Tag Archives: Vila Podvin

Potica of Our Roots / The Babji Zob Cave

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Potica is probably one of the best known Slovenian sweet treats. It can best be described as something of a cross between a cake and a bread; a dough filled with one of a variety of different fillings. Some of the most popular fillings are poppy seeds, walnuts, curd cheese or tarragon, though there are actually up to 80 different varities of potica including some which are savoury. Although these days potica is available throughout the year, it is most widely sold, and consumed, at Christmas and Easter, when supermarket and bakery shelves are laden with a wide assortment and no family gathering is complete without it. Many people opt to make their own and there are no doubt countless recipes that have been handed down through the generations and which remain a closely guarded family secret.


So it was with interest that I read about a ‘new’ potica that has been created to evoke memories of old. Potica naših korenin, meaning ‘Potica of Our Roots’ was created by one of Slovenia’s top chefs, Uroš Štefelin (seen with co-owner Marcela, below), from Vila Podvin in Mošnje. The idea behind the creation was to use the best Slovene ingredients to create a unique two-flavoured potica, uniting two of the most popular ingredients, walnut and curd cheese, and enriched with dried pears and honey.

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I have already written about Vila Podvin in a previous blog (http://wp.me/p3005k-ai ) and you can read more about it in the ‘Taste Radol’ca’ section page. However, on reading about the new potica, I decided it was high time to pay another visit! Since my last visit Vila Podvin now also has an in-house ceramics studio and have launched their own range of pottery, and it was on this that I was served a nice cup of tea (so English!), some of the new potica and, as an added treat, chocolate-covered miniature pears (tepke) and pear schnapps – all of which I can attest were delicious.

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So once again after all that eating, it was time to get moving and exploring again and the 1st May Traditional Walk to the Babji Zob Cave was just the ticket. Babji Zob itself, meaning ‘Hag’s tooth’, is a rock which stands on the northwestern edge of the vast Jelovica plateau and high above the villages of Bohinjska Bela and Kupljenik, near Bled. The entrance to the Babji Zob cave, suggested by some sources to be the second oldest cave in Slovenia, is found at an altitude of 1,008m, so a little effort is required to reach, the path leads steeply up through the forest, but it’s worthwhile. Its relatively remote position makes it all the more surprising that it was discovered ‘by coincidence’ some 200 years ago by a local villager. Unlike some of the larger ‘tourist’ caves in Slovenia, such as those in Postojna and Skocjan, the Babji Zob cave is not open for mass tourism and is usually only open to the public for the traditional 1st May walk, during the summer on Sundays at 10am, and by prior arrangement with one of the professional guides. There are no fancy Disney-like experiences to be had here but the guides, from the local cave exploration society, have installed makeshift staircases and lighting and with caution, and good footwear, it is possible to see a 300 metre stretch of the cave’s fascinating interior with its dripstone formations and calcite crystals. You can read more about Babji zob, and arrange guided visits here – http://www.bohinjskabela.si/znamenito/index_en.html

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Forthcoming events and news:

Friday 16th May – The Opening of Vurnik’s Days in Radovljica.

IVAN VURNIK (1884–1971) was an architect and urban planner who, along with Jože Plečnik and Maks Fabiana, was considered one of the pioneers of modern architecture and fathers of urban planning in Slovenia. To mark the 130 years since his birth, there will be a series of exhibitions, talks and trips beginning on Friday 16th May with the opening of exhibitions in the Šivec House Gallery and the Radovljica Mansion. There will be a number of events taking place until the beginning of June and an additional feature will be a special ‘culinary surprise’ Vurnik’s Menu at Vila Podvin restaurant, available until the 2nd June. More information about Vurnik’s Day can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/kaj-poceti/dogodki/vurnikovi-dnevi-v-radovljici/83/434/

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Saturday 17th May – Triglav National Park Market, Bled

Every third Saturday in the month, there is a small market held at the Triglav National Park Information Centre in Bled from 10am – 12 noon. A variety of local products are offered such as fruit and vegetables, honeys, dried meats, dairy products, herbs and more.


Sunday 18th May – International Museum Day

To mark International Museum Day, events will be taking place throughout Slovenia. In the local area free entrance will be available to Radovlijca’s museums; Museum of Beekeeping, Municipal Museum, Šivec House Gallery, Iron Forging Museum in Kropa, Museum of Hostages in Begunje. More information about Radovljica’s museums can be found here – http://muzeji-radovljica.si/


Triglav National Park – The Pocar Farmhouse

Additionally, at 12noon on Sunday 18th May, Triglav National Park’s Information Point in Upper Radovna (Zgornja Radovna) will host an unveiling of restored paintings, an exhibition and short talk at the Pocar Farmhouse (Pocarjeva domacija). The farmhouse itself, one of the oldest homesteads within Triglav National Park, is now a museum. More information can be found here – http://www.tnp.si/experience/C206/

© AdeleinSlovenia 2014

A Happy New Year at Vila Podvin – Gourmet Food in Gorenjska

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This year, I chose to see out the old year and see in the new year at a local venue which can definitely be regarded as being one of Slovenia’s success stories of 2013; somewhere bucking the trend of the recession, daring to be a bit different, and where the owners believe in supporting and co-operating with the local community to offer delicious, locally sourced and creative food served amid a pleasant ambience – Vila Podvin.

Vila Podvin is located in the village of Mošnje, just a couple of kilometres from Radovljica. When I first moved to Slovenia there was another restaurant open here but it closed down some years ago and had since remained shut. I regularly run past the restaurant and had often thought to myself what a shame such a beautiful place, with its adjoining, albeit abandoned, castle, had been abandoned and lain empty for so long. So it was with delight that earlier this year, on another such a run, I noticed work was taking place and the restaurant looked as if it was being given some much needed TLC. On my return home, I immediately set about sending emails to discover what was afoot and was delighted to discover that Vila Podvin was about to re-open and, even better, that its head chef was to be Uroš Štefelin, one of Slovenia’s best known chefs. Uroš (the brawns?!) together with the Director, Marcela, (the brains?!) both previously worked at the prestigious Hotel Triglav in Bled and it was there that they decided they wanted to ‘go it alone’ without the constraints of working for someone else.

Uroš Štefelin is one of the three reknowned ‘Bled Chefs’, the other two being Bine Volčič, who previously headed up the Promenada Restaurant in Bled and Igor Jagodic who now heads up the team at Ljubljana Castle’s prestigious Strelec restaurant. Despite all three chefs being very successful and adding their own twists and specialities to their food, all three now share a compassion for tradition, which is the underpinning story of these times. Here’s me with the great man himself – Chef Uroš!

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So, as you might imagine, I was delighted at the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve with them and sample some of the delicious food I had been hearing about. I will hold my hands up and admit that whilst I love food, and I’m open to trying unusual and exciting new flavours and dishes, I am by no means a gourmet. Thankfully, I didn’t need to be as the menu choices were taken care of. I must also confess that I am not usually at home in posh, stuffy restaurants, where one must mind their ‘p’s and q’s’ and has to hunt around the plate to find the food. Fortunately, again this was far from the case and I was made to feel most welcome; there was a friendly, family, relaxed atmosphere and I certainly didn’t leave hungry; my favourite dish being the excellent curry soup with black risotto (as seen below) and the hemp gnocchi were also a hit! Oh and there was a surprise visitor too! After the meal, the celebrating continued in the old town centre of Radovljica with live music and a few warming schnapps!

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In line with their passion for sourcing local foods and supporting the local community, a market is held in the grounds of Vila Podvin on the first Saturday of each month. In addition to being able to sample and buy products from local suppliers, visitors also have the option of staying for lunch which Uroš rustles up using products available from the day’s market. Personally, I have always enjoyed shopping at markets. Granted, the food may sometime be a little more expensive but it’s fresh and you know its exact origins. Indeed, since moving to Slovenia I have become more aware of such things and endeavour to cook almost all my meals from scratch. These days, when I visit the UK, I look in dismay at the aisles upon aisles of chilled and ambient ready-meals that line the supermarket shelves and it horrifies me to think of purchasing any of them. Not that there isn’t a place for certain ‘off-the-shelf’ products; ready-made pastry is a boon, tinned tomatoes for making pasta sauces etc. too and sometimes of course one simply otherwise doesn’t have time.

If you live in the area, and/or are visiting, and are looking for somewhere for a special meal, for a celebration or even just for a simple ‘lunch for locals’ (offered daily – 3 courses for 15 euros), then Vila Podvin, and the village of Mošnje, makes a good choice. The village itself is also home to the Vila Rustica Archeological Site and there is a short walking trail around the village which takes in its sights. More information can be found here – http://www.radolca.si/en/mosnje-archaeological-trail/

As well as the restaurant, Vila Podvin also offers accommodation and for aspiring little, and big, Uroš’s, Vila Podvin also run cookery workshops. The kids workshops are a particularly great idea since the kids spend a few hours preparing and cooking lunch for their parents, whilst parents can enjoy a well-earned rest then get to enjoy the fruits of their little ones labour. And even better, the workshops are free for children, just the parents lunch must be paid for. Sounds like a win-win to me! More about all this can be found here – http://www.vilapodvin.si/

After all this, I feel as if I’m turning into a restaurant critic – my next career move perhaps?!

So to other news. Well – it’s wet! But the precipitation has been largely in the form of rain rather than snow. It’s also unseasonably warm with temperatures of around +5-10 degrees, whereas usually at this time of year it would be in the minuses. I have read several enquiries from worried visitors about the amount of snow around for skiing so I will endeavour to post a short snow report update each week for the remainder of the season.

Currently, much of the snow beneath the 1500 metres level has been washed away although of course in the high mountains, there is a lot of fresh now, up to 2 metres, and the danger of avalanches is significantly increased. Lower lying ski resorts, such as Kranjska Gora, are looking rather ‘green’ at the moment but the higher resorts such as Krvavec and Vogel, still have plenty of snow.

Therefore I haven’t been able to do much in the way of hiking of late, either because its been raining at lower altitudes or because it would be unsafe and/or unwise of me to go to the higher mountains. This week I did make it to my usual winter haunts of Valvasor (1181m) and also to Smokuski vrh (1122m), both of which were pleasantly snow free, if a little muddy. As I write, I can see blue sky for the first time for a while so here’s hoping I will be out and about in the next few days and be able to post more trip reports and photos of hikes etc. soon.

© AdeleinSlovenia 2014

Radol’ca – Taste the Best!

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In my opinion the term ‘a sense of community’ is often overused these days, or used flippantly, without real regard to its true meaning. The new ‘Taste Radol’ca’ project however truly does justice to the term and is an exemplary example of how to bring a community together. In these tough economic times when many business are struggling for survival and competing with their rivals just to stay afloat, the ‘Taste Radol’ca’ project offers a fresh approach and more than a glimmer of hope to residents, business owners and visitors to Radovljica and its surrounding areas – collectively known as Radol’ca.

‘Taste Radol’ca’ was created with the aim of uniting local restaurants and producers of local food to showcase the best of what Radol’ca has to offer. In doing so the project is also suporting the local community by using only food sourced locally. Eight restaurants are included in the project and, during the month of November, each is offering a specially prepared 3 course meal for a fixed price of just 13 euros. Although this is the first year of the project, the response so far has been so positive, it is hoped it will become an annual event on the Radol’ca calendar.

So on a chilly, drizzly Wednesday evening last week, myself and a group of others invited guests, including national and local media and the Mayor, were treated to an evening of food, wine and entertainment. I must say it was one of the most memorable evenings I have experienced since moving to Slovenia. Throughout the evening I sat beaming with pride at being able to be part of such an event and in the recognition that Radol’ca has so much to offer; the historic old town centre, unspoilt nature, endless hiking and cycling routes, great restaurants with talented chefs and a wide cultural programme including concerts, festivals and other events.

The event was held at Gostilna Kunstelj, one of the participating restaurants, which is located just before the entrance to the old town centre. The photos below (apologies about the quality, admittedly not my best effort – can I blame the fine wine?!) illustrate the evening’s events. The menu comprised a combination of some of the menus available at the different participating restaurants. More information about the project and the menus can be found here – http://radolca.si/okusi-radolce/?utm_source=Turizem+Radovjlica+newsletter&utm_campaign=cab59b0d31-Newsletter_Radolca&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4ed8fe76d2-cab59b0d31-24187013

We started in the wine cellar where schnapps and the new honey beer, Zlati Ol, was available together with canapes.

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We then moved upstairs to the restaurant for the first course – smoked tongue, smoked trout, beetroot, horseradish and wild garlic sauce – produced by Joštov Hram.

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This was followed by a clear soup served with a trio of filled pasta – produced by Gostišče Tulipan.

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The next course comprised sulec, a kind of salmon, filled with caviar and krvavica, akin to black pudding in a filo parcel – produced by Vila Podvin and Gostilna Kovač.

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There followed a dish of capon with red cabbage, cream of corn, barley with vegetables and a curd cheese and pear roulade – again produced by Vila Podvin and Gostilna Kovač.

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And now to my favourite part – dessert! Linhartov cukr, tarragon icecream (believe me, it works!) served in a brandy snap basket and chocolate cream – produced by Gostilna Lectar and Hotel Lambergh. And to finish chocolate orange cake pops – produced by Gostilna Kunstelj – at which point I too was ready to pop!

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Each course was accompanied by a specially chosen wine from the Dolc vineyard in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia. I’m not usually much of a wine drinker and far from a conoisseur, but on this occasion I must say their Chardonnay and the Laški rizling were right up my street being a tad on the sweet side. The other wines were the Metliška črnina and Pankrt.

The owner of Lectar, Jože, was also on hand, together with the other musicians, to provide entertainment on the harmonica and double bass. All in all it was a fantastic evening and if you live in the area, or are visiting, I would thoroughly recommend visiting a least one of the participating restaurants and supporting this worthwhile project.

We had our fair share of inclement weather this week. On Monday there were hurricane force winds which ripped through the valley causing significant destruction, particularly in the forests and villages along the length of the Karavanke range, from the villages of Begunje to Žirovnica. Locals recall it as being the worst such occurences since 1985. The following day, when I attempted to walk up to the peak Smokuški vrh, above the village of Smokuč, it was sad to see so many beautiful, old trees torn down, some of which had literally been ripped up by their roots, and I had to abandon my walk as the path was simply impassable due to the sheer number of fallen trees. We also saw the first glimpse of snow this week, though thankfully it didn’t quite reach Radovljica as had been predicted. All week the forecasts had been saying the snow line would be at around 400m above sea level, Radovljica is just under 500m, but in the event it turned out to be at around the 700-800m level. A lucky escape – though I’m sure all the snow lovers in Slovenia wouldn’t agree with me about that!