06-01-2018
Two jobs for Tomaž Kavčič; on top of his gourmet restaurant Pri Lojzetu in Zemono, he’s now opened a wine bar with restaurant near Cormons, but right on the other side of the border, in Slovenia: Kruh in vino
Our dinner at Kavcic, portrayed by Tanio Liotta. The appetizers are dedicated to the "late harvest": Barbera brittle, then Egg, potatoes, white truffle and dried tomato, finally Foie gras on a toast with raspberries, «it is tradition to eat goose on Saint Martin’s in Slovenia»
Anchovies from Istria, oil, lemon, rosemary, squid ink, pecorino, cheese, wheatgrass, glasswort and oil and orange, «our new interpretation of the classic fishermen’s sandwich»
Fake rice: Celeriac, smoked trout, powdered vegetables (parsley, carrots, tomato). A now classic trompe-l'œil, Tokuyoshi or Tassa come to mind
Fake pasta, «summer memory»: Adriatic squid, tomatoes from the Vipava valley, tomato sauce, dried crispy basil, «a play on temperatures and textures»
Oyster for all: oyster macerated in honey, then seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and cooked in its water. The pearl is made of frico
Third trompe-l'œil, fake gnocco, as it’s Octopus cooked in pancetta soup, with sauce of scampi and prawn carapace
Wild goose, purple cabbage in gel, crispy, boiled and as a sauce, and apple
Sausage in red wine, radicchio cooked with mustard, «at the Christmas market in Ljubljana it’s typical to eat sausage with ciccioli and mulled wine»
Bear cheek, jowl bacon, corn, lard and beetroot sprouts. The bear comes from the lake of Bled, its cheek is cooked at 74°C
«Slovenia is the land of juniper. So I make a gin I use to aromatise this pre-dessert»
Persimmon and chestnuts, «in Slovenia persimmons are called "golden apples", so I add gold leaves»
Soup of 5 vegetables and fruits, vanilla, basil. There’s no sugar. And it’s delicious
For culinary juggler Tomaž Kavčič cooking is (also) about playing; like Ana Roš – the other Slovenian glory, at least culinary speaking – the chef presents his country, through its products, its recipes but above all (repeat: above all!) its humanity, which oozes from every course. This is the secret ingredient making each meal even tastier. This is also thanks to the warm friendliness of his wife, Gorizian Flavia Furios, who runs the dining room and the cellar (560 wines, half of which local) based on a now mature national production that goes beyond famous brands, the kind every enthusiast knows and appreciates, and can therefore fill glasses with selected excellent products.
Tomaž Kavčič with wife Flavia Furios in the days of Identità Expo
Kruh in vino (photo from qbquantobasta.it)
Kavčič portrayed at an event with Vincenzo Guarino, chef at Il Pievano al Castello in Spaltenna
This is the idea: Slovenia offers remarkable food; the local culinary tradition grants enough inspiration for dishes that can present this area without too many attempts at fusion. Skill and creativity, of which Kavčič has plenty, are enough to present dishes that can be straightforward on the palate (hence pop), but can also present stories and territories, like that extra complexity that characterises the chef’s style. After all, we’re speaking of fine dining. And without local-centred blinkers: «Our brigade is formed by two cooks from Montenegro, one from Moldavia, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, and only one Slovenian».
It works, in the end, even in terms of marketing: it’s no coincidence that Sara, Tomaž’s 23-year-old daughter (fifth generation in the Kavčič family of restaurateurs, helps out at Pri Lojzetu where the family has reached its 20th anniversary in 2017, though they’ll celebrate in a few weeks’ time) is studying this very subject at the University of Ljubljana
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
An outdoor trip or a journey to the other side of the planet? One thing is for sure: the destination is delicious, by Carlo Passera
by
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief