I first visited Mrizi
Located in the village of
The farm sits sprawling amongst lowlands and the buildings surrounding the restaurant and guesthouse are home to honking geese, lowing cattle, bleating goats, and a very enthusiastic donkey.
The approach to Mrizi
After climbing a set of steep stairs, you can either go right and admire the view from a platform with a transparent floor, or head into the restaurant to yield to your rumbling stomach.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4IBSSNgYgC/When you enter the dining area, you are greeted with the sound of a violin playing a mixture of traditional songs and modern hits with a classical twist. Cured meat, cheeses, and jars of preserved unknowns line most of the shelves, and a small window gives you a glimpse into the kitchen where the magic happens.
The large dining area is lit with natural light that floods in from huge windows, complete with frames that have been hand painted with Albanian ethnographic patterns. Hefty wooden tables are covered with soft cotton cloths and the wooden chairs have lines from Fishte’s poetry engraved across the back.
Mineral water that I suspect comes from a nearby spring is served, as is fruity but very strong red wine. The waitress then informed us that the starters are the same for everyone and all we have to choose is the meat. Beef, pork, chicken, duck, and baby goats are revealed as the options, but I cannot help remembering the friendly goats I fed in the farmyard minutes before. Brushing my emotions aside, I ordered baby goat and settled down for what was perhaps one of the best meals of my life.
First up was small dishes containing pickled quail eggs, cheese with blueberry and chilli, cured hams and sausage, olives in olive oil, flakey byrek with a variety of fillings, marinated beans with rice and yoghurt, and types of brown and wholegrain bread.
The cheeses were delicious offering an interesting mixture of sweet, hot, and salted and were paired perfectly with the smokey meats. The texture of the
Next up was the baby goat, served with a dollop of kos and fresh seasonal vegetables including corn on the cob, green peppers, aubergines, squash, and deep-fried courgette hearts. The meat was the most deliciously soft and buttery goat I have ever eaten and it left me wanting more, even though my belly was nearly full.
After filling ourselves full of fresh vegetables and fragrant meat, it was time for dessert. More wine was ordered with the first lot going down a little too quickly and we braced ourselves for what was to come- we were not disappointed.
Out came dishes with caramel ice cream garnished with slightly burnt coffee beans, and a large, ethereal looking pink dome that made us exclaims in excitement and pure confusion. Not knowing what to do with a big, pink sphere the size of my head, I looked at the waiter for guidance. She instructed me to gently tap on it with a spoon, breaking the, what I then discovered was ice shell. I did so and a small disc of ice cream was found within. Now I have never had rose flavoured ice cream before, but let me tell you that it is delicious. The ice shell it came enclosed in was flavoured with citrus, and whilst we were still slightly confused, we devoured it happily and quickly.
Fat, happy and unable to move, we then sat enjoying coffee and the last swigs of wine, reminiscing on what was a truly excellent meal.
Just behind the restaurant, at the top of the hill sits the accommodation block. A truly striking building, it is placed offering magnificent views of the mountains and lowlands that surround it. Part of the building crumbled away and instead of rebuilding it, they patched up the gap with glass , offering a truly unique experience for those staying inside. The rooms are all white walls and wooden floors with the red bedding, handmade by Tereze Gega’s studio Artistike Zadrima.
Run by Altin Prenga, a local man who learned his craft in Italy for 11 years, Mrizi I Zanave has become something of a must-visit for those coming to Albania. Using local products, adhering to the “slow food” and farm-to-table concept, and bringing a delightful modern twist to traditional Albanian cuisine, Mrizi i Zanave is one of those places you have to visit at least once.
Follow The Balkanista!
