Big concept dishes from a petit kitchen at PiNKU fish & wine, Split

“This space was a butcher shop for nearly 300 years,” executive Chef Vedran Gotovac tells me passing a quick glance around this now fish restaurant, PiNKU fish & wine. The owner Frane Delic and Chef Vedran, have poured their heart and soul into PiNKU and despite opening during the early months of the pandemic secured a Michelin recommendation within their first year of operations.

Split Old Town is a culinary hotspot. In season, even early in the week without reservations finding dinner can be difficult and PiNKU is in the heart of it all on Obrov ul. (ul is short for ulica, street). There are just a few tables inside with most people wanting to sit out on the terrace which faces multiple streets making it ideal for people watching.

Vedran and Frane have been friends since elementary school. The two of them came up working in bars in clubs in Hvar. Vedran paid his dues working service, rising to the role of a sous-chef and soon enough found his footing and unique style as a chef. Having secured the 300-year-old butchershop space the duo demolished it to nuts and bolts. “See the bathroom,” he points his tweezers in the direction of the WC door, “it used to be a walk-in fridge,” we both chuckle.

PiNKU fish & wine, Split, Croatia, Chef Nikola Marušić and teammate Mia Tarbušković

In the image above are Chef Vedran Gotovac and teammate Mia Tarbušković.

Big concept dishes from a petit kitchen at PiNKU fish & wine, Split

PiNKU fish & wine restaurant, Split, Croatia

The kitchen is petit, to say the least, equipped quite minimally with torches, sous vide machine, and other high-grade chef appliances. Nearby they have access to an equally small prep room, “32 steps away,” Vedran says, “we prepare ingredients for the day there and finish everything here, fresh to order”.

Chef Vedran focuses on local ingredients and head-to-tail cooking, determined to elevate the simplest of ingredients to the global stage. Each dish is unique and impeccable, carefully crafted directly in front of the guest. The fish comes from a 120-year-old fish market across the street. “If we can’t find something at the Split Fish Market, Frane gets on his bike and pedals around the city looking for what’s missing,” Vedran told me with a mischievous smile of a sibling who managed to pass on his chores to a brother. Today one of the core members is also Mia Tarbušković who operates front of house with Frane.

On tonight’s 7-course tasting menu (90€)* is an exquisite lineup of flavours of the sea. To start, gurnard carpaccio with broad bean icecream (kokot) followed by poached and smoked squid in garlic cream (lignja), Vedran’s favourite dish due to its sheer simplicity (3 ingredients only). The fruits of the sea feast continues with a tuna tartare served with dehydrated egg yolk shavings, cured bonito (palamida), poached hake fish with cuttlefish noodles in rich fish broth (mol), and burned Adriatic shark file (morski pas). To top it all off Frane brings us homemade chocolate as a sweet finisher.

As the night goes on the energy at the restaurant grows more and more vibrant. Regulars come exchanging laughs and pleasantries with the team before settling at their table. The PiNKU team seems to be in the know and this place is about more than food, it’s a curated experience. To no surprise, this year once again, the Michelin Guide inspectors included PiNKU fish & wine in their Croatia-recommended selection of restaurants.

* The above menu is a sample and subject to seasonal changes. A la carte menu is available. Price is subject to change.