Editor Pick
A Kebab and a Beer at the Planjak
- March 12, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
The Planjak is situated in the very cente of the old town of Korcula and is extremely popular with locals and tourists.
The best times to visit are very early morning before the sun rises high in the sky and gets too hot and before the Jadrolinja ferry docks, dropping off day trippers from Dubrovnik.
The restaurant has a wonderfully shaded terrace with a woven roof of rattan. From the roof hang lanterns to illuminate the restaurant in the evening. Flower boxes have been built into the stone wall and are filled to the brim with trailing pink, white and red geraniums and variagated ivy plants. The odd Yucca plant graces the terrace also, giving the area a mediterranean ambience.
Tables are wooden, dressed in powder blue tablecloths with white napkins as a contrast. Chairs are stainless steel and not the most comfortable especially if you spend hours chatting in a morning over a coffee or two. From around 9am until 11am this restaurant is very busy with locals.They usually go to the supermarket to do the daily shop and then call by to chat and gossip over a few drinks. It is also a very nice way to spend a couple of hours waiting for the ferry to arrive if you are going on a trip to Havar or Split. The restaurant is very close to the pier where you board the Jadrolinja.
In the evening the restaurant comes alive from 9pm onwards and can soon fill up. You can reserve tables and on the weekends I would advise you to do this so you are not disappointed.
I like to visit the Planjak in the evening because the restaurant is known for its grilled specialities rather than fish dishes. A dish which I find very tasty is cevapcici which is grilled mincemeat served in a flat bread (similar to pitta bread) with chopped onions, garlic, sour cream, clotted cream which is called Kajmak and has rather a sour taste and a relish made from baby peppers, aubergines, garlic and hot chilli. The word for this relish is Ajvar. I find this sort of food very appealing because it is easy to eat, tasty and very colourful and of course, very filling.
Another speciality is Raznjici which is a grilled kebab made from pork, veal or lamb which has been marinated before threading on the skewers and grilled. The meat is always very succulent and the juices from the peppers and onions interwoven on the skewer are delicious. These kebabs usually come served on a bed of rice or with a fresh sald and a basket of flat bread.
I am not very keen on the Peljesac wine that is very popular in Korcula. It is too tannic for my palette so I nearly always drink Karlovasco beer with my food. This is a crisp lager with a lot of taste. My husband prefers the more nuttier taste of Ozujsko beer which is darker in colour and a little less fizz. Beer is very cheap in Croatia about 50p for a large glass which is excellent value and although people say the wine is cheap I don't think it is.
So there you - a small but atmospheric restaurant to visit in the old town of Korcula near to the pier with plenty of shade with good, cheap meaty dishes and good beer. It can be a bit breezy in the evenings so take a pullover. Highly Recommended.
From journal Gorgeous Korcula