Choose Slovenia

10/05/2025

A bit late with this but not posted to the grid for a while.

. Slovenia’s two hardest working bar tenders get a bar to themselves. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and for a few years and followed their journey. They have been trying for an age to get their own place working in every respectable bar and occasionally great restaurants between them. has been in a real slump hospitality wise since Covid, a real lack of new cool, independent, contemporary places. This is a great step in the right direction for the city. The drinks are creative but subtle. Technical but simple. Above really enjoyabe. The environment is clean but stylish. Get a seat at the bar is always my recommendation at a cocktail bar. A great addition to the city. My only comment is to make it no kids after 7pm to be a proper

25/03/2025

I drove through this village today, even 5 months on it is devastating and heartbreaking to see the destruction.

Flash floods and landslides in central Bosnia-Herzegovina have left at least 18 people dead, with towns and villages cut off and reports in some places of ho...

17/03/2025

Eating local traditional food when traveling the Balkans not only connects you to the cultures and history of the places you visit it also opens your eyes to new techniques, flavours and textures. As a chef I love the weird stuff so roast intestines, calfs head in tripe, chicken livers, sweetbreads or roast suckling pig in Belgrade. Grilled ćevapi or pleskovica (essential when in Lescovak, South Serbia) is a non negotiable in The Balkans, as is Burek. Under estimate what it takes to do these two staples well at your peril. I enjoyed Leskovacka Muckalica (a traditional stew using left over grilled meat) also in Leskovac. In Macedonia Tavče Gravče (a baked bean dish - tavče is the hot pan it is served in), Pastrmalija (a Macedonian bread pie made from dough, cheese, eggs and meat) or other pork based stews. If you do your research (or follow and DM me for my guide) you can eat cheap and delicious. The cuisine does require an open mind and is very meat heavy, if that’s not your thing or you just need an understandable break from it then simply find a local market normally on Saturdays is best, where you’ll find seasonal, cheap, fresh vegetables, fruit, cheeses and local delicacies to prep and enjoy yourself. All cheaper, fresher and better than supermarkets and nearly always supporting an independent local. ps don’t forget to wash it all down with a glass of local and a .

15/03/2025

Whilst in Niš I visited the ‘Red Cross Concentration Camp’. This was the first build in and named after the red cross hospital close by. This was my first time visiting somewhere like this, and to make it more impactful I had the place to myself. Stories of inmates being attacked by dogs were amplified by the strays sleeping outside. It was powerful, and impactful. The saddest thing is that 20 years ago this would have felt like part of the human race consigned to history but now feels closer than ever in my lifetime. More in stories.

13/03/2025

There is much about my life at 52 I didn’t plan or hope for, but the one thing I hold onto is a level of freedom. That freedom has led me to a in , a small city in southern where tonight, fifty meters from three - yes three - coffin shops I get to indulge my favourite pastime, discovering traditional food that is new to me - all on my own. I love solo dining, conversation has ruined so many dinners in my life and really gets in the way of indulgence. I have two loves in dining. Cooking for people, standing back and watching others indulge, and sitting on my own indulging. All other forms of dining are vastly overated.

Tonight there are four things in front of me. A stew, a salad, bread and a beer. Who hasn’t had that before? How boring.

These four cornerstones of culture can open so many doors to history, tradition, place. The stew is Mućkalica Leskovaćka a hyper local traditional dish typically with left overs from yesterday’s grilled meats. This city is the capital of grilled meats over open coals and hosts a weeklong festival celebrating such things in late August, sadly I am here in March. Grilled pork (fattier cuts are more appreciated), bacon, onions, roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, paprika powder, and hot chili peppers are cooked slowly together. It is utterly delicious, slightly smokey, rich, uncious. The salad is šopska salata “shopkeeper salad” with chopped fresh tomatoes and cucumber and finely grated fresh cow cheese. It’s the perfect accompaniment with its freshness and creaminess from the cheese. The bread is Lepinja bread, a fresh spongy flatbread popular across the Balkans, perfect for mopping duties. The beer is, of course, Serbian with, of course, an utterly unreadable cyrillic label.

Glorious, and wonderfully unsharable.

Now sated and complete, two large platters of roast meat have just landed in front of a table of three Serbian chaps next to me. I’m full yet aching with food envy. Have I taken my statin today?

Time for a lie down.

07/03/2025

Scroll 👉🏻 Yesterday was a double lunch. So enjoyable because it was as unexpected as it was brilliant. In the . First was (Koordinata Street) with Stefan and his sous Vlada. Inspired by a love of he and his partner Sara created this place. My only disappointment is I couldn’t eat more of the menu. I had the signature “Anthony Bourdain Liver”, perfectly cooked chicken livers with prunes on toasted brioche, served with a perfect Balkan red wine whose acidity cut through the richness perfectly. So good and such nice people (when you get a chef to strike a pose and capture it you are winning 😂) then I met up with friends and unexpectedly ended up 10m away at Pretop Bakery for the most glorious suckling pig with crunchy skin, horseradish, pickled cabbage and a glorious pork broth. Jesus Christ. It was SO good. Second suckling pig in two days but this one was next level. Washed down with a glass of fresh and a (of course) and thank you. Yesterday I fasted for 22 hours of the day and feasted for 2. I think I like the diet 😂

01/03/2025

No visit to can be complete without a visit to a an outdoor market in the East of city out of the usual tourist trodden path. This is Trznica Moste (Moste Market) and the permanent food truck and Mecca that is where owner and all round wonderful man (and friend) Dalibor presides. Every day a different menu. Always creative, always beautifully executed, always delicious. Dalibor has a fiercely loyal clientele for good reason. The rakija comes as being a perk of being his friend 😂😉

In offer this day…
Čorba (stew) with beans
Noodles, broth, beef
Smash burger
Chicken thigh, chicken demi-glace, puréed potatoes and leeks, wilted spinach

Food truck? More like restaurant.

Delicious.