Eating out in Maribor, Slovenia

We had one night in Maribor. One dinner. And I wanted something different, some place with a story. There are plenty of good restaurants in the city, according to TripAdvisor. Too many to choose from. Typing Maribor into the Michelin website search field pulled up four. I clicked on Restavracija Sedem and was sold.

Sedem doubles in the Slovenian language as both the number 7 and a term for sitting down. The restaurant, at Cafova Ulica 7, is aptly named. It’s a college restaurant, the only one of its kind in the country. It’s here that students from Maribor’s Vocational College of Hospitality and Tourism get their hands-on experience under the watchful eyes of mentors and former students. Klavdija, the young woman who waited on us, is a graduate of the programme and an excellent example of its success.

I made the reservation by email a couple of days in advance, changed the time once, and then showed up early.

Nothing was an issue. Seamless. Polite. Professional. No problem. I had high hopes.

Sedem offers a tasting menu with wine accompaniment (5, 6, or 7 courses) and an a la carte inspired, as they say, by the culinary heritage of the local environment. We dithered. But not for long. I was curious to see what these students could do.

Seated with the menu, our glass of local bubbly in hand, Klavdija asked us if we’d like still or sparkling water. I gave my standard answer.

I have an aversion to bottled water in restaurants where perfectly good water is available from the tap. Even in Malta, where there is no potable water, I get annoyed when restaurants only offer imported options. I’m a tapwater gal. And if I can’t have it, I’d rather do without.

Being told that Sedem serves bottled water immediately raised an eyebrow and elicited my much-practiced mini-rant about how environmentally unfriendly such a policy is. To her credit, Klavdija didn’t flinch. And better still, she didn’t put on the pained smile of someone who has been trained to be nice. She simply accepted what I said saying she understood and that she hoped we enjoyed our meal.

As she left, I simmered. It was annoying. Particularly given that the restaurant carries a Green Key certification.

But the paths outside were like an ice rink and I was hungry. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Klavdija returned a short time later with a carafe of water along with advice to drink plenty as we’d opted for the wine accompaniment to the 5-course tasting menu. Both were delivered with the hint of a smile. Pure class!

I know how difficult I can be; I was impressed by how well I was handled.

That sorted, it was on to the food.

The opening platter of amuse bouches was tempting. My mouth was certainly amused. More so by the buckwheat croquette with a delicious pork-fat mayonnaise and less so by the mushroom cream. Himself favoured the humus sandwich with its pickled apple powder and could have done without the beetroot doughnut. Tastes differ. We both enjoyed the rum and peach cocktail though.

I’m a big fan of the amuse-bouche concept. For me, it heralds what’s to come. It’s about creativity. And taste. And presentation. I’d happily dine on amuse bouches and nothing else. [Did I just spot a gap in the market?]

This first array was followed by a Jerusalem artichoke mousse with fermented onion topped with JA shavings (no photo, sadly) but it got *** in my notebook.

I like to cook but I’m no chef. I don’t have the patience it needs. My star system is based on taste alone. And I’ll admit to an inherent bias. Were I a professional critic, I’d be able to look past a taste I know I don’t like and be objective. Or at least, I assume I would. Baklava, for instance, will never rate. Neither will poppyseed. And I’m pretty much done with cardamon, too. I’ll suffer cooked tomatoes but find it difficult to like them.

The presentation doesn’t affect my ratings either. One of the most unappetising-looking meals I’ve ever had still ranks on my Top 10 list of all-time greats. Presentation intrigues me – just because it looks great doesn’t mean it tastes great. I’m not generous with my stars. I have high expectations of restaurants that offer amuse bouches. Three stars is about as good as it gets in my book; I rarely pull out the fourth.

Enough of the digression. Back to the food.

We both agreed that #4 took home the prize. The baby barley risotto with roasted perch fillet, celery, and fermented parsley root was delightful. I was taken by the wooden taco holder and liked, too, the straw bed on which the bread was served. And I was seriously coveting the Rogaška wine glasses [an interesting aside: both Rogaška and Ireland’s Waterford Crystal are now owned by a Finnish company]. The whole experience was shaping up to be quite lovely.

I love the idea of a palate cleanser and the lemon sorbet did the job. And so much more. Credit to the sommelier who produced a merlot called Skywalker from the Kupljen Wine Estate. The vineyard is now under new ownership so the Star Wars names might well disappear. I’m not a fan of red wine (or Star Wars for that matter) but I love a good story. And it’s a nice wine. When next in Slovenia, I’ll be looking for the sparkling riesling that goes by the name Chewbacca!

One of the joys of such tasting menus is that more often than not, there’s something I’ve never heard of before. The roast sirloin came with an onion stuffed with chestnut topped with blueberries, a buhtel (yeast bread) stuffed with blueberry jam, and a stick of black salsify. Black salsify??? This new friend is now on my radar. I’m going to look at planting some when we get the garden going.

The pre-dessert (I love this concept) was a delicious pumpkin crème brûlée with lime gel (again, sadly, no photo, possibly explained by the *** I have against it in my notebook, and unusual in that I’m not a pumpkin fan). The real dessert was a thyme mousse with pear, fermented honey, honey-and-pear ice cream, tuile cookies, and sponge cake. What’s not to like? The final cocktail of non-alcoholic gin (something I discovered recently) with thyme syrup, mint, and frozen blueberries, was a perfect way to end the meal.

Rounding off the evening we had one last set of amuse-bouches with our coffees.

The drinks trolley rolled over for the final tipple. This is when guests are usually asked which was their favourite dish. I’m very much in favour of feedback. We’d kept up a running commentary throughout the meal so there was no doubt.

For me, the **** lemon sorbet with chilli and orange-infused olive oil was the start of the show. So taken was I by it (and so annoyed that I hadn’t taken a photo of my overall favourite) that Klavdija asked the chef to make me a second. And they obliged. It’s the little things that make good restaurants great. [And I bought a couple of bottles of olive oil to take home.]

It was a cold night in January. Off-season. Four other tables were enjoying the tasting menu, and a fifth table turned over a couple of times with a la carte diners. If you’re in town for business, check out their business lunch. If you’re in town for pleasure, I can heartily recommend the experience. One of their chefs could be a household name in years to come. The Ramseys of this world have to start somewhere.

I love the concept. I loved the creativity, the passion, the attention to detail. Professional without being obsequious. How refreshing!

Restavracija Sedem, it was a pleasure. We’ll be back.

Elsewhere in Maribor

For breakfast, we popped into Isabella food&wine  – Poštna ulica 3 – not far from the cathedral. They do lunch and dinner too. Great coffee. I’d go back for the eggs. Breakfast isn’t breakfast without eggs. They cater for vegans, vegetarians, and coeliacs (gluten-free).