Restaurant: Boban

Location: Hektorovićeva 49, 21000 Split. Rezervacije: 021/543-300 info@restaurant-boban.com

Date: July 21 & 24, 2012

Cuisine: Dalmatian

Rating: Split Institution

Boban has been around for almost 40 years, which is forever in restaurant time. And while not the most modernist place in the universe they still do a very good job.

There is a nice interior (clearly updated since 1973).

And a lovely patio.

Poship is another Dalmatian white grape and widely available. This particular midrange example is easy to find and makes a good food wine with seafood.

The menu as usual is large but also fairly typical.

We started with some fish pate, this one being a mix of different white fishes.

“Fish carpaccio.” While the Croatians inherited this dish from the Italians, they don’t follow the “no cheese with fish” rule – in fact, they love the combination. This was a nice carpaccio and styled more like a beef one than seafood.

“Steak tartar.” I do love good steak tartar and this was a very generous portion. The beef was also good. The prep was a little reminiscent of hamburger meat given it’s strong Tabasco/Worchester sauce flavor (there was tons of other stuff in there too). Tasty on bread but not peppery enough and a little smooth to enjoy as easily straight up.

“Penne pomodoro.”

“Fuzi with smoked ham and truffles.” This was a typical form of the Istrian dish. Good, but not as reach and creamy as the one at Kadena.

“Gnocchi with shrimps and butter sauce.” Croatian gnocchi are huge, but tasty.

“Mushroom risotto.”

“Scampi risotto.” This is also a typical Croatian risotto in that it’s soupier and less buttery than the Italian equivalent. When done well, like this one, they are quite good.

“Black cuttlefish risotto.” Very common in Dalmatia and hard to get right. It’s salty and briny  and requires a good balance (which this one had).

Salads tend to be small side courses tossed on the table like in Italy. This is a typical “mixed salad.”

And a “tomato salad.” I was told by those who can tolerate that much tomato that the Dalmatian tomatoes were fantastic.

“Almond semi-freddo.” A very nice dish with local candied oranges and cinnamon.

My son amused himself at the end of the meal by mixing the leftovers into a “soup” and trying to get us to eat it.

Overall, Boban is a very good place. It was probably the second best place we ate at in Split after Kadena. The atmosphere and service were lovely and the dishes quite good, if sometimes a bit “classic.”

For more Croatian dining reviews click here.