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Canberra Today 13°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Passions of Croatian cooking

IT has been drawing crowds for more than a decade with award-winning dishes inspired by the rich cooking traditions of Croatia and the country’s adoration of fresh seafood.

Maestral is a small, unpretentious, friendly place on Trenerry Street, near Cooleman Court, in Weston. The team in the kitchen cook up a storm, including dishes celebrating the food influences of neighbouring countries such as Austria, Hungary, Italy and the Middle East. Yumbo!

We were introduced to the restaurant by big fans – very big fans – who have been dining at Maestral forever and a day.

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Every item on the menu cries out “order me”, making it very difficult to choose what to eat. Luckily, we were able to sit back and be guided by our friends.

The bouillabaisse ($18) is the best I have ever tasted and the goulash soup ($14.50) not far behind. We shared the fried baby calamari with fresh garlic aioli from the main menu and sensational fried school prawns with lime from the large specials board. Starters begin at around $13 and move up to around $20 and the restaurant is happy to convert any to a main.

Jewels from the sea included scampi, jumbo prawn and lobster dishes. Maestral also offers three intriguing seafood platters, including an Adriatic platter for one ($31.50) and for two ($62) as well as a Maestral platter for two ($90).

On the meatier side are classics such as Pljeskavica (veal and pork mince patty stuffed with feta cheese), Stubica (pan-fried pork fillet stuffed with prunes and served with a plum brandy cream sauce) and Barun Trenk (veal schnitzel stuffed with mild salami, sweet capsicum paste and boiled egg).

You must try pola/pola, a mixture of Cevapcici (small sausages formed from spiced ground meat) and raznici (skewered pork meat). It is addictive ($27.50). The grilled Moreton Bay bugs with rice and a chilli creamy sauce ($32) from the specials board were out of this world with the chilli making its presence known. Every other dish ordered was a winner – we simply could do no wrong.

Maestral has a kids’ menu. Desserts (all reasonably priced at around $10) include a traditional apple strudel. The decor is straightforward and several awards of excellence from the Restaurant and Catering Association, stretching back as far as 2003, hang on one wall.

One friend who introduced us is from Vienna. He sums up the food experience at Maestral perfectly: “It’s like I’m dining at home.”

Maestral, 13 Trenerry Street, Weston, call 6287 3930. Open for lunch, Wednesday to Friday, noon-2pm and dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, from 5pm. BYO.

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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