Throughout January, Zagreb’s Hotel Esplanade has been traditionally offering hot, oven-crisped Esplanade štrukli at a special price in the chic ambience of Le Bistro.

The special offer includes two portions of štrukli for only HRK 120, and is available from 6 to 31 January 2022.

foto: simun situm

The popularity of this dish is best illustrated by the fact that almost five thousand štrukli were sold at the recent Fuliranje Advent fair, held on the Oleander terrace.

Esplanade štrukli have been prepared from just a few fresh ingredients according to the same tried and tested recipe for more than half a century, and are synonymous with tradition and the quality of the local gourmet offer. “We serve štrukli to our guests for breakfast along with other local products such as Drniš prosciutto, Pag Island cheese, home-made cracklings, olive oil, and local sparkling wine from Plešivica. They are part of almost every major event and catering, and are a must-have at gala ceremonies and weddings. Still, it is the iconic Le Bistro which is most closely connected with this specialty, and it is almost impossible to visit it without tasting a portion of delicious štrukli, which can also be bought frozen: as a gift or to prepare at home,” underlined the Esplanade's Executive Chef Ana Grgić Tomić and added: “Štrukli are made by hand in our in-house pastry shop, and I believe this is what makes them so valued. The dough is kneaded and stretched across the entire table until it becomes paper-thin. It is then filled with fresh cheese, and the štrukli are shaped with a thin porcelain plate, to then be steamed, carefully placed in a ceramic dish, topped with fine cream, and crisped in the oven until golden brown. Guests simply adore them, and have them as an appetizer, a main course with a pinch of salt, or a dessert with sugar, while I still find them best when savoury, particularly in winter when they are the perfect comfort food on cold days. Our pastry shop is a real small štrukli plant. The popularity of this dish is best illustrated by the fact that almost five thousand štrukli were sold at the recent Fuliranje Advent fair held on the Oleander terrace.”  

This traditional speciality from the Croatian Zagorje region, created in a hilly landscape of picturesque pastures and fields, has earned its undisputed place in the culinary selection of the Hotel Esplanade from the very beginning. Štrukli were first prepared at the Hotel Esplanade back in 1951, and it all started with the idea to offer visitors and international guests at gala festivities something appealing, authentic, and taste-tested, from different Croatian regions. The chefs recognised the value of national dishes as the most attractive invitation for guests who like to enjoy local delicacies, and štrukli have ever since become a staple classic of each of the Esplanade’s menus. Making the journey from vernacular cuisine to elite restaurants, this delicious dish has reached the very top of the offer thanks to the fact that it is handmade, its quality, fresh ingredients, and place within local tradition. The Esplanade's Štrukli have also been tasted by numerous famous guests, including foreign dignitaries, members of royal families, athletes, actors, singers and others, who never left indifferent to this traditional delicacy, and many media have celebrated Esplanade's Štrukli and written about them in the most remote areas of the world.

The Days of Esplanade štrukli at Le Bistro last from 6 to 31 January 2022, the special price of HRK 120 refers to an order of two servings of oven-crisped štrukli (each serving contains two pieces of štrukli). The regular price of one serving is HRK 85.

foto: rajan milosevic

source: 5 January 2022, Hotel Esplanade Zagreb