New adorable kid’s menu at Esplande’s Le Bistro and Zinfandel’s restaurants by chef Ana Grgić Tomić

New adorable kid’s menu at Esplande’s Le Bistro and Zinfandel’s restaurants (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Chef Ana Grgić Tomić has created a new menu for the little ones – with an emphasis on ‘delicious’ and ‘healthy’

Creamy carrot soup with boiled carrot sticks with honey, poached sea bass fillet with sweet potato and extra virgin olive oil cream, creamy risotto with delicious vegetables and roasted chicken, potato and young spinach cream, milk rice with vanilla and bananas, carrot and almond cake, fruit smoothie, fresh seasonal fruit – are all a part of the new Kid’s menu created by Chef Ana Grgić Tomić, where you can also find healthy baby foods made of fresh fruit and vegetables depending on available ingredients in accordance with parents’ preferences and the child’s eating habits. 

(Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

“Since I am also a mother, I am aware of the importance of a healthy and varied diet for children, so I’ve created a menu of carefully selected and fresh ingredients,” said multi-awarded Chef Ana Grgić Tomić and added: “Children develop their taste buds from a young age, and parents and the environment greatly influence the acquisition of healthy habits. Today’s parents are aware of this and they look for and expect only the best, prepared fresh and with top quality ingredients, for themselves, but especially for their children.

We as the Esplanade, renowned as a catering and hospitality institution, want to set an example and offer children delicious dishes that are rich in nutrients, as the key for proper growth, health, and functioning of the body. I adapted the flavours for a children’s palate as much as I could, so that they can happily order the food they like, but in a healthy version which has the necessary nutritional ingredients. For example, the all-time favourite spaghetti, which can also be gluten-free, comes with a sauce that we prepare in our own kitchen from fresh tomatoes that we purchase from trusted producers, in combination with Istrian extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil from our garden on the Oleander Terrace, and without added sugar or additives,” explained the charming Chef. “My personal favourite is the young carrot soup that comes with carrot sticks in honey, as well as the poached sea bass – considering that children rarely consume fish, which has an abundance of proteins, contains very little saturated fat, and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. I serve the fish with a nice sweet potato cream with olive oil and our sweet potato chips – a fantastic dish that I often prepare for my daughter,” said Ana.

Chef Ana Grgić Tomić (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

For little ones who have special eating habits, allergies, or food intolerances, the Esplanade’s chefs will be happy to prepare dishes according to the parents’ suggestions. “We take special care of this, especially if it is a specific diet or if there are any allergies to certain ingredients. Namely, this is what guided me when creating the menu in which I use, for example, rice semolina instead of wheat semolina. I believe that proper nutrition is a prerequisite for a child’s health, therefore all meals are prepared in the hotel kitchen from carefully selected and fresh ingredients. Some of them come from nearby family farms and proven manufacturers. We prepare dishes according to the principles of a healthy diet with minimal fat, mainly with olive oil, with the addition of sea salt and with appropriate thermal treatment, so as to preserve all valuable and healthy ingredients,” stated Ana.

Milk rice with vanilla and bananas (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

You will be surprised at how many options exist to spoil the taste buds of your little ones with treats that contain minimal sugar. A delicious cake with carrots and almonds combined with almond cream, milk rice with vanilla and banana, fruit smoothie, lemonade, or just fresh seasonal fruit will be a great choice for your little ones, while parents of small babies can confidently order one of the freshly prepared combinations of vegetable or fruit baby foods.

Creamy risotto with vegetables and roasted chicken (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

In addition to offering children something tasty, the intention is also to make a beneficial impact on dietary decisions at the youngest age, which greatly affect children’s health, ensure the energy needed for growth, physical activity and other bodily functions.

Creamy carrot soup with boiled carrot sticks with honey (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Dietary choices are how children consume the substances necessary to build and maintain the body, contribute to maintaining physical and mental stamina, and improve children’s resistance to diseases. Although many children’s food preferences are already defined by preschool age, parental influence is still great, which is why this is the ideal time to introduce your child to food that does not contain saturated fats, additives, or large amounts of sugar, all harmful to a small child’s organism. 

Chicken breast, potato and baby spinach cream (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Poached sea bass fillet with sweet potato and extra virgin olive oil cream (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

In addition, the Esplanade staff will always give priority to children when ordering and preparing meals, so that the child does not wait hungry. For our youngest guests, there are premium quality ergonomic chairs that provide comfort at the table, as well as carefully designed and high-quality plates, bowls, cutlery, and coasters that are especially fun. If you need a place to change your baby, you can do so on floor –1, where you will find a pleasant area with a designer changing table furnished with diapers of various sizes, as well as disposable items and wet wipes. If additional assistance is required, the Esplanade staff will be happy to help.

Spaghetti in creamy tomato and cheese sauce (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

The new Kid’s menu, with vivid illustrations of the “Esplanade’s mouse” by Ivica Valjak and verses by Ivona Zega, will delight your youngest with its design, and is available in the Esplanade hotel’s restaurants – Le Bistro and Zinfandel’s, as well as in Room Service offer. Take the children to the Esplanade and let them experience a true gourmet atmosphere accompanied by a professional team and a pleasant ambience.

Rice gris with cocoa (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and season berries (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Le Bistro is open every day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and reservations are made by phone at 01 45 666 11 or by email at [email protected]. More information can be found at  www.lebistro.hr  Table reservations for Zinfandel’s restaurant can be made by phone at 01 4566 644 or by email at [email protected].

(Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

Le Bistro (Rajan Milosevic)

Zinfandel’s (Arhiva hotela Esplanade – Photo by Lili Bašić)

The restaurants provide superfast free Wi-Fi and viewing of the à la carte and children’s menu with faithful photos of dishes in the Esplanade’s app. To download Esplanade App click here.