Serbish

Gastronomic urban cafe featuring Serbian national cuisine and the largest selection of rakija in the city.

Concept by Jovan and Julia Rasheta Saint Petersburg Home "RestoratorChef" about the project Until recently, Balkan-style "pljeskavica" (Serbian burger) in St. Petersburg was mainly offered in establishments specializing in street food and fast food. Now, Serbian culinary traditions can be experienced in the format of a "trendy urban cafe."

The Serbish restaurant was opened by Jovan and Julia Rasheta, whose previous project was the "Chayka" bar. The national identity of the establishment can be identified not only by the ethnic patterns on the chairs and the aprons of the well-groomed waiters, but also by the paper placemats under the dishes, which are mini versions of a Serbian-Russian phrasebook. Even the bar counter, which at first glance seems to have a strange three-pointed shape, represents the confluence of the two main Serbian rivers, the Sava and the Danube (there are plenty of tables with unusual three-, five-, and six-sided shapes in both halls of Serbish). Perhaps to downplay the formality and emphasize the democratic atmosphere of the establishment, the high ceilings of Serbish are decorated with wooden pallets.

The menu is, of course, based on Serbian specialties: pljeskavica (400-480 rubles) and cevapcici (420-500 rubles). Both the patties and the sausages are served in the style of burgers, on a halved Serbian "somun" bun, resembling focaccia, with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and "kajmak" (a type of clotted cream). There are five variations of pljeskavica: the classic version is made with beef, and the others differ in their added ingredients. For example, the "iz mladosti" pljeskavica is topped with onions, the "gourmet" pljeskavica with gouda and bacon, and the "Miracle" pljeskavica with all of the above, plus chili peppers, garlic, and dried hot paprika.

The menu also features "ražnjići" (grilled skewers) (460-4890 rubles), "leskovački" (480 rubles), "čorba" (soup) (280-300 rubles), but the real discovery is the Serbian-style tartare (520 rubles), where the meat is chopped with two axes for 10 minutes, resulting in a pâté-like consistency. During preparation, capers, onions, parsley, and mustard are added to the beef – a total of "18 secret ingredients."

Since Serbia is not a coastal country, fish and seafood on the menu are dishes from the Dalmatian region. The most exotic dish is the "octopus po lushički" (880 rubles), which is simmered in olive oil with spices for 3-4 hours before being served. The creators of the restaurant seemed unsure whether Balkan cuisine would find enough fans, so they added some rather ordinary bruschettas, Caesar salads, and cheesecakes to the menu. It seems they were worried for nothing: the public has embraced Serbish with enthusiasm. Moreover, in addition to the cuisine, Serbish boasts the largest selection of rakija in the city – in addition to Serbian varieties (250-890 rubles), there are also Bulgarian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, and others.