A deserved Michelin star but with room for improvement: Restaurant Noel (27. April 2019)

I had read about the Noel getting its first Michelin star a couple of weeks back and I was super curious to try it out. And it all started quite nicely with a lovely selection of different breads.

And a variety of butter starting with lard to regular salted butter and nut butter.

Given, I wanted to have a good idea of what the Noel had to offer, I decided to go for the “7-course-menu” (690 HRK). What I liked about the concept was that not the whole table had to take the same menu as it is so often the case in other restaurants but they would allow that three of us had a 7 course menu, and one had a four course menu.

The dinner started with an amuse bouche which was salmon in a cone with some radish wrap and a drink. Refreshing, tasty, just lovely.

Unfortunately, it did not entirely continue in that way but it was somehow a bit deteriorating throughout the meal. The “trout | yogurt | dill” was still fine though.

While the “foie gras variation” definitely looked stunning, I was rather disappointed by it in terms of flavour. I mean, yes, it did taste like foie gras but if you have tasted foie gras, you know that there are quite a few differences in terms of quality and taste. And this one really wasn’t much to my liking!

The next one was “Adriatic fish (turbot) | white asparagus | black garlic cream” which was simple but among the better dishes.

My favourite of the whole dinner was the “black slavonian pork cappellacci | asparagus | truffle”. The noodle was cooked perfectly al dente and the tiny asparagus added to the crispiness of the dish. The reduction of the slavonian pork was delicious. However, the truffle wouldn’t really have been necessary.

The next course was “chicken supreme | lardo | carrot | pistachio | coffee”. Now, I learned to appreciate lardo but frankly, of all the different meats there are, I don’t get why you would pick chicken! I mean, it’s so bland. And it really was.

Next was the “lamb | carrot | orange | onion | chili” which was okay again. The consistency of the lamb wasn’t entirely to my liking but the combination of flavors and textures was something you can get used to.

The last course was interesting in terms of display and the majority of the things on the plate were actually quite good, however the “amarena | asparagus ice cream” had one element which I thought – when reading it – was interesting but actually turned out to be not that pleasant. The “asparagus ice cream” was disappointing or – honestly, just disgusting. Asparagus is not a thing you should make ice cream out of.

What I liked a lot on the other hand was the “petit four and coffee flight” (35 HRK). The fact that they would serve cold brewed coffee plus the requested espresso was lovely. The original sugar cane block to sweeten your coffees, not so much though.

The place is rather dark which is part of the atmosphere which makes it comfortable. However, a bit more light wouldn’t have harmed anyone really. The service is super attentive and super friendly and super correct. I mean, the combination of the three is quite seldom. Either they are super attentive and correct but then they are often not friendly. But in this case, it just fit. Even though there were small mistakes (like one of the foie gras chocolates falling down while being served), they managed to handle it professionally yet relaxed.

Furthermore, the prices for the wine, a “Grimalda Matosevic” was also more than okay with 360 HRK. The only thing I didn’t quite understand was the cover charge of 38 HRK. All in all, the Noel is a solid choice you can definitely do when you’re in Zagreb. If you expect absolute surprises in terms of your culinary tastes, you will be a bit disappointed though.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Noel

Ul. popa Dukljanina 1

10000 Zagreb (HR)

Tel.: +385 1 4844 297

Cell: +385 95 560 6640

E-Mail: info@noel.hr

Homepage: http://noel.hr

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.