Restaurant Matsunoki — Restaurant in Grad Mali Lošinj

As a former travel journalist and editor, I've long maintained a policy of restraint when it comes to restaurant reviews. My philosophy has been simple: minor issues don't warrant criticism unless persistent, and exceptional experiences usually find their champions among other diners. So, Matsunoki experience represents a rare exception to this rule. Having frequented this establishment with my family over several years, I find myself compelled to share my experience. So dear fellow gastornome, if you're looking for an honest review, here it is - let me know what you think!

Hidden in the embrace of the magical Čikat Bay, Matsunoki represents the pinnacle of gastronomic excellence. Located in the elegant Bellevue Hotel on Mali Lošinj, this Michelin-starred restaurant represents a journey through textures, flavors, and art. Chef Orhan (great guy btw, very attentive and caring) masterfully orchestrates the fusion of two seemingly distant culinary traditions, creating dishes that tell a story of a place. So his interpretation of local ingredients through the prism of Japanese precision and technique results in interesting compositions that represent homage to tradition and innovation. Hand in hand with sommelier Filip! His understanding of wine transcends conventional framework. Namely he is an exceptional connoisseur and he'll demonstrate his knowledge during every second of conversation. His ability to find the perfect pairing between complex fusion dishes and a carefully curated wine cellar is an art form in itself. His expertise in both Croatian and international labels, and the way he passionately shares his knowledge, turns every pairing into a mini masterclass in enology. The restaurant's atmosphere elegantly balances sophistication and relaxation, The restaurant's windows are large, but the surrounding pine forest provides shelter and a pleasant sense of seclusion. Each plate that leaves the kitchen is visually striking, but never at the expense of taste – this is gastronomic theater where all elements are equally important. For those seeking a supreme culinary experience, Matsunoki stands as a testament to Croatia's rapidly rising culinary prestige in Europe.This...

Booked Matsunoki with high expectations and unfortunately it let us down. We came wearing sandals and shorts (overall nicely dressed) and a gentleman at the door told us there is an elegant-casual dress code and we can’t enter. He later changed his mind and said we can enter but we can only sit inside (we booked terrace table). We agreed, since it’s completely understandable if there is a dress code (even tho not one sentence says it anywhere). We sat down, ordered a bottle of wine and sushi. We waited for wine approx 25min and sushi for an hour and a bit. Waiter apologised that they have a full terrace. While waiting we saw there is a party outside and customers are basically wearing everything, from Crocs, flipflops, short etc. So basically gentleman at the entrance wasn’t bothered by our appearance, but by the fact that there was no space outside since they overbooked a terrace. Rather than apologising, he made us feel bad for our outfits and let us wait for an hour for our food. About the food: we had four types of sushi and none really impressed us much. Tuna is OK, no matter which grade you order, you only get an average one. Eel was dry and overall all the sushi looked like it was wrapped in a hurry with no care. We didn’t taste other dishes since it took us so long to even get those four and no one even asked us. Positive point: amazing selection of...

Honestly, for a Michelin-recommended restaurant, I expected more—something special—which, unfortunately, I did not experience.

We only had one starter: a tartare with raw scampi, with some maracuia sauce and caviar. It also included pieces of young onion, which completely overpowered the flavor, so the taste of the scampi and maracuia was lost.

For the main course, we ordered three nigiri and one futomaki. The nigiri were average—only the O'Toro, which was fattier, stood out as good. The other Nigiris, akami tuna and amberjack, were blank taste, empty. I am thinking that they were frozen, not fresh. Just average. The futomaki with spicy salmon was ok.

We also ordered four portions of sushi rolls: three portions of 6 pieces and one of 8 pieces, but again—nothing special. One roll stood out as decent—the tempura shrimp roll with 8 pieces—and that was it.

The presentation was beautiful, but the flavors didn’t come together and were really below average. Especially the sushi rolls with amberjack and sea bream, which were bland and truly disappointing.

I've eaten sushi in many places around the world, but this one, considering the price-performance ratio, simply didn’t deliver—for us, it was far from it.

Altogether was 180€. Oh, and we also had 2 bottles of water (1L each).

For me it was...