Mon Ami, Zagreb County, Croatia: Where tradition meets land and sea
"In Velika Gorica near Zagreb Airport, I found Mon Ami, a family-run restaurant opened in 1997 by the Ceronja family and today led by their son Bruno Ceronja; the modern interior uses fine local oak for the tables along with marble and stone, seating about sixty inside plus some twenty on the terrace. For nearly thirty years the Ceronjas have shaped a cuisine that blends Croatia’s coastal and inland culinary souls, embodying the region’s “from farm to table” ethos, and for the past seventeen years the kitchen has been headed by 45-year-old chef Goran Marko Beus, a native of Split whose experience along the Dalmatian coast and on ships informs a menu devoted to a harmonious balance of land and sea. Signature dishes I recommend include black cuttlefish risotto, octopus salad, and dry-aged beef steaks from the local region, while traditional highlights feature fish from the Prokljan area (where the river meets the sea), Kvarner scampi, forest mushroom soup, and homemade pasta with black truffle; the menu regularly showcases truffles, tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, meats, and fish alongside international inspirations. Desserts follow suit, notably a Scardona cake with almonds, orange, and walnuts and a vanilla-and-honey semifreddo with salted local hazelnut cream and pear coulis—the semifreddo is made in seasonal variations but this pear-and-hazelnut version remains the most popular, its secret lying in local ingredients such as honey from the Žumberak Highlands (OPG Balić), hazelnuts and hazelnut paste from Turopolje (OPG Haha), and pears from Turopolje (OPG Goga). Thanks to its strategic location near the airport, Mon Ami is well loved by both locals and travelers seeking an authentic, warm, family-style culinary journey through Zagreb County." - Sarah Scaparone