Kormoran

Restaurant Kormoran is located in the heart of Nature Park Kopački rit. With more than 260 different bird species and over 40 freshwater fish species, this place is Europe’s hidden water wonder.

Kormoran’s interior is rustic and fishermen-style with old photographs of Kopački rit and big untreated oak tables and benches. But, first, you should dwell outdoor, in a beautiful shady arbor, order a Williams pear brandy and watch chefs cook fish stew, čobanac, and carp between forked branches in their outdoor kitchen. This food needs to be ordered in advance, or you’ll wait for 50 minutes – you can always use that time and take a stroll through Kormoran’s park, which is great for parents with kids.)

The menu is based on freshwater fish specialties, game meat and classic pork, chicken, and beef dishes. Their signature dish is seasoned loin of venison. But, the thing we came for was catfish stew with homemade noodles. When it arrived, the familiar aroma filled the air around us. Beautiful red color from dried red paprika and catfish chunks were what we came for (watch out for frauds and learn the difference between native catfish and Pangasius catfish, which is now unfortunately very common in Baranja’s cuisine). Nicely reduced stew, vibrant and full of flavor with fresh catfish (their season is April 16 – June 15). Noodles with crispy bacon complement this meal perfectly. Noodles were homemade, nicely cooked, but nothing too fancy.

Wine, oh wine… We drank Belje Premium Graševina 2011. I still can’t shake the feeling that Belje’s “ordinary” labels are better than their than premium wines. Naturally, since the company owns the restaurant, Belje’s wines have the monopoly. Don’t get me wrong, they have great wines, but wine diversity is better. That is why Baranja winemakers like Gerštmajer, Josić, Kalazić or Pinkert are not on the list, unfortunately.

We finished with raspberry cake for dessert. Nice, but a bit too sweet, visually not exciting and I’m not a huge fan of powdered sugar. Still, it was a raspberry season, and we appreciate the effort.

Conclusion: we don’t agree with the exclusive wine list, and would like to see some innovation in desserts. But, in the end, Kormoran is an attractive place to eat in Baranja after a nice boat ride in Kopački rit, with excellent service and exceptional food.