Restoran Orašac and the Pig
The first restaurant I went to on my first visit to Belgrade was Orašac. It is right across the street from my wife’s apartment and introduced me to Serbian food, namely Serbian grill. I have been there many times and have never had a meal that was not very good.
One Saturday we were working with the builder and our designer on the new layout of the apartment establishing the location for all the electrical plug now that the walls have come down in the kitchen and when we were finished decided to go there for lunch as it is now just across the park from our new condo.
We were very lucky as we got the last free table on the patio not having made reservations ahead of time. On the weekends at the prime times around 2 to 6 pm and then 9 to close are typically the busiest and reservations are recommended.
We ended up sitting right in front of the roast pig on a spit and of course, had to have some of that. You could smell the pig as the fat dripped into the fire with each sear in the coals wafting into to nostrils. We were told it would be about 30 minutes or so before the pig was done but they also had a special on today of Manglica sausage. The Manglica pigs are a special breed of pigs that originally came from Hungary. We have had the pig before in Boston and so knew right away this was going to be great. It lived up to its reputation! Delightfully meaty, almost to the point of crumbling away as you cut into the sausage, with a good heat of spice. The sausage was grilled to perfection with a nice crispy crust on the outside and good carbonization. It was “melt in your mouth” good. They s will find its way into the sausage Hall of Fame.
The pig on a spit took the meal to a different level. I have had pig cooked on a spit on several occasion in Serbia both in restaurants and from those doing it at home but I had never had one just pulled off the spit. We watched as they took out the pig from the fire and had to wait for it to cool and then get chopped up. Oh my! When the pig is hot that layer of fat right underneath the skin melts in your mouth like butter. So you get that crispy skin and the soft fat over the layers of wonderful meat. It is one of the most amazing piecs of meet I have ever had.
I highly recommend Restoran Orašac as an excellent example of traditional Serbian cuisine. The patio is off the street covered BT the trers and vines with the tinkle of a little foutain in the hackground. They have the full list of Serbian dishes and a full bar with good Rakia. It used to be a bit tough in the winter with the smokers, but now there is a room in the back for non-smokers. I have not tried it yet but it has promise as it is a different wing of the restaurant.
Phone: 011 2433 048
Email: info@restoranorasac.com
Web: http://www.restoranorasac.com