Written by: Velimir Cindrić
Photos: Sanja Jagatić / Mislav Mesek
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In the tourism industry, it’s long been known that travelers of the new generation, regardless of age, use hotels as a place for socializing, working, relaxing, as a base for exploring local attractions, and as inspiration for their next destination. In response to this, modern hotel experts face completely new challenges, and as a result, we often encounter exceptionally interesting people in newer hotels.
One such example is the Le Premier hotel in Zagreb, which opened at the end of 2017 and is full of such individuals. The building at the beginning of Kralj Držislav Street, transformed into a comfortable hotel with 63 accommodation units – most notably the Presidential Suite occupying the entire fifth floor – is a significant contribution to Zagreb’s luxury tourism scene, which has long lacked hotels, particularly five-star ones.
And there are more and more travelers who specifically seek such accommodations, ideally with the intimate atmosphere of a boutique hotel and located in the city center, in a district full of things to explore. Le Premier offers all this and more. Many of these guests, especially business travelers, enjoy staying at hotels where they can dine well in a pleasant space near their room, leaving them more time to discover the city. This is where Le Premier has a trump card: its namesake restaurant, led by Chef Dalibor Karlović, who previously worked at prestigious restaurants such as Alfred Keller in Mali Lošinj and Zinfandel’s at the Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb.
– I grew up around cooking because my mother worked as a head chef, and as a child, I followed her for years. That’s how I learned what the job entailed. Then I gradually started cooking at home with her. When it was time for high school, I decided to continue with it, to make it my career. I simply felt that it was for me, that I had a passion for it. Since I was already cooking at home, I just continued with it at the Hospitality School in Opatija, where I achieved certain successes in competitions. During my studies, I had the opportunity to intern at several hotels, where I first encountered professional chefs, which gave me a different perspective and drew me even more to the profession – explains the 33-year-old Karlović, originally from Mrkopalj in Gorski Kotar.
After finishing school, Dalibor got a job with the prestigious Milenij hotel group in Opatija, working at their three hotels and one restaurant. Initially, working in professional kitchens was quite challenging, but since he had a solid foundation, he quickly adapted. Though he rarely had the chance to cook anything substantial at first, he was ambitious and quickly made a name for himself through hard work and advanced in his career.
His first big challenge came with his move to the Alhambra Hotel in Mali Lošinj, an impressive boutique hotel known for its fine dining, with its restaurant Alfred Keller recognized as one of Croatia’s best. Dalibor arrived as a sous-chef just as the hotel was opening, and an ambitious plan had been set for its restaurant.
– It was very challenging. That’s when I first truly felt the enormous responsibility, not just toward the guests, but also toward the employees. I also realized that everything must be done with the utmost attention to detail in all aspects of the job. At the same time, I had to develop my own cooking style. Of course, it was difficult. But the challenge motivated me greatly. You see, it pushed me to think about developing my own dishes, which is very important. I had to adapt and create new dishes. So, it was very challenging but also highly stimulating – Karlović says.
During his time at the Alhambra, when the hotel was closed for the winter, Dalibor decided to intern at three Michelin-starred restaurants in France. The hotel management had set a goal of earning a Michelin star, so the team looked in that direction.
– I just wanted to see what Michelin was all about. Until then, I had never worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant, nor had I seen it firsthand. So I said, ‘I want to go to France, I want to see French cuisine, see what a Michelin star looks like and how it works.’ I went to Bordeaux, and the chefs welcomed me warmly. I really liked French cuisine, and it changed my outlook on gastronomy and kitchen life. They are much more organized, not just in the kitchen. As a nation, they are very disciplined when it comes to food. If a reservation is at seven in the evening, the guests arrive exactly at seven, never late. Most guests come for the chef and let him suggest what to eat, so they don’t have to think too much. It’s as if they’re visiting the chef at his home. It’s very different from what we have here. Very appealing…
He recalls that every morning they’d come to the kitchen, and every day a new menu was created. In the evening, when the restaurant opened, maybe only two people would order à la carte, while the rest chose the menu the chef had curated for that day.
– Everyone wanted to see what ingredients the chef had bought that morning and what dishes he created with them. The chefs only worked with local ingredients, going to the market in the morning to buy what was fresh and best. Then they’d come back to the kitchen and say: „Here’s what we’re making today, a five-course menu“ – Karlović recalls his experiences in France.
Although Dalibor doesn’t remember his first signature dish, he says that all the dishes at the Alhambra were created in collaboration with the head chef. They brainstormed ideas, discussed, tested them, and once finished, all had a common signature. He does fondly recall one dish that was very successful and popular with guests – lamb shank cooked sous-vide for 12 hours, finished on the grill, and served with creamy peas and potatoes.
Next came the move to Zagreb…
– I finished with Lošinj and wanted to focus on other things. I worked on several projects abroad and then got a call from the Esplanade. It seemed like a great opportunity. I worked at Zinfandel’s, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, preparing à la carte dishes. I quickly advanced during that year I spent there. However, the pandemic hit, and everything changed… – Karlović recalls.
Then Le Premier appeared. The hotel’s restaurant, also named Le Premier, had suddenly lost its chefs due to the pandemic. At that moment, Dalibor saw an opportunity for something new. He came for an interview, and they offered him the job, which he accepted, mainly due to his years of experience in top hotels. He’s now been running the Le Premier kitchen for four years.
– It was another challenge, though not as big because I had done similar work before. I just needed to find a new team and start developing a menu that aligned with what guests usually want. The concept had been strictly fine dining, but I saw that it wasn’t working well. So, we shifted to a format for a hotel restaurant that primarily needed to attract hotel guests. I wanted to offer simple, approachable dishes and see if people liked them. Of course, not all guests are the same. If someone stays for one night, we needed to have dinner available for them. I left part of the menu as fine dining and adapted it to a bistro concept. I started making ‘normal’ dishes without complications. But we all worked very seriously and took responsibility for every detail, which was a challenge but a beautiful one. And it turned out that the guests were satisfied, and it was a great success. In the end, we serve between 30 and 50 dinners daily – Karlović explains.
When asked how he would describe his culinary style today, Dalibor simply calls it “free”, one that doesn’t follow trends or other chefs.
– When I see something I like, I adapt it to my taste. I’m creative, I like to combine flavors, regardless of what others are doing. In any case, I don’t follow trends. I think the most important thing is to have a good idea. I avoid strong flavors because they can give the wrong impression – for example, the guest might think something is too salty when it’s not. I cook normally and adapt to the main ingredient with a side dish. Lately, I’ve been focusing more and more on sides because I enjoy them. A piece of meat or fish is always the same, so if you don’t make an interesting side, it will be boring. That’s why I spend more time making purees, roasted vegetables, or interesting combinations like quinoa with various vegetables. I also play with textures, adding different spices to the purees… For example, if I’m making a potato puree, I’ll add roasted pistachios, which gives it an interesting flavor and texture – Karlović explains.
Similarly, when it comes to his cooking philosophy, Karlović emphasizes his love for food from various parts of the world, his preference for simple dishes, and those that offer diverse flavors and textures.
– Those who come to look at our menu don’t have to be gourmet experts; they just have to like trying new things. What’s most important in creating a dish? I don’t know. For me, it’s all about the balance of flavors and textures. It’s important to have as many different flavors as possible, but everything has to be perfectly cooked. If we’re talking about a four-course meal, the main course might look like this: fish that’s simply grilled, a classic sauce, and then a side that stands on its own but at the same time makes a perfect whole with the fish. Also, I love working with local products. It’s important to me that they’re fresh and local – Karlović states.
Le Premier has an à la carte menu with 14 dishes (three starters, two soups, six main dishes, and three desserts), as well as a chef’s choice menu with two, three, or four courses.
From the current menu, Dalibor highlights stuffed chicken with truffles, truffle cream, roasted celery, and carrot cream (“It’s a common dish, and I was surprised that I managed to make something different out of it,” he says), followed by lamb leg with potato and pistachio puree and bacon ragout (“I prepare the lamb in its own broth”).
Lastly, we asked the inevitable question for any young chef – about owning his own restaurant.
– For now, I’m not thinking about my own restaurant. I hope for a different role, maybe not as a chef but as a consultant. But if I were to consider a restaurant, it would be a simple format, something like a tavern, with daily dishes made from ingredients bought fresh at the market that day. My dream would be to give guests a bit of freshness, simpler dishes, something I could devote more attention to – I’d take fresh ingredients every day and make a menu with four or five dishes and offer that to the guests. What I hear from guests is that they’re always more satisfied with something like that – says Karlović, adding:
– But that’s all in the realm of imagination. For now, I’m very satisfied here. I feel really good because I think Zagreb has a lot of potential and is developing more and more, especially in the gastronomic scene. And I really love working with my team, with people who are creative and eager to learn. We all share ideas, and that’s very inspiring.
And where does he see himself in ten years?
– I hope as a co-owner somewhere, still in the same line of work, in the kitchen. But, again, I’m not thinking about that right now. I just want to keep moving forward – concludes Dalibor Karlović.
