Eight Slovenian restaurants received the rating of four toques
This year, as many as eight restaurants received the rating of four toques, which testifies to the flourishing of Slovenian gastronomy.
The four caps are a great accolade that certifies the exceptional quality and excellence of a restaurant or caterer. They have been successfully retained by Gostilna pri Lojzetu, Hiša Denk, Ošterija Debeluh, Restauracja Mak, Restauracja Strelec and Hiša Franko, which scored the highest number of points - 18/20. This year, the strawberry selection of the highest scorers is enriched by two more restaurants, namely Grič and Restaurant Pavus.
With each new dish, each new award and each new worldwide tour,Ana Roš further consolidates her reputation as a creative, expressive, extravagant chef who masterfully fuses unexpected flavours. Anna's dishes, a tribute to her beloved Posočje region, include ingredients that a guest might not expect in a fine dining restaurant, but which impress with their sophisticated flavours and presentation. Ingredients that you would never taste in your wildest dreams become harmonious, insanely appealing, and you may even fall in love with them at the House of Franko.
>Restaurant Pri Lojzetu 17,5/20
When you visit Gostilna Pri Lojzetu, it's like visiting good old friends. It doesn't matter if you're a regular or if it's your first time in Zemona. The friendliness, warmth and hospitality are there for everyone, and even before guests sit down at the table, they feel at home with Chef Tomaž Kavčič. But there's one thing that's not at home at Lojzet - the food. It's unique and unforgettable, local and cosmopolitan, classic yet insightfully innovative.
With great expectations and curiosity, we visited the restaurant run by Gregor Vračko, Gault & Millau's Chef of the Year 2021. Has anything changed? Is he still as daring and unpredictable? As soon as we sat down at the table, we realised that everything is where it should be: a well-coordinated team in the service, a young team in the kitchen, gathered from all over the world, creating one of the most sophisticated culinary experiences in Slovenia under the chef's tutelage, and of course him - the energy-filled Gregor Vračko, who creates little explosions of flavour, combines seemingly incompatible components, and creates greatness out of the humble.
Ošterija Debeluh is characterised by contrasts. It stands in the centre of the slightly sleepy town of Brežice, but it would be noticeable on the culinary scene of any big city. In a country where the most appreciated is cviček, Debeluh has a rich wine list that knows the whole world, not just Slovenia. The food, too, is all about contrast: chef Jure Tomič turns seemingly simple ingredients and dishes into exquisite, sophisticated culinary experiences.
Grič has always been fresh, bold, innovative, playful, provocative. But Grič seems to have grown up: searches have become experience, doubts have become confidence, knowledge has become mastery. Chef Luka Košir has both feet firmly planted on the farm, but when necessary (and not when trends dictate it), he knows how to look around the world and find just the right ingredients and techniques to take what is grown at home and in the surrounding area to an even higher level. After dinner, we were unanimous in our enthusiasm: the hill has become a mountain!
No amateurs allowed. But don't be intimidated by the sign on the door, because Mak is here to show you a different world - one as bold as Chef David Vračko, who creates new and different flavours. Unusual, but masterfully refined and harmonious, his avant-garde ideas living in harmony with innovative ways of presenting and serving dishes. Unfettered, open and without prejudice, let yourself be surprised and the reward will be great.
This restaurant isn't exactly on the way to anywhere, but it's well worth making the journey up there to Tabor Castle. The excellent waiters make you feel good, the menu is short and suggests you trust the kitchen and go for the 5, 7 or 9-course daily menu. Or vegan. Chef Mark Pavčnik' s creative dishes are driven by innovative flavours and textures. Surprising and creative, both with the flavours and the colours on the plate.
A brilliant idea from the owners, who have turned the Ljubljana Castle's shooting tower into a first-class restaurant in a first-class environment. And they managed to get a first-class chef , Igor Jagodic, who, surrounded by excellent teams in the kitchen and in the service, surprises year after year with ever new and ever more interesting creations. Although it is possible to order individual dishes, we highly recommend the seasonal menus. Trust him, it won't be the last time.
Photos (in order).
