Zehnsiebzig

Review

Isn't there something there?

Photo: Heribert Corn Burggasse is the culinary longitudinal axis of Neubau, so to speak. Many of the 40 or so eateries along this street run like clockwork, but not all of them. The one at number 68, for example, a former video store (at the beginning of the young gelato boom, they tried an American-style ice cream factory here), didn't work at all, then they wanted to ride the wave of the pizza hype, but nothing came of it. The Zehnsiebzig has now been open for two months, and the least you can say about it is that it is definitely not surfing any of the current waves: not burgers, not pizza, not superfood bowls, but Croatian tapas. Now you might be asking yourself what Croatian tapas are supposed to be, little cevapcici? No, American William Wessling and Danica Milicic, who produce olive oil on the island of Hvar, are trying their hand at a mixture of a pretty café with a classic hipster feel, contemporary coffee culture and a few specialties from Hvar and the neighbouring islands, beautifully presented and some of them even produced in-house. One thing up front: there's no Karlovačko beer, and that's tough. Good, but there is a white wine from the almost extinct Hvar grape variety Prčč and a red Plavac Mali, which is served at room temperature, which was 36 degrees last week. The tapas consist of Dalmatian raw ham, sliced wafer-thin and really very good, accompanied by olives that are better left standing (€ 6.50). More fun are the home-pickled capers, even if the portion is a little small for two euros, and the home-made olive oil, with which Wessling and Milicic have already won a prize in Greece. The matured goat's cheese from Varazdin in northern Croatia is good (€ 4.50), but if you want to stay more regional, you can also try the famous sheep's cheese from the island of Pag. Well, and that's pretty much it. Because tortilla chips with guacamole can be okay, but not if you're in the mood for Croatian tapas. Better is a pogača in the style of the town of Komiža on the island of Vis, which is called "Fisherman Pie" on the menu, a toasted flatbread filled with tomatoes and (unfortunately very little) anchovies. Fine, but there's still room for improvement (€ 7.50). The coffee is from Charles Fürth, which is a good thing because his head office is a few doors down, but it's a bit of a shame when you think of the Croatian roastery Franck, which roasts really good coffee. Okay, Zehnsiebzig doesn't want to win an authenticity contest, nor does it have to, but the concept could do with a bit of sharpening. Summary: A relaxed, youthful city café with a Croatian flavour so subtle that you hardly notice it. Zehnsiebzig 7th, Burggasse 68, Tel. 0664/326 83 84 Mon-Fri 11-23, Sat, Sun 9-23 hrs

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