Café and Restaurant Veliki is a newer restaurant located in the center of Novi Sad on the ground floor of a typical renovated Austro-Hungarian building. It is dedicated to the urban dwellers of Novi Sad that have been living in this multicultural metropolis since the 18th century. Novi Sad is a city influenced by many cultures and home to various national minorities. That's why at Veliki they offer German/Austrian, Hungarian, Slovak and of course Serbian specialties that have stood the test of time.
At first glance, Veliki is a standard contemporary style restaurant. However, when you look closer you will find that the interior combines three different styles that in my opinion, do not fuse well. Apart from contemporary style, it embodies some elements of industrial and shabby chic. I don't know if this is pure ingenuity or an experiment gone wrong. The metal bar, light fixtures and bare brick walls with the rustic floors create a good base. The problem starts with the shabby finish of the contemporary tables and bar chairs mixed in with wooden vintage chairs. The Styrofoam letters (I'm guessing the architects left their signature) and clock with the words "who cares" on the wall looks like it belongs in a youth center, not a restaurant. I really like the idea of the street signs hung up on the wall, because the street name changed several times throughout history. However, the design execution is very poor. I'm once again not sure whether they are supposed to have a vintage or contemporary feel. The crisp white color, straight black border and chosen fonts are all a total miss. The signs just look cheap.
What I would liked to have seen is the grandeur and polished style of the city's residents dating all the way back to the Austro-Hungarian empire reflected in the interior. That way the urban lifestyle would have been transitioned into the space not only onto the plate. All in all, it's a good concept that just needed better execution.
What I would liked to have seen is the grandeur and polished style of the city's residents dating all the way back to the Austro-Hungarian empire reflected in the interior. That way the urban lifestyle would have been transitioned into the space not only onto the plate. All in all, it's a good concept that just needed better execution.
The logo combines a lighter serif font with a bold sans-serif font which emphasizes the meaning of the restaurant's name ("veliki" meaning "big" in English). The menu design is very nice and simple with green accents adding to the natural feel of the menu. Black text on brown paper makes it clear and easy to order from. The menu is short but offers enough meals and drinks to choose from. In the menu there are interesting facts about the street's history as well as description of some of the meals.
We started off with a cold appetizer, a homemade cheese plate - "Tanjir domaćih sireva". You get two slices of smoked, fresh and white cow cheese. The best of the three was the fresh cheese. The other two are standard cheeses you can buy at your local marketplace. We ate it with homemade bread and a glass of domestic wine. Price is 420 din.
We wanted something nontraditional so we chose the fresh salad with beets, carrots, celery with apples and walnuts - "Sveža cvekla, šargarepa, celer sa jabukama i orasima". A very refreshing salad for anyone that likes sweeter salads and doesn't mind the distinctive dirt taste of beets. Price is 220 din.
For the main course we chose one dish from their seasonal menu and one dish from their standard offer. "Pijani šaran" - is a fasting dish with braised carp and rice. The carp is typically made with garlic and white wine both of which I could not taste in this dish. I applaud the substitution of potatoes for rice, but because the fish and rice were both steam cooked, the dish had no contrasting textures. Together it just created one mush. I would recommend intensifying the seasoning of the carp and maybe baking rather than braising. Price is 850 din.
The dish that saved the dinner was the Hungarian goulash stew - "Mađarska gulaš čorba". It is the most famous Hungarian dish with beef, cooked with onion, tomato and spicy paprika. The goulash had a thick consistency and tender pieces of meat. It is typically served with potatoes but here they serve it with gnocchi or soft dough dumplings. It really is a big portion. Price is 520 din.
This Viennese specialty was first created in Austria in 1863 by Franz Saher. It is basically a chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam with chocolate coating served with whipped cream on the side. It was quite hard to chose from the dessert menu. There are more than 10 different desserts to chose from. The price is 330 din which I think is a bit pricey for a piece of cake. That is my only critique.
If you're looking to take a friend out to eat where they serve traditional Vojvodina specialties in a non-traditional way, I recommend this place. It's by far not the best restaurant, nor does it have that rich cultural Vojvodina feel, but the younger generations will appreciate the twist of ingredients they put into traditional meals and style of serving. The prices are fair and the professional staff are truly the highlight of the restaurant. They have standard prices and an average bill for a three course dinner with one drink for two people will estimate to 3.500 din.
Address: 24 Nikole Pašića Street, Novi Sad
Phone: +381 21 553 420
Phone: +381 21 553 420