Restaurant Review: Hole in On(c)e…and never again

Hole in On(c)e
and never again

By: A.T

Every now and then, the Hole in One pops up in conversations about places to eat in Zagreb. The feedback I’ve been getting has been rather contradictory. Which is why I have been postponing a visit to this pub, once described to me as being the “only restaurant serving Western-style food in Zagreb”. Regretfully, the postponement was not indefinite.

If you are perchance looking for a place that would simultaneously offer the most indifferent, mood-killing and almost hostile service, dubious ingredients, and an even more peculiar pricing policy, then this pub delivers on its name: Hole in One. Otherwise, stay clear of this corner of Stara Vlaška and Draškovićeva.

The only fortunate circumstance in this otherwise utterly unnecessary experience is that it was rather late in the evening and we were in the mood for a lighter dinner. Namely, the foul-smelling and almost fruity tasting analogue cheese of my friend’s Margherita had me instantly question the amount of love and thought that is put into the sourcing of this restaurant’s ingredients. On the bright side, it left me feeling relieved and grateful it was not steaks that we craved that night.

Luckily, I’d decided to go for the meagre chicken salad, consisting of no more than 5 mâche rosettes, one sliced cherry tomato and a few super-thin slices of extra-dry chicken. According to the bill, this dish was called “prosciutto and something-else risotto”. The waiter brusquely defended its appellation and astounding 55 kuna (7.20 EUR) price tag. Something to do with the cash register not registering a salad as a salad. A perfectly logical explanation, naturally. Which left me with only one more question I dared not ask: would a risotto with 5 grains of rice be considered a side dish or a full-fledged course in this joint?

I hope the style and tone of this review adequately portrayed our dining experience at this restaurant: short and bitter.