Chef Damir Tomljanović is one of the best chefs in Croatia. He gained experience working in restaurants in Berlin and the excellent Draga di Lovrana restaurant. For the last 9 years he has been managing the Foša restaurant in Zadar which is climbing higher and higher up the ladder of the best restaurants in Dalmatia, and even in all of Croatia.

It promotes a Mediterranean cuisine and in it chef Damir cherishes Dalmatian flavors and prepares food in a conventional, and sometimes modern and creative ways. His style is closely related to the promotion of tradition and reflects terroir with his high standards in the context of Zadar’s archipelago and hinterland blooming with local food supplies.

Foša seems to be hidden from the street, secluded in an old city port peacefully watching the sea, absorbing salt and sun into its fish delicacies. The interior is sophisticated and pleasant, a warm combination of wood and stone, while the terrace is enclosed in glass walls almost dipped in the sea protecting itself from the rustling waves.

Foša is primarily a fish restaurant, but we can eat a great piece of meet here as well. Foša offers fish, meat and vegetarian menus, and à la carte. We last visited it this summer, at season’s peek, when the restaurant is crawling with foreign guests, and they still aim at keeping up with very high quality levels.

As a welcome gift, we received bruschetta from the kitchen along with some olive tapenade, salty anchovies and herbs. They were followed by tuna balls sprinkled with sesame on a cold tomato and pepper salsa. An excellent fish soup with bass filet, julienne squash and carrots. If you like shellfish, it is worth tasting raw gropa on toast with butter and lemon and we recommend the cuttlefish broth with creamy polenta and tomato salsa.

There is a fight over every piece of quality fish, the wild ones from the Adriatic, but it is especially difficult to acquire fresh fish daily at season’s peek, so part of it comes from fish farms. Wild tuna steak, dentex, swordfish or amberjack is always an excellent choice. If you are in the mood for shrimps, try the Roman gnocchi with shrimps and truffles. We tried the meaty side of Foša, rested grilled veal rump steak with grilled peppers, sautéed potatoes with cream and crispy pancetta. Well cooked, the juices sealed in on all sides within a beautiful piece of meat, and the texture as soft as cutting through butter and not the 3cm thick steak.

Finally, a chocolate volcano with caramel and vanilla sauce filled with raspberries.

The wine chart is very good, with around 200 Croatian wines and some well-known Italian and French sorts. A great number of them is offered by the glass, one of them the excellent sparkling wine from the Tomac family’s winery. The wine chart offers selected brands from the finest Croatian wineries and some lovely Barolo and Brunello.

Foša is a member of the JRE association (Jeunes Restaurateurs) which has 13 members in Croatia.

Foša is a restaurant you must visit if you find yourself enjoying some time in Zadar which has a great airline and fairy connection with Italy. We enjoy returning here because of the creative and modern gastronomy, top service, the view of Ugljan Island from the lively terrace and the pleasant atmosphere.

Chef: Damir Tomljanović

RESTAURANT FOŠA

Kralja Dmitra Zvonimira 2, Zadar, Croatia

www.fosa.hr

e-mail: info@fosa.hr

Text: Hrvoje Petrić

Photo: Archive restaurant Foša