Review of RESTAURANT STRELEC

We treated ourselves to a 7-course menu at the Strelec restaurant, which is located in the historic castle above Ljubljana. The castle itself is situated in the perfect spot because you have a 360° view of the city below. You can take a walk around it and even go back down to the city center. However, be prepared that you wouldn’t want to leave this excellent restaurant and would want to start planning your next visit soon. The food is exceptional, as the chef combines flavors and textures, which improve one another to reach the next level of deliciousness, and, at the same time, follows the cuisine trends.

The visit to this restaurant was something we were both looking forward to and that’s why we prepared our bellies to the extent that we could hear them protesting. We knew, however, that the pleasing feast is on its way. According to our research, we set our expectations high since there is no fear that at this restaurant you wouldn’t experience the taste of ecstasy. I couldn’t keep my hands away from amuse bouche and I have to say that it’s hard to put the knife down from deliciously smoked butter and stop spreading it on warm bread. That creamy butter is delicious on its own, but it wasn’t just the butter. On the side, there was a freshly made goose pate, which the bite was perfectly rounded with.

The first dish was marinated, smoked mackerel on top of the celery cream, beautifully combined with horseradish mayonnaise, which got refreshing dimension when the chef added applesauce to it and the crunchy heart of the salad accompanied with dashi algae sauce. I must say this dish was very creative. I was surprised how great applesauce can take mackerel higher on the wholly next level.
The next on the menu was my favorite warm dish of the meal. The sensational smell of grilled penny buns invited me to get a taste of their delicious softness. The chef nailed it with a whole combination: grilled penny buns with poached egg and handmade ravioli staffed with aged cheese served by the pork foam.
The sweetness of the scallops and chestnuts is another combination that impressed me and ranked in the second place. Tender meat and the golden surface of the scallop were distinct in spite of intense chestnut purée, which was well worth to taste by itself in combination with sweet quince. The warmth of the chestnut was supported by celery foam. The chef smashed the creamy texture and added an additional refreshing level of taste to it with baked chestnuts, crumble, and young green chicory.
Of course, there is no good food without some great wine. Ian selected chardonnay Marof, fresh and very subtle wine, which was just right for tender fish and scallop. He also experimented with some “Zelen”, which was slightly too strong but very good wine, full of tannins and long aftertaste. For the second main dish we have had Duet by Edi Simčič, a Cuvee with a lot of fruitiness as well as spiciness. Blackberries with cherry and spicy pepper, supported by minerality – absolutely amazing! A complex character of this red was just right for the second main dish.
The first main dish was a continuation of tender fish tastes. This time, it was a file of red trout, which had only one flaw. The file was overbaked. However, it was nothing serious. On the side, there was a creamy potato puree, baked young carrot, and fennel in the company of dried apples and trout roe in the amazingly good sauce.
The second main dish was beef tail slowly cooked in sous vide, and after that baked in the pan with three sprouts fold, which was sprinkled over with fried pig skin and black garlic paste on each side. Subtle and complex flavor of black garlic connected all the ingredients together. Black garlic paste, also known as fermented black garlic, is a complex ingredient with umami taste and its sweetness in the back. This ingredient is very expensive, which shows the attention of this chef – it’s all in!
The tastes of great main dishes were still in our mouths when the first dessert came. The pre-dessert contained some strong flavors, a combination of chocolate mousse and salty caramel with cooked pear really remaining in my memory. Although I felt full and believed that I couldn’t eat anything more, the situation changed at the moment when another dessert was placed in front of me. It was completely opposite to the previous one, a refreshing and colorful dessert. The carrot pastry with the softness of sour cream ice cream combined with the freshness of mandarin in the company of white chocolate mousse is what kept me coming for more.

To seal the deal, we were surprised by bite-size red-beet foam coated in chocolate, sitting on a pastry and sprinkled with buckwheat popcorn and potato chips dipped in chocolate. If you want to eat like a king, then this is the castle you need to “attack”. Ouu and by the way, Strelec means shooter (with bow). The name is justified…
They got us for sure!

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