Back again for its second year, we are delighted to welcome our close friend Duncan to cook Purgerica – A Croatian Feast. Inspired by his mum’s roots in Zagreb and the flavours he grew up loving, Duncan brings a taste of Croatian home cooking to the table. While he doesn’t work in the restaurant world, he’s a seriously good cook, and some of you old-school Margations may remember his and Lisa’s (Scotch & Ginger) sell-out pop-up at Urchin Wines back in 2018.
Expect a generous 4-course feast including:
On arrival
Kruh i pašteta
Bread and pâté with a glass of Zagorje Riesling
Sunday Soup
Domaća juha s rezanci
Clear homemade broth with handmade noodles
Cheese Dumpling
Zagorski štrukli
Hand-pulled pastry filled with cheese, boiled and baked
Duck, Mlinci, Cabbage Roll & French Salad
Patka s mlincima, sarma & Francuska salata
Confit duck with mlinci, fermented cabbage rolls stuffed with duck sausage and buckwheat, and traditional Croatian French salad
Vegetarian alternative:
Sarma sa orasima
Walnut-filled cabbage rolls with confit and puréed kabocha squash
04 · Chestnut Parfait
Kesten parfe
Inspired by Zagreb’s traditional sweetened chestnut purée and whipped cream.
To book a place, email hello@cantinacaruso.com.
Tickets are £49.50, not including drinks or service
Please note: we cannot cater to dietary restrictions for all special events, but for our Croatian Supper we can cater to vegetarians. Seating is on stools either on a sharing table, or at the bar.
About Purgerica
Purgerica (‘Poor-ger-its-sa’) is Zagreb slang that means a woman who is a true resident of the city, someone whose parents and grandparents are also from Zagreb since way back.
My mother Nellica (‘Nell-its-sa’) is from Zagreb. Croatia’s capital city is the center of a delicious continental food culture, which mixes indigenous specialties with influences from Italy, Germany, and Hungary as well as the wider Balkans. Although Nellica left home to live in England when she was 18, the way she cooked remained deeply Zagreb, revealing her identity as a Purgerica even when she was doing her best to blend in with the Brits.
I love the magic of Bottega and Cantina: how the food here forms a connection that stretches all the way from Thanet to Foglianise, from Simona to her parents, her grandparents, and beyond. I hope my food can give you a sense of what connects Nellica to Zagreb and of what connects me to her.
-Duncan