout the meal. The wine list is international in scope but Croatian wines are well-represented and that is what we focused on. We started with a glass of Tomac Diplomat Extra Brut Plesivica Croatia, a sparkling wine made with 70% Chardonnay and 30% indigenous Croatian varieties. With our Starters, we had the Liponović Vugava 2016 Vis Croatia. Made from the grape Vugava which is related to Viognier, the wine has aromas of citrus, melon and white flowers with soft acidity and a full mouthfeel. With our Mains, we had the Rizman Pošip Nonno 2016 Komarna from Southern Croatia with had a elegant acidity but structure from oak to stand up to the more intense flavors of our main dishes. We finished with a few sweet bites with the mignardes served. A truly delicious meal with beautiful wines, great service and an elegant setting, Restaurant 360 was most definitely the Please The Palate pick of the week and a great first meal of our visit to Croatia!