MONTH-LONG CULINARY FESTIVAL:
FLAVOURS OF THE VIPAVA VALLEY, 21 April through 21 May 2023
“Quality is never coincidence. The close cooperation between local suppliers and master chefs, who have the philosophy of “from the garden to the plate” literally in their blood, sets the Vipava Valley at the very top of the Slovenian gastronomic regions.”
Brigita Habjan Štolfa, CEO of the Regional Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina
The month-long culinary festival under the heading Flavours of the Vipava Valley invites you to explore the best of what the Vipava Valley has to offer. Designed specifically for this foodie event by the top gurus of local cuisine, the menus incorporate seasonal dishes inspired by local traditions, featuring local ingredients, often from organic production. In the same vein, the wine accompaniment also follows local traditions by including a range of organic and conventional wines made by the region’s winemakers, all of them to be showcased on Sunday and Monday, the 21 and 22 May 2023, respectively, as part of Flavours of the Vipava Valley to be held in Vipava.
An exclusive treat of the culinary extravaganza is the ice cream under the brand ‘Flavours of the Vipava Valley’. Made from all-local ingredients, it will be featured in all the best patisseries across the Valley for a month.
RESTAURANT LINEUP
Restavracija Grad Kromberk • Turistična kmetija Arkade • Gostilna Podfarovž • Faladur Vinski bar in vinoteka • Gostilna Tratnik • Majerija • DAM boutique hotel & restaurant • Gostilna pri izviru Hublja • Turistična kmetija Saksida • Penzion Sinji vrh • Gostilna Termika • Gostilna Sivi Čaven • Restavracija Na Žagi • Ošterija Branik • Restavracija Primula • Gostilna Krhne
Restavracija Grad Kromberk
Chef: Aleš Šibav
Grajska cesta 1, 5000 NOVA GORICA
05 30 27 160, 041 693 073
www.gradkromberk.si
restavracija@gradkromberk.si
TASTING MENU
• Amuse-gueules (sea pate trifecta) • Spring sprout cream, trout flan, bean pesto with garlic, black rice chip • Fish lasagne in a jar, herb béchamel, olive smoke • Gilthead seabream (confit), vegetable ragu, baked potato soufflé • Young cheese panna cotta with tarragon, olive oil, olive crumble • Greetings from the restaurant
Price per person: 55.00 €, wine accompaniment of 5 samples 22.00 €
Turistična kmetija Arkade
Chef: Rok Rupnik
Črniče 91, 5262 ČRNIČE
05 36 66 009, 041 614 708
www.arkade-cigoj.com
arkade.cigoj@siol.net
TASTING MENU
Pork delicacies from the pantry • Head cheese on lettuce • Home-style minestrone • Artisanal pasta in capon sauce • Stuffed pork loin with asparagus and prosciutto with pea puree and celery sauce • Dessert
Price per person: 50.00 € with 5 accompanying wines
Gostilna Podfarovž
Chef: Denis Ibrišimović
Ulica Ivana Ščeka 2, 5271 VIPAVA
05 36 65 217, 040 638 470
www.podfarovz.si
info@podfarovz.si
TASTING MENU
Amuse-bouche: Podfarovž-style soup • Marinated trout dusted with burnt hay powder and nori seaweed, warm dashi soup stock, radicchio, and apple • Beef tongue in saor, emulsion of horseradish, capers, pomegranate granita • Pot barley risotto with asparagus, smoked cheese, poached egg yolk and pancetta cracklings, and dandelion • Oven-roasted saddle of veal, fig tart, nettle chips, and demi-glace • Walnut štruklji with ice cream
Price per person: 50.00 €
Faladur Vinski bar in vinoteka
Chef: Erik Batagelj
Ulica Ivana Ščeka 6, 5271 Vipava
040 232 987
www.faladur.si
info@faladur.si
TASTING MENU 1
Amuse-bouche – in memory of Gustl • Jota stew from fermented turnip with pieces of roasted sausage (Pinela 2021, Marc) • Frtalja with lemon balm and Golden Ring White Valley (Zelen 2021, Fedora) • Polenta with roasted prosciutto and cracklings (Barbera 2019, Miška) • Vipava-style štruklji (Ambrosia 2015, Štokelj) • Petit fours (goodbye bites)
Price per person: 43.00 €, wine accompaniment 20.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Amuse-bouche – in memory of Gustl • Courgette cannelloni, sheep curd from the Orel cheese farm, mint oil, fraiche sauce, mint (Sauvignon 2022, Lepa Vida) or Trout sashimi, wild garlic mayonnaise, lime, red pepper (Pinela 2022, Lepa Vida) • Cheese štrukelj with fresh herbs from own garden, trout soup (Sauvignon 2019, Hedele) • Tortellini a la Maison stuffed with cow tail cream, chocolate sauce, buckwheat popcorn, basil oil (Pinot Noir 2019, Tilia) or Creamy risotto with wild garlic pesto, buratta, lemon, pistachios (Goli Breg Belo 2018, Fedora) • Roast beef, pea cream, buckwheat popcorn, demi-glace (Planta Red 2019, Štokelj) or Trout, potato millefeuille, butter sauce with sparkling wine, roasted hazelnut crumble (White 2018, Sutor) or Parsnip cream with coconut milk, charred cauliflower, roasted hazelnut crumble, mint oil, fresh herbs (Retro White, 2020, Guerila) • Yoghurt panna cotta with lemon flavour, basil, olive oil (Ambrosia 2015, Štokelj) • Petit fours (goodbye bites)
Price per person: 55.00 €, wine accompaniment 25.00 €
Gostilna Tratnik
Chef: Tomi Tratnik
Col 17, 5273 COL
05 99 67 999, 051 248 133
www.gostilnatratnik.si
info@gostilnatratnik.si
TASTING MENU
Amuse-bouche • Deer carpaccio with apple and rocket – Creamy porcini mushroom soup • Venison goulash with homemade cheese štruklji, broccoli and cranberry jam • Wine-poached peaches, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel topping
Price per person: 28.00 €
Gostilna picerija Anja
Chef: Anja Paljk Fabjan
Budanje 3c, 5271 VIPAVA
041 750 704
www.picerija-anja.si
anja.p.f@gmail.com
TASTING MENU 1
Asparagus on a bed of polenta with crispy fried prosciutto • Beef medallion in mushroom sauce and horseradish štruklji • Apple strudel
Price per person: 35.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Vipava-style jota with smoked neck of pork • Walnut štruklji
Price per person: 10,00 €
Ošterija Žogica
Chef: Matej Vodan
Soška 52, 5250 SOLKAN
05 300 52 40, 040 610 591
www.sesezogica.si
infozogica@gmail.com
TASTING MENU 1
Nettle gnocchi with asparagus, pork jowl cracklings and goat’s cheese • Dandelion salad • Pork tenderloin stuffed with asparagus and baby potatoes and asparagus sauce • Spring dessert
Price per person: 30.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Cream cheese panna cotta with asparagus and nuts • Dandelion salad • Meadow herb-encrusted zander with baby potatoes and asparagus • Spring dessert
Price per person: 30.00 €
Majerija
Chef: Matej Tomažič
Slap 18, 5271 VIPAVA
05 368 50 10, 041 405 903
www.majerija.si
info@majerija.si
TASTING MENU 1
Herbal cottage cheese, tomato carpaccio • Vipava-style mlinci pasta in aromatic broccoli sauce • Roasted suckling pig, spring side dishes • Walnut dessert with citrus aroma and strawberry sauce
Price per person: 50.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Crystallized dandelion on yoghurt and honey • Beef carpaccio, delicate sheep’s cheese, with pine nuts and wild berries • Hand-torn corn noodles with sautéed courgettes, hazelnuts and yellow pepper cream • Tarragon noodles with tomatoes, elderflower and vanilla • Herb sorbet with pollen • Pork cigars with wild hop and pancetta stuffing, thyme sauce • Chocolate cube on a violet garden
Price per person: 60.00 €
Gostilna Pri Lojzetu, Dvorec Zemono
Chef: Tomaž Kavčič
Dvorec Zemono, Zemono 7, 5271 VIPAVA
05 368 70 07, 041 617 408
www.zemono.si
zemono@zemono.si
TASTING MENU
House tradition: 3 types of homemade bread and horseradish spread • Meadow and garden herbs, herbs, Vipava trout and trout roe • Stone in a Vipava field – Clay, canestrello shellfish, European angler, baby peas and 3 types of asparagus • Marinated roast beef from Sinji Vrh with black olive caviar • Vipava spring flowers, Pâté de Foie Gras with apricot, raspberry and blueberry • Beef cheek cooked for 13 hours at 74 degrees Celsius, in a gravy reduction with smoked potatoes • Surprise dessert
Price per person: 100.00 €; with wine accompaniment 130.00 €
DAM boutique hotel & restaurant
Chef: Uroš Fakuč
Ulica Vinka Vodopivca 24, 5000 Nova Gorica
05 333 11 47, 041 337 443
www.restavracija-dam.si
info@restavracija-dam.si
TASTING MENU
Amuse-bouche • Marble trout, smoked curd, pickles • Grilled gnocchi with fish brodette cream and raw fish • Cauliflower, egg and truffle • Rice with prawns and parsley powder • Baked tuna in cuttlefish crust • Mojito • Dessert and white truffles
Price per person: 95.00 €; with wine accompaniment 140.00 €
Gostilna pri izviru Hublja
Chef: Tomaž Pižent
Cesta VI. Prekomorska 75, 5270 AJDOVŠČINA
05 366 37 88, 041 201 924
www.gostilna-izvir-hublja.si
izvirhublja@gmail.com
TASTING MENU 1
Vipava-style jota • Homemade štruklji
Price per person: 11.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Asparagus soup • Roasted lamb with baby potatoes • Homemade štruklji
Price per person: 25.00 €
Turistična kmetija Saksida
Chef: Marko Bolčina
Zalošče 12a, 5294 DORNBERK
05 30 17 853, 041 208 345
www.vinasaksida.com
info@vinasaksida.com
TASTING MENU
Espuma of Nanos cheese with onion and strawberry mayonnaise with crispy pork rind • Prosciutto and horseradish on tapioca crisp with butter and sweet paprika • Marinated sardine with asparagus jelly • Poached egg with lentils, potatoes and umami sprinkle • Carrot with cracklings and lardo • Beef cheeks with black sesame and crispy vegetables • Lemon sorbet • Dessert
Price per person: 88.00 €, wine accompaniment 30.00 €
Penzion Sinji vrh
Chef: Irma Vidmar
Kovk 10a, 5273 COL
031 836 813
www.sinji-vrh.si
sinji.vrh@gmail.com
TASTING MENU
Amuse-bouche – Carpaccio of Highland cattle from our organic farm with Golden Ring aged cheese • Polenta with meadow chicory, roasted prosciutto and albumin curd • Mountain pasture reared lamb and goat meat with savoury štruklji and asparagus sauce • Afters – Golden Ring blue-mould cheese over an orange with coffee sprinkles • Dessert
Price per person: 50.00 € with wine accompaniment
Gostilna Termika
Chef: Aleksander Mladovan
Ozeljan 6a, 5261 ŠEMPAS
05 30 88 557, 031 894 694
www.parklijak.com
termika@parklijak.com
TASTING MENU
Meat slice a la Vipava Valley • Deconstructed jota • TERMIKA plate • Local blueberries embraced by white chocolate ganache
Price per person: 35.00 €
Gostilna Sivi Čaven
Chef: Jasmina Črv Čermelj
Potoče 6, 5263 DOBRAVLJE
031 836 813
gostilna.sivicaven@gmail.com
TASTING MENU 1
Old-school goulash with cheese-stuffed štruklji • Dessert a la Maison
Price per person: 18.00 €
TASTING MENU 2
Vipava-style jota with fried sausage • Lamb on carrot puree with wine sauce and pot barley with asparagus and prosciutto • House dessert
Price per person: 29.00 €
Restavracija Na Žagi
Chef: Dragan Petrović
Budanje 8, 5271 VIPAVA
041 540 964
www.nazagi.com
radalgostinstvo@gmail.com
TASTING MENU
Amuse-bouche • Chef’s selection of raw starters • Pressed octopus • Coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops) • Saffron risotto with raw prawns • Pinela-poached wild Adriatic seabass
Price per person: 65.00 €, wine accompaniment 20.00 €
Ošterija Branik
Chef: Patricija Furlan
Branik 79a, 5295 BRANIK
05 305 76 06, 051 323 912
www.osterijabranik.si
osterija.branik@gmail.com
TASTING MENU
Locally made cold cuts • Homemade potato gnocchi with asparagus and roasted pancetta • Beef cheeks in porcini sauce • Corn polenta with sweet gorgonzola • Walnut štruklji
Price per person: 30.00 €
Restavracija Primula
Chef: Jožef Žabar
Soška cesta 40, 5250 SOLKAN
05 300 00 00, 051 648 661
www.primula.si
info@primula.si
TASTING MENU
Baby goat slices with local honey • Risotto with maidenstears and baked rolled pancetta • Beef fillet with Merlot reduction, side dish • Primula spring dessert
Price per person: 37.00 €, wine accompaniment 22.00 €
Gostilna Krhne
Chef: Filip Ferjančič
Glavni trg 5, 5271 VIPAVA
051 247 035
www.krhne.si
erik@krhne.si
TASTING MENU
Bread dumplings with wild asparagus, asparagus sauce, smoked sour cream, poached egg yolk with fried pancetta • Beef cheeks combined with vegetables and herb puree • Vipava-style cream cake
Price per person: 35,00 €
Ekološka turistična kmetija Toncevi
Chef: Mark Smerajc
Pedrovo 9, 5295 BRANIK
05 305 75 95, 041 737 150
www.kmetija-toncevi.si
mark.smerajc@gmail.com
TASTING MENU
Cured meats with goat cheese • Nettle and asparagus soup or goat soup • Homemade gnocchi with asparagus or homemade tagliatelle with deer goulash • Peka roast with goat or lamb, baked potatoes, asparagus sauce or grilled goat cheese baked potatoes, asparagus sauce • Dessert • Coffee or liquor
Price per person: 3 course menu 29.00 € • 5 course menu 39.00 € • 3 course menu with wine accompaniment 49.00 € • 5 course menu with wine accompaniment 59.00 €
This year’s month-long food festival is part of the cooperation project called ORGANIC FLAVOURS OF SLOVENIA (EKO OKUSI SLOVENIJE) which brings together several local action groups. Comprising one Croatian and 18 Slovenian partners from four Slovenian local action groups, the project is a partnership between the Regional Development Agency ROD Ajdovščina, the organic farmer Kristijan Vidmar from Sinji Vrh, and the company Okusi d.o.o., managed by chef Tomaž Kavčič, and is spearheaded by the Vipava Valley Local Action Group.
In the pursuit of improving the visibility of locally made and processed organic products through their use in fine dining and their availability in specialised local shops, various activities are carried out across the Vipava Valley and the regions of Posavje, Goričko and Gorenjska as part of this organic-flavour initiative.
In fact, March saw the first B2B meet-up between chef Tomaž Kavčič and organic farmers from the Vipava Valley Local Action Group. The fruitful discussion also touched upon community-supported agriculture between gastronomy providers and farmers. Increasingly gaining traction in Slovenia as a result of the country’s vigorous promotion of the production and consumption of healthy, locally produced food, this model will be the topic of workshops taking place in the upcoming months as part of ORGANIC FLAVOURS OF SLOVENIA.
