30. October 2015: Restaurant Strelec

When I booked a table at the Strelec I was not aware of the fact that this is supposedly the best restaurant in town. I understand why people think so, however, I am not entirely agreeing. Once we entered the premise (which is located on the top floor of a tower of the castle) we were not really warmly welcomed. The head waiter looked down on us and his eyes said “what the hell do you want here?”. I guess if I had not booked a table in advance we would not have been seated. So much about feeling welcome in a place.

The atmosphere of the place is quite nice though – and if you book a table in advance, also make sure that you book a table with a window view. It is quite amazing (of course, we did not get such a table but the one with the “wall view”.

I decided to go for the “tasting menu – 7 plates” (EUR 61.00) which started with an amuse bouche for the whole table (“chicken mousse paté”) which was of a very chicken-y taste – smooth but also quite intense. What I was quite surprised, again (!), is the fact that they do not offer a wine pairing on the menu. When I asked he said he would of course serve a different glass of wine for each course.

The first course of the menu was a “fillet of poached seabass, tiprioca with cucumber, pumpkin ice cream, melon, slice of pumpkin, lettuce, pumpkin seeds seasoned with sauce, soaked bread in butter” and I must admit that it was quite a promising start. The combination of the tiprioca, the almost raw seabass and the pumpkin ice cream was very lovely.

The second course was “pocket filled with smoked trout and parsnip and potato cream”. At least that is what it officially was. However, when the course was served, the waiter said “mushroom cream” instead of “potato cream”. When I asked and told him he denied that he’d done so. Well, frankly, even if this was the truth, which it definitely isn’t, it is not really the way you would treat your customers. The course was fine.

The “Poor people’s bread – potato filled with egg yolk, fried, potato foam and port wine with truffles” did not only look interesting, it also tasted interesting. There is not much to the course as it is rather small but the stuffed potato with the egg yolk in it was lovely. The truffles were nice but not really necessary.

The next course was “hazelnut crumble, parmesan gnocchi, black trompets, blackroot, blackroot cream, trout, Parmesan foam” and again it was very good. The combination of the various elements on the plate did not only optically catch my attention but also with regards to the taste – as there was a great mixture of textures, temperatures and aromas. Lovely!

The first main course, the “veal fillet with pork popcorn (pork skin), croquette filled with veal cheeks and tail, firmly pressed smoked potato, pancetta with maple syrup baked, beet root cream, beet root mayo, beet root smoked” was great. Quite uncommonly the veal was red meat and cooked to perfection and the beet root mayo and the smoked beet root really added to the dish.

The “strawberry sorbet with white chocolate with chocolate dirt” was quite tasty at first as the strawberry sorbet was nicely sweet. However, the chocolate dirt was really quite “dirty” as it was burnt. I assume that a strong flavor and a slight note of “burnt” is fine and intended by the chef but that was definitely too much.

The last course of the night was a “buckwheat panna cotta, crumble, merengue, sour cream ice cream, red wine poached plums, with red wine jelly” which was a nice finish as the dish had a nice variety between different textures and temperatures. But not only that, the buckwheat panna cotta was actually intense and aromatic – a good ending to a nice dinner.

While whole dinner might be on the expensive side if you ask a local it is definitely on the cheap side for a tourist. The tasting menu is rather reasonable and so are the wines (i.e. Sivi Pinot Riserva Batic, EUR 5.70; Izbrano Belo Belica, EUR 4.95; Sipon Jagodni Izbor Kupljen, EUR 5.80; Malvazija Santomas, EUR 3.45; Jakot Scurek, EUR 3.60; Refosk Antonius Santomas, EUR 6.00; Fornazaric Rubino, EUR 5.70; Castra Guerila, EUR 4.20; Jakoncic Sofija, EUR 4.00) and the other beverages (Grappe, EUR 3.50; Water, EUR 3.50; double espresso, EUR 2.80).

There was just one element on the bill I haven’t quite figured what it was – “Pogrnjeno za strelce” (EUR 2.00). I guess it is something like a cover charge but can’t quite put my finger on it.

Overall, I can recommend to pay the Restaurant Strelec a visit. Make sure you book a table in advance and also make sure that you book a table with a view as then it is really lovely. The atmosphere is nice, the waiter does a good job but takes himself way too serious. And with regards to the head waiter – smiling would be a good thing as well as welcoming your guests friendly.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Strelec

Grajska planota 1

1000 Ljubljana (SL)

Tel.: +386 31 687 648

E-Mail: strelec@kaval-group.si

Homepage: http://www.kaval-group.si/strelec.asp

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.