serbia – Gourmanda

Chanoy Honeymoon: Nis and Belgrade, Serbia, January 2016

Note – photo gallery at the bottom of this post.

As you travel through the Balkan countries, there’s no mistaking the fact that Serbia is one of the ‘better off’ countries of the region. There are fewer abandoned buildings, fewer ruined and bomb-shelled buildings, and everything is just that slightly bit more better maintained. That’s not to say that they’ve escaped unscathed – I don’t think any country could manage that – but they are doing a lot better than other places with much better infrastructure and arguably more opportunities.

We visited two cities in Serbia – Nis in the south, a spa town renowned for their healing thermal waters, and the capital of Belgrade in the north. We chose these two locations for specific reasons – Nis for a relaxing pampering break, and Belgrade to take in some culture in one of the most popular party cities for young travelling Europeans.

Our visit to Nis coincided with a few days of heavy snowfall, which made for perfect timing as we spent a whole day indoors at the Wellness Centre in Niska Banja anyway. Indulging in their ‘Anti-Stress’ package, we had access to a Finnish sauna, a jacuzzi pool, a full-sized swimming pool, and a full-body oil massage as well. It’s just the type of relaxing self-pampering day that I enjoy most, and costing only about $35 per person, it certainly didn’t break the bank. If I ever return, I think I would extend my stay and get a few more treatments done at the same time – a facial, a manicure, a pedicure…the whole works!

On our second day in Nis, it thankfully stopped snowing and we were able to explore the sites of the town, namely the old fortress walls. It’s just a little bit magical when there’s a thick layer of snow covering the ancient fortress walls and the vast parklands inside. While the path was a bit slippery at times, there’s nothing quite like wandering the winding paths of the fortress and seeing vast fields of untouched virgin snow around you. It was the perfect powder for making snow angels…or as some local kids preferred, sledding down a little hill in the park.

Belgrade was very different – the most obvious difference being the lack of snow and the blue skies as we arrived on the bus! The excellent weather made for some wonderful days out wandering the streets of Belgrade, joining two free walking tours and walking along the banks of the Danube river. It wasn’t until our last day in Belgrade that snow finally hit the city – and that was fine by us, as we’d already decided to spend the day indoors in the malls of New Belgrade, finally watching The Force Awakens for only $10 AUD for two tickets.

While in Belgrade, we actually chose to stay a little way outside of the main city centre in what used to be a separate town called Zemun. It’s only in the past hundred years that it’s joined the greater Belgrade area, which means that the town centre has its own charm and beauty, with old school buildings, town halls, opera house, river-side restaurants, and more. Staying outside of the city made for a nice change – we felt closer to the local community as we visited local markets, took local buses, and bought from local street vendors. As it’s not a tourist area, you do feel as though you’re getting to understand the daily life of Serbian locals in a more authentic way.

Here is where I have to make some excuses as well – we didn’t take part in the nightlife activities that attract so many young travellers to Belgrade. We didn’t spend every night in a different bar, drinking endless shots of rakia and glasses of wine and beer. It’s not my scene, but hats off to those who can manage it! Instead, K and I chose to make the most of the cheap tickets to performances at Belgrade’s National Theatre – we saw performances of the ballet Coppelia and the opera La Traviata for only about $15AUD for both of us, for both performances. That’s a COMBINED $15, with each individual ticket only costing about $3.75. With those prices, there’s no reason to not go and see some wonderful theatrical classics.

Food-wise, we had an excellent traditional meal at Mala Gostionica in Belgrade, as well as meals at Manufaktura and Hotel Moskva. We ate out a lot for the few days we were in Nis as well, with the highlight being our meal at Kafana Galija. Other meals included Italian at Night and Day, a cafe meal at Tramway Cafe, and two fast food meals. There were plenty of other cakes and treats along the way as well, as evidenced in the photo gallery below! One of my highlights was a Serbian palacinke (pancake) with Nutella, Plazma biscuit crumbs and sliced banana. I don’t want to exaggerate, but I could literally feel my heart rate slowing as I ate that pancake.

What I think we missed out on was visits to museums or galleries that feature coverage of the role of Serbia in the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s when Yugoslavia broke up. The reason I say this is because we visited Bosnia & Herzigovina and Croatia after we visited Serbia, and having seen the coverage of events such as the Srebenica massacre and the role played by Serbian troops in perpetuating such atrocities…well, it would be fascinating to see how those events are described by those who are at fault.

And on that depressing note… Serbia is a safe choice for those travellers who want an easy introduction into the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Belgrade is a very modern and safe city in many regards and offers many of the comforts of home, as well as a fantastic party scene (especially in the summer with pontoon parties on the river) for those who are interested. For those who want a more relaxed pace of life, Nis is a fantastic destination for a few days of pampering.

Review: Cafe Moskva, Belgrade Serbia

An afternoon break for a cup of tea and a slice of cake is a tradition that may seem particularly English in nature, but it’s certainly not limited to that country! The Swedish have their fika, and the Balkan countries are fond of their mezze which is meant to be eaten over the course of an afternoon as you sip on glasses of wine or rakia.

The Balkans have adopted some more traditional afternoon tea practices though, and the iconic Hotel Moskva (Hotel Moscow) in Belgrade is one of the leaders in afternoon tea for both locals and tourists alike. Their old-fashioned cafe is located on the ground-floor and serves a selection of cakes, ice-cream sundaes and other desserts alongside a number of different coffees and loose leaf teas.

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There’s only a handful of hotels in Belgrade that can compete with Hotel Moskva in sheer opulence – and none of course, can hold a candle to its long history as one of the iconic hotels of Belgrade. They’ve played host to well-known individuals who can be recognised by surname alone – Einstein, De Niro, Hitchcock, Arafat, Gandhi, Nixon, Pavarotti, Geldof, Sartre…for decades, Hotel Moskva was the place to be seen in Belgrade, and it still holds onto that old-world glamour.

Freshly squeezed orange juice (295 Serbian Dinar) and pineapple juice (240 Serbian Dinar)

Luckily this glamour doesn’t translate into a snobbish attitude towards tourists wearing jeans and sneakers – we were welcomed warmly into the cafe and shown to a table promptly. No reservations are needed, but do be prepared to wait for a table during peak times.

We started with a fresh drink each – freshly squeezed orange juice for me (a little tart on initial taste, but with an underlying sweetness), and a pineapple juice for K.

We hadn’t had lunch yet, so we both ordered some sandwiches to start before we got stuck into their dessert offerings! I chose a Club Sandwich, one of my go-to options whenever it’s offered on a menu. Quite frankly you can’t go wrong with a sandwich that offers a bit of everything – crispy bacon, grilled chicken, tasty cheese, and a nod to healthy eating with a few slices of lettuce and tomato. It’s a winning combination, especially when the cheese is beautifully melted and it’s served with crispy hot french fries on the side.

Panini with 'Njeguska Ham' (490 Serbian Dinar) — Panini with ‘Njeguska Ham’ (490 Serbian Dinar)

K chose a Panini with Njeguska Ham which came with the most beautiful grill marks. Njeguska ham comes from Njegusi, a village in Montenegro, and is essentially like a prosciutto – in this case, a particularly salty prosciutto that was offset well by the creamy cheese slices and fresh tomato. It’s worth paying an extra 100 Serbian Dinars for this ham sandwich rather than the plainer ham sandwiches on the menu! Distressingly for my OCD, one of the slices of bread wasn’t placed the same way as the other two slices…a minor issue, but it does speak to a lack of attention to detail.

Onto my second drink to go with my dessert – the house hot chocolate. The waiter will ask you if you want cream – and the answer is yes, always yes. I did qualify my response with a “just a little bit?” which just meant that it came to the table with just an inch of whipped cream on top, rather than three inches of whipped cream. The hot chocolate itself is surprisingly not too sweet, but it does have a gorgeous rich and velvety chocolate flavour that’s just enhanced by the thick creamy texture. Do yourself a favour though, and ask them to bring a glass of water with it to help cleanse your palate for the main dessert.

Earl Grey Imperial Tea (290 Serbian Dinar)

K has only just discovered a love of Earl Grey tea at the age of 30, so that was his choice. It came served with a little pitcher of lemon juice and a packet of honey on the side – lemon to enhance the natural citrus flavours of the tea leaves, and honey to sweeten if necessary. No milk pitchers here to dull the aroma of good bergamot!

While I was highly tempted by the many delicious looking cakes and desserts at the counter, I decided to order a dessert off the menu instead – a Moskva Cup sundae, in honour of the hotel where we were having our tea. Two scoops of ice-cream (vanilla and hazelnut), topped with a mixed fruit selection that seemed as though it was out of a can, topped again with whipped cream and some ladyfinger biscuits. This would have been an excellent dessert if the fruit had been fresh and if the mix had worked better with the ice-cream flavours provided. As it is, getting a mouthful of canned pineapple with hazelnut ice-cream is more than a little bit strange.

K’s Reform Torte was a much more conventional dessert choice with flavours that actually worked well together – it’s hard to go wrong with chocolate and walnuts! However, it was a lot sweeter, stronger, and creamier than what we would have expected, with the cream to sponge cake ratio almost equal. This is a personal preference though – some may enjoy creamier cakes, but I prefer a lighter and more aerated sponge with just a touch of cream.

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Hotel Moskva is an institution in Belgrade, and will continue to feature as a destination for a special afternoon treat for locals and tourists alike for years to come. Their signature cakes are very much in the local style with an abundant use of cream, so it’s not an ideal location if you’re sensitive to lactose! Their sandwiches are excellent though, so I would even consider stopping in just for a sandwich and a cup of tea- and perhaps a cream-free biscuit as a treat.

Hotel Moskva is located at 20 Terazije in Belgrade, Serbia.

Review: Manufactura, Belgrade Serbia

There was an interesting point at the end of our free walking tour in Belgrade when we asked our guide if she could recommend somewhere for us to have lunch – somewhere not too expensive, but not a cheap takeaway place either. She asked us, “Mid-range for Australians, or mid-range for us locals?” Moments like that really highlight income disparity worldwide – we’d been raving about how cheap everything was in the Balkans for us as tourists on the Australian dollar, but hadn’t stopped to think too deeply about what that means for locals.

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In the end our guide pointed us towards Manufaktura, a very cool and somewhat hipster cafe restaurant just down the street. It’s not unlike a Jones the Grocer in Sydney, where they not only serve meals in their cafe, but also offer a deli counter, bakery counter, and other house-made jarred jams and preserves elsewhere in the store. It’s definitely a mid-range for Australian tourists, and high-end for locals type of place though – you won’t find local uni students dining here, it’s mainly older working professionals.

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The restaurant is divided into two spaces, one with high bar tables, and the other with lower seated tables. Unfortunately, neither of these are actually non-smoking areas – the waiter actually laughed when we asked him about non-smoking. Thankfully we managed to find a table in a corner of the restaurant near the front door which allowed for some regular fresh air to be circulated around our table.

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We started with some drinks – a fresh orange juice and blueberry juice (from a bottle). The fresh orange juice was a particularly nice treat as something cool and refreshing without too much artificial sweetening (I’m looking at you blueberry juice!). I think we’re a bit spoiled in Australia with our range of juice bars – I find myself wishing I could just walk down the street anywhere in Eastern Europe and be able to find a juice bar and order a healthy green juice!

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The restaurant sent out a complimentary starter for us – a few slices of house-cured ham and some herbed cottage cheese as well. We were wondering where they had the space to smoke this ham, and the waiter told us that they actually had a large basement kitchen the level below where they prepared all their smoked meats and cheeses. Whatever the setup, it’s working – the ham was absolutely amazing with just the right amount of streaky fat around the edges.

Manufactura bread, 60 Serbian Dinar each

I got a bit excited when the house-baked Manufactura bread came out to the table because it came out in what looked like a Chinese bamboo steamer basket! Unfortunately it was actually just a sieve made out of a wooden ring and metal mesh. At least the bread itself was delicious, with quite a hard crust that cracked open to reveal the most delicious Turkish-style bread inside. An absolute treat with the cheese.

We shared a Sopska Salad, which is basically just a simple tomato and cucumber salad with the addition of a healthy amount of feta cheese on top. Unfortunately the feta wasn’t quite as nice as the one that we’d had at Tramway Cafe in Nis, and was a bit too crumbly and sour for my liking. There wasn’t as much of a creamy texture as there should have been.

Sarma (sour cabbage rolls), 380 Serbian Dinar

One of the seasonal specialities was the Sarma, or sour cabbage rolls, available only on the winter menu. Having tried some home-made dolmas in Macedonia when we visited our new friend Angja’s family, these just didn’t quite measure up. While they were quite tasty, they just didn’t have that home-made touch which results in a bit more spices in the rice mix, or a bit more chilli in the oil.

K wanted to try some Cevapi, a local meat specialty made up of blended mince meat (beef, pork and chicken) shaped into little sausages. This was actually the first time we’d tried cevapi in the Balkans, and they were quite tasty though a little rubbery in texture. I felt like it was the type of meat that needed to be eaten in a mouthful with the fried potato and the yoghurt dip, to help balance the strong meaty smokiness of the meat.

I wanted seafood, so I ordered the Seafood Risotto – a mistake on my part in a landlocked country! There were a few small prawns and a few mussels scattered throughout but it was otherwise quite a plain risotto with an overwhelming use of tomato sauce over quality ingredients. I really should have ordered something like grilled fish instead – located on two rivers, Belgrade has better freshwater fish options than seafood options!

Manufaktura offers some decent local Balkan food, at a very reasonable price (if you’re an Australian tourist!). The main point is to know what to order to ensure you get a good meal – don’t make the same mistakes I did and order a seafood risotto! Pay particular attention to their seasonal menu, and try a larger range of their appetisers like the house-cured meats and cheeses.

Manufaktura is located at 13-15 Kralja Petra in Belgrade, Serbia.