In the beginning…
Although 1991 was not an ideal time to open a restaurant in Croatia since it was struck by the war at the time, Jadranka Boban Pejić and Zlatko Pejić, founders and creators of the Society for Improvement of Quality of Life and the Makronova Institution, opened doors of a club restaurant on the first floor in Ilica 72. At the time, an idea of offering balanced and healthy meals was really brave since similar specialties could only be eaten in cosmopolitan centres like New York, Paris, and London…
Small groups of visitors that enjoyed something different and special on daily basis supported our efforts. Our guests were really surprised with flavours of foods like squash, tofu, seaweed, cereals, etc., and our restaurant was the only place in the town where those specialties were offered. Many people also experienced a real small „revolution“ where the quality of living is concerned, as well as health improvement, but also a pleasure that the taste of natural food brings. Since for quite a long time our club restaurant was the only non-smoking place in Zagreb, some people would not stay because of it.
One of the activities that have marked the very beginning of our work were parties we organized on the occasion of the Earth Day. Our idea that we could take care of the environment only if we understood and took care of our own needs is still our guiding line. Neither in the beginning, nor today are we open for compromises and that was the reason why at the time we would go all the way to Austria to purchase ingredients of the highest quality.
