Chef Marko Djeric at the helm at Langouste, Belgrade

"Boasting large picture windows with views of the Sava River, this culinary institution has changed hands several times (taking the name Langouste five years ago) and is now run by young Serbian chef Marko Djeric, who has worked in its kitchens for three years and been head chef since January. His highly technical cuisine, shaped by international experience yet firmly rooted in Serbia’s rich gastronomic traditions, is sustainable and seasonal, showcasing top-quality ingredients from Serbia and neighboring countries in a broader Balkan style. He adapts techniques like Scandinavian-inspired fermentation to local home-style cooking with popular springtime ingredients such as mushrooms and local herbs, and sets traditional dishes alongside modern techniques. The approach yields plates such as a triptych of lamb—saddle with a sauce of two iconic household staples, Kulen sauce (a type of Italian-style salami similar to spicy ’nduja) and Ajvar sauce (made from sweet peppers); chops cooked on the yakitori grill with roast potato foam and burnt onion powder evoking barbecue-grilled lamb with onions and potatoes; and a highly aromatic sausage lollipop smoked with rosemary at the table and glazed with lamb jus. Fish follows the same ethos, for example grouper from the Adriatic near Montenegro, grilled and served with buttered confit leeks with hazelnuts and Serbian white bacon and a sorrel sauce infused with wild garlic oil. Vegetables take centre stage in fresh, seasonal, modern dishes—many grown in the restaurant’s own kitchen garden just outside Belgrade, home to around fifteen different types of fruit and vegetables—and desserts include fruit-led creations like a mandarin parfait with candied mandarin peel, thyme and Serbian chilli foam, topped with puff pastry sprinkled with mandarin powder and baby seasonal herbs." - Sarah Scaparone