Korak Family Estate

The story

Korak Family Estate in Samobor | Gault&Millau Rated Dining on Plešivica

The chef and the kitchen

Chef Bernard Korak guides the kitchen at Korak Family Estate in Samobor, where contemporary Croatian cooking reflects the estate's dedication to the Plešivica slopes. The restaurant occupies a farmhouse dating to 1900, renovated in 2019 while preserving its original spirit. Korak applies a philosophy of minimal intervention and maximum expression, mirroring the approach used in the family's wines. Ingredients arrive from the estate's cultivation or trusted local producers, allowing the menu to shift with the seasons and anchoring the approach to modern Croatian cooking.

Tasting menus and seasonal plates

Guests reserve a spot for either a five or eight course tasting menu, as the kitchen does not offer an à la carte selection. An initial spread establishes the estate's values, serving sourdough bread with hand-churned butter wrapped in beeswax next to homemade cheese and dry-cured ham. The courses begin with a light opening of young kale dressed in vongole sauce, followed by a scampi bisque highlighted by caviar and kumquat. A ragout of local snails arrives with wild herb pesto, leading into an intermezzo where fresh radicchio meets coffee and citrus for a play of bitterness and freshness, reflecting the flexibility of modern Croatian cuisine.

The main course and room

Dry-aged venison fillet carries the weight of the meal, prepared with quince, buttermilk, horseradish, and Jerusalem artichoke to showcase a thorough grasp of flavor balance. The kitchen concludes with three dessert courses that follow the same attention to detail found throughout the day. Dinner takes place in a calming natural setting on the slopes of Plešivica, where discreet service ensures the focus remains on the Croatian cooking and the views from the table.