My time in Serbia is getting close to an end. After nearly 3 weeks here I only have two days left before I leave the country to enter Croatia. I must say at this point that I would have left a week earlier but as soon as I arrived at my AirBnB outside Belgrade I knew I should add a plus week of relaxation at this place. It was just what I needed at this time with a very generous courtyard to work on my bike if needed and you can check it out here in case you're looking for accommodation around this area (you can also check out the location of this post at the end). Aleksandra, the host, is as good as it gets.
So, the bad weather plus the rich content I have harvested during my visit around the area of Novi Sad (check previous episodes) obliged me to focus on cooking and resting. Speaking about the former, by pure luck I bought me some of the best mushrooms I've ever tried which contributed to a delicious dish together with bits of eggplant, all done in the oven escorted by mustard.
Simple and yummy:
Aleksandra proposes to visit me with a couple of friends, one of them being a biker himself so on a rainy Saturday afternoon we all gather at her lovely AirBnB I stay at, and chat in the outdoor kitchen to keep us dry. That's where I park my bike for the same reasons but Sasa's has to tolerate some water instead, definitely not the first or last time it has to though:
All great guys and we feel like old friends almost instantly. They later invite me to a pizza house a few km away and yes, you're not surprised, I say yes.
I'm generously offered a ride by car (meaning Aleksandra will have to drive me back as well) but on a day like this that's more than welcome:
Very soon there's barely any visibility as it rains dogs and cats so my thoughts are on poor Sasa who's riding his bike hoping he'll make it safe. I can't see much out of the window as soon as we arrive,
but I'm glad I can see Sasa as soon as we get off the car.
This Italian restaurant is located at an ex industrial area:
Inside it feels nothing like the surroundings, pretty cozy with good distances among the tables:
We start with some wine from the house since the owner is a producer and I'm impressed by how smooth it is despite its volume in alcohol:
It doesn't make much sense to share its label since it's nowhere to be found except this place but here it is anyway just for the record:
I have a hard time deciding what pizza to order (1st world problems) so I pick a carbonara one since I can't recall if I ever had one. Minutes later I am in front of this:
I wish pictures could transmit something that only a nose can appreciate. Simple as this thing looks, that cheese is the king of scents. But even if there's anything you might be missing, the house offers some options to enhance your pizza:
A fantastic dinner with cool guys is hands down among the "off the saddle" highlights of the trip so far. People smoking indoors feels a little like time machine for me as it brings me back to how such places looked like years ago before we got a law banning smoking. And if this reminds me of previous times in Greece, the way all people here chat loudly definitely feels like Greece as we're still as loud regardless if we smoke or not 🙂
The guys invite me for further "Belgrade by night" but I have a shitload of work to do on my laptop, plus a little preparation since I leave on Monday morning. You might say "you got a whole Sunday ahead" but actually...nope. For good reason though as the guys propose to visit me again this time for an afternoon/evening BBQ. And again, you're not surprised I say "yes"...
For my Sunday lunch I decide to go a little conservative to allow space for the Serbian food invasion later. Judging from our Greek habits I get the picture so right now I put some Brie with Rukola and mustard on my dish,
and then add some rice and red lentils on top:
Some olive oil and all mixed together with the cheese melted from the heat look like this:
It's the first time I ever made this combo but it tastes delicious despite that my tongue has become (even more) picky after last night's pizza.
Sasa arrives with British precision at 5:00pm sharp so we start preparing the BBQ till the rest of the gang comes later. We do have fire starters here but for firewood we have to jump the fence to the next plot:
There's a whole pile there which is our only source at the moment:
There's also a pair of cameras next to the pile but Sasa say's it's OK so...I guess it is:
Where there's smoke there's fire:
Judging by how smoke free is this wood oven it must be the first time that anyone has ever used it:
As the fire gets stronger it makes a good spot to keep the salmon away from the flies:
So far we are more than happy and lucky to experience a much better weather than the prognosis promised:
The fire is much more BBQ friendly now:
And the party has just started:
Sasa has to struggle dealing with the bits that are deep inside the oven:
But well worth it. Ladies and gents, this is easily one of the best salmon I've ever tried:
Especially those medium done bits with all the liquid stuff still inside are to die for.
This is part of the production line - there's more to be grilled:
The wonders of having two kitchens, one of them being outdoors:
A few olives never hurt anybody:
Time to grill some more while keeping the salmon on the side to stay warm:
Who loves snails? This place is full of them and no, we don't cook any:
When all are cooked/grilled and done we need two tables to fit them all even though we're just 4 humans:
Never forget we're all Balkans though hence this extraordinary side of things 🙂
What can I say...I just couldn't have a better goodbye thanks to my host and her lovely friends, you guys rock!
When this gastronomic extravaganza is over I have to pack, clean, not as much as I would like to but as much as I can and fall to bed before rainy Monday comes to rain me goodbye from Serbia.
This Monday morning is now today but fortunately not as rainy as they said. I load my bike, double check the house and I'm ready to go:
Ready? Not quite. You see my phone denies to retrieve GPS signal. No matter what I do. Restart, different apps, online, offline, flight mode, just doesn't wanna lock satellites. I'm going like "if this delay forces me to drive in rain later I'll fucking ditch you". Having no other options but a 350km trip ahead to Croatia, I keep some brief idea of the route in my mind and I decide to start. On the road I move the map on my phone manually whenever I can. Which means whenever the heavy morning traffic allows me to do so. A few tens of km later the phone decides to work as it should and in the absence of rain I restore my smile.
I make it to the border dry and thankful to Serbia for the good times. The more I was moving North over Serbian soil the better it looked so those 21 days in this country felt gradually one better than the other.
See you in the next one as soon as I finish with the border control!
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