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Slovenia Dinner

Bailliage of Slovenia
Brežice, October 7, 2022

Autumn flavours at Ošterija Debeluh
" Chef Tomic's great talent was most evident in the artistic presentation of the dishes served "

It's really a shame that the evaluators of restaurants for the guidebooks remain mysterious because if I met one I would ask why Debeluh had been overlooked this year.

For our dinner at the beginning of October, Chef/Owner Maître Restaurateur Jure Tomič, together with his kitchen and service brigades, once again proved that in our view his establishment is one of the places at the top of Slovenia's gastronomic pyramid.

According to established custom, the dinner began with three “greetings” (snacks) from the kitchen and sips of Kozinc ‘Joker Nord’ méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine.

Freshly baked bread - still warm - was brought to the tables. Next was a cold starter of sea bass, tapioca and apple. Cuttlefish with corn polenta potatoes and pancetta followed.

The warm appetiser was Knödel for the Germans, knedelj for us in the form of an autumn cottage cheese dumpling with porcini mushrooms and lamb. Stunning with its flavours, the lamb was first cooked lamb in milk and water. Quickly boiled fresh porcini mushrooms were added to the resulting soup. This was the base of the dish on which the curd dumpling was placed.

A slice of lightly smoked duck - with three purees of different colours: zucchini, greens and porcini mushrooms - was the main course so typical for the time of year. The dish reminded us that November 11th is approaching when we will celebrate the Feast of Saint Martin with ducks, geese and other feathered animals. On the plate, in addition to the duck and purees, there were also red carrots and a sauce with drops of herb oil.

The main course was followed first by a sorbet made from aromatic Pisavlo apricots and after that a dessert consisting of white chocolate and anise seeds.

Chef Tomič's great talent was most evident in the artistic presentation of the dishes served. They impressed both with colour and placement of the food on thoughtfully chosen plate shapes.

Brežice's main square was already in a deep sleep when we left this excellent restaurant and returned to Ljubljana!

Prepared from a detailed report written in Slovenian by Prof Dr Janez Bogataj, Conseiller Gastronomique

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