The once-a-week dinner attracting crowds to Dom's Croatian Bistro

Open just one night a week and run entirely by volunteers, Dom’s Croatian Bistro at the Australian Croatian Club in O’Connor serves generous plates of homestyle cooking.

The Friday night bistro operates from 5:30 pm until 8 pm, or until they run out of food. After spending an evening there, it is easy to understand why things sell out. This is not a restaurant trying to maximise trading hours. It is a labour of love run by the community.

Walking into the foyer of the club, we veered right towards the dining hall. There is a counter for ordering with the kitchen directly behind it. A doorway leads through to the bar and a large room with a dance floor, big screens and tables spread across the space. What struck me immediately was not the room itself but the people in it. Large groups were gathered around tables, greeting each other, talking, laughing and catching up. There were babies, parents, grandparents and everyone in between.

The atmosphere built quickly. Food started arriving at tables, people joined the queue at the counter, and the rooms filled with the sound of people enjoying themselves. More than once during the evening, I found myself looking around, thinking about how good it felt to be there.

The people behind the bistro are part of what makes it feel so special. While the club president and vice president help run operations, there are also babas cooking in the kitchen. Actual babas! Croatian grandmothers making food to help keep traditions alive and bring the community together. At the same time, teenagers and young adults were taking orders, carrying plates and clearing tables.

Alongside the menu, there are weekly specials. Our meal started with the sarma special, homemade cabbage rolls filled with pork and rice. The smoky smell hit the table before I picked up my spoon. The cabbage rolls sat in a rich, glossy sauce filled with paprika and thick chunks of salty speck. The cabbage itself is lightly pickled, and the filling is so tender and comforting.

Another item that featured on the blackboard that night was peka. Traditionally cooked under a steel bell over hot coals, it combines meat and vegetables, cooked together slowly. We had not ordered the peka, but hospitality was very much on display throughout the evening, and a plate was brought over so we could try it.

The dish came with advice that the potato was the best bit, and never a truer word spoken! Those potatoes had soaked up all the juices from the surrounding meat and were the absolute star. Rich, salty and full of flavour, they have been etched into my memory (I really love potatoes!)

Our main order was the large surf and turf, a mixed grill loaded with pork skewers, cevapi, chargrilled chicken and barbecue baby squid, served with rice, chips, salad and bread. The serving was generous and supported my growing belief that nobody leaves this place hungry.

All the meat was tender and juicy, but the barbecue baby squid was a standout. It was delicate, beautifully cooked and simple in the best possible way. I made sure to dunk every morsel into the garlic-and-parsley oil it was sitting in for extra flavour.

The Croatian potato salad is one of my all-time favourite salads. Made without mayonnaise, the version served was lovely and light with the perfect balance of vinegar, onion and visible flecks of pepper.

For dessert, we shared palačinke filled with rosehip jam. Watching the thin crepes arrive at the table immediately reminded me of the blinchiki my own Russian baba used to make: different names, very similar comfort food. It was a very nostalgic dish.

For a few hours, I felt like I had been adopted into a Croatian family for the night. I liked it.

The Australian Croatian Club is on the corner of McCaughey and David streets in Turner, opposite the O’Connor shops. Dom’s Croatian Bistro is open every Friday from 5:30 pm until 8 pm.

Original Article published by Sophia Brady on Region Canberra.

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