The Croatian restaurant "Dobro" in Kyobashi, Tokyo is always crowded with customers from the surrounding business districts. Mediterranean seafood is popular, but the traditional dish "Sarma" is also exceptional.

Croatian food in the business district

Dobro is located between Kyobashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Takaracho Station on the Toei Asakusa Line. It's a part of the business district, but it's easy to find because it has the Croatian flag. It is crowded with many customers at lunch time. This is probably because you can enjoy Mediterranean seafood in the price range of 1,000 to 1,200 yen (tax included, the same applies below).


However, when I looked at the menu for Narutake Croatian dishes, I found the traditional roll cabbage "Sarma". It seems that you can order the "Croatia set", which is more expensive than others at 1,800 yen. I was quite at a loss, but I asked him to stay.

Perfect hors d'oeuvre

In the Croatian set, you can get a proper hors d'oeuvre even at lunch time. The chicken terrine. It is made by adding dried fruits and goji to minced chicken and grilling it. It is cold and has a very smooth texture. The texture of the nuts that sometimes hit the teeth is fun. Each ingredient is a low-key claim, giving the impression that each dish is delicately enjoyed.


However, when you add the colorful jelly-like sauce that comes with the plate, it suddenly becomes gorgeous. It is said to be "Ravigote sauce", and it contains plenty of dry basil as an herb in addition to finely chopped vegetables, and it has a very strong fragrance and a little acidity.

Bringing the sauce and terrine together reminds me that I'm tasting the food of a far distant country. When I started to want alcohol and started thinking about whether red or white was good for Western-style wine, I remembered that it was lunchtime.

"Sarma" appeared

Next is Sarma, the main dish. Minced pork and rice are wrapped in cabbage and simmered, that is, it is a roll cabbage, but the cabbage actually has a secret.

Instead of using the raw leaves as they are, they are carefully salted, so to speak, a European-style "tsukemono". It is also slightly fermented and has acidity and umami. However, it is salty. If you eat the roll cabbage as it is, the taste may be a little strong.


So, according to the recommendation of the shop staff, put the meat, rice, and vegetables into the soup and make it risotto-style with the mashed potatoes on the side.


This will soften the strong taste of the salted cabbage and make it very easy to eat. However, I can enjoy umami well, so the spoon goes on and on.

The rice is not too soft and not too hard, and it is delicious because it absorbs the juice of minced meat and cabbage. By the way, the mashed potatoes are creamy and can be enjoyed alone.

There were also two small breads on a separate plate, so it might be delicious even if you dip it in the soup.