GOSTILNA VOVKO | Family restaurant tradition since 1977

"Comprising a bar, wine bar, restaurant and hotel, the Gostilna Vovko is a family-run business with more than 50 years of history behind it, where the traditionally furnished dining room includes a charming wood-fired stove. The cuisine is just as you would expect – authentic and regional, including dishes such as delicious local trout tartare served with horseradish and herbs, and thick, meaty pork chops which are perfect accompanied by a glass of velvety and intensely flavoured 2019 Modra Frankinja wine. The wine list pays tribute to regional labels." - Michelin Inspector

The Slovenian green country: the wonder of excellence on the table

"For almost 50 years Vovko has been a constant of Slovenian hospitality. Today it is run by Rok Vovko, but it was his parents, Marina and Anton Vovko, who precisely here in 1977 opened an inn dedicated to fine food and wine. We are at Brusnice, in the south east of Slovenia, at the feet of the Gorjanci mountains where the rivers Krka and Kupa run and here, since 2009, Rok has been carrying on the family tradition tied to hospitality and appreciation of the local area. This is why the cuisine aims at putting on the map the traditional products of Lower Carniola, one of the historic regions of Slovenia. Fresh, local ingredients, meals prepared with care and the rich simplicity of excellent raw materials that speak without beating around the bush too much. A seating capacity of around forty and a friendly traditional atmosphere with a wood stove and the sculptures of Ivo Ferkolj, an elderly local artist. Rok Vovko studied accountancy and then decided to take his brother’s place and run the family business that also has nine rooms where its customers can stay right above the restaurant. His wife runs the kitchen that has its added value in the Slovenian tradition with most of the dishes remaining faithful to the place, traditions and seasons. That of Gostilna Vovko is a cuisine that looks full circle at the restaurant (from the tastes to the raw materials) and that has been a recognizable constant for many years by now. And the family management is felt from the reception at the table to the interior design that retraces the history of the place: from the floor of the main dining room made with those “tiles” that were once used to roof the Castle of Podsreda to the tables, also obtained from the Castle’s wood flooring that had been removed during the renovation works and purchased by the Vovko for their restaurant. The backrest of the seats made of oak is reminiscent of the old Slovenian chairs, while the entrance door to the inn is 120 years old, made of oak and belongs to the old farmhouse of the Vovko. In short, everything here talks of home and family and, as we were saying, the food does too. After all, the motto is “Seasonal, fresh, sincere and local” and this is shown in dishes such as štruklji (gnocchi), svaljki (potato roulades) or tagliatelle made by hand. Two set menus available (with 5 and 7 courses), while the à la carte menu offers the right number of dishes to choose from. They include Tartar of smoked trout (of Ribogojnica Goričar) served with horseradish and mayonnaise made with pumpkin oil (the symbolic Slovenian product) or Muscat pumpkin soup with potatoes and leek. The gnocchi are made with buckwheat (that of Mlin Košak), lamb ragout and smoked ricotta cheese, while the Pork sausage is with sauerkraut and mashed beans and potatoes. The sweet štruklji are filled with ricotta cheese and tarragon and offered with a compost of apples, plum and vanilla cream, while the Porchetta is instead made from Krškopolje pigs, a native Slovenian breed. And while roast leg of veal is the specialty of the house, people also come here for the Boar meat in venison sauce offered with cheese, buckwheat, štruklji with herbs and redcurrants." - Sarah Scaparone