Culinary Pop-Up by Repovž Restaurant at Domaine Slapšak

A dinner with countless dishes of modernised traditional Slovenian food accompanied by sparkling wines made according to the Champagne method.

Denise Rejec of Wine Dine Slovenia drinks wine at Domaine Slapsak

Travelling around Slovenia, eating foods that are typical of a particular region, is my passion. When I had the opportunity to travel an hour east of Ljubljana for a very special dinner, not only did I come across some new dishes, but I also found myself in a little bit of Champagne.

This dinner, I must emphasise, is definitely a top highlight among my culinary experiences in Slovenia over the summer of 2021: Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Gostilna Repovž teamed up with Domaine Slapšak to host a delightful culinary pop-up that kicked off on the beautiful terrace of the Slapšak wine estate overlooking the steep vineyards of the upper Dolenjska region.

A singer-guitarist duo, Maja and Robi, entertained us with a mix of popular songs, including French chansons, which really fit in with the French ‘theme’ of the evening. The wines we drank were also made by a French winemaker, François Botton, who grew up in France’s Champagne region and who moved to Slovenia in 2009.

Cold & Warm Starters Over Domaine Slapšak Vineyards

While the music played, we sampled a couple of starters: homemade prosciutto of Krškopolje pig (the only preserved Slovenian autochthonous breed of pig) from Arkade Cigoj farm, chargrilled veal, and sataraš (fried summer vegetables, fresh tomatoes, and egg).

Denise Rejec of Wine Dine Slovenia speaks to Grega Repovs as he cuts slices of homemade prosciutto of Krškopolje pig — **Grega Repovž gives me some details about Arkade Cigoj’s **Krškopolje pig** prosciutto**

Denise Rejec of Wine Dine Slovenia watches as Sabina Repovz slices up chargrilled veal — **Sous chef Sabina Repovž slices up the freshly chargrilled veal**

And the wine? We sipped generous helpings of Brut Réserve—Slapšak’s flagship wine.

Sparkling wines by Domaine Slapsak — **Brut Réserve (right) is Domaine Slapšak’s flagship wine**

Once the sun set behind the hills, we stepped off the terrace into the dining room, took our seats at the dinner table and set off on a remarkable culinary journey filled with a variety of dishes.

We sampled an array of starters including beef carpaccio with horseradish and Brussels sprouts; beef tartare with buckwheat popcorn; fried sheep cheese with bread, sheep yoghurt and lovage; lardo bacon of Mangalica; trout tatar; and rabbit pâté.

Beef tartare with buckwheat popcorn at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Beef tartare with buckwheat popcorn**

Beef carpaccio with horseradish and brussels sprouts at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Beef carpaccio with horseradish and brussels sprouts**

Fried sheep cheese with bread, sheep yoghurt and lovage at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Fried sheep cheese with bread, sheep yoghurt and lovage**

Repovž Restaurant’s Lamb

Lamb is one of Repovž Restaurant’s specialties, and on that evening they prepared it in various ways:

As a stew served with pasta, potato foam and poached quail egg,
In a stew with vegetables,
And also chargrilled.

All versions were extremely tasty and tender.

Lamb stew with potato foam and poached quail egg at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Lamb stew with pasta, potato foam and poached quail egg**

Lamb stew at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Lamb stew with vegetables**

Chargrilled meat at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Chargrilling meat on the terrace: beef, pork, and lamb**

Gourmet Sweets & Desserts

The Repovž Restaurant team prepared many sweet surprises following dinner: petit fours of apple strudel and walnuts, strawberry jelly sweets, and chocolate truffles.

Petit fours of apple strudel and walnuts at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Petit fours of apple strudel and walnuts**

Strawberry jelly sweets at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Strawberry jelly sweets**

Chocolate truffles at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **Soft chocolate truffles**

Slovenian Culinary Tradition: Snežne Kepe Dessert

Last but not least, ‘snežne kepe’ (snowballs), a traditional Slovene dessert from this region (Dolenjska and Posavje). And even after all the food we had that evening, we had no problem at all devouring spoonfulls of these wonderful, soft and delicate, creamy and delicious, featherlite ‘snowballs’ made from egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice.

‘Snežne kepe’ (snowballs): a traditional Slovene dessert from the Dolenjska and Posavje regions. At Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up. — **‘Snežne kepe’ (snowballs): a traditional Slovene dessert from the Dolenjska and Posavje regions**.

They’re irresistable, served in a soothing vanilla sauce and with various toppings: passion fruit, baked and crushed biscuit dough, hazelnuts, raspberries in raspberry sauce.

Raspberry sauce, one of the toppings for 'snežne kepe', at Gostilna Repovž culinary pop-up — **This raspberry sauce is the cherry on the cake as one of the toppings for ‘snežne kepe’.**

Grega Repovž, Repovž Restaruant Manager, explained: “The ‘snežne kepe’ are an old-time favourite dessert of French origin that were made all over Austria-Hungary”.

Sparkling Wines by Domaine Slapšak

Domaine Slapšak’s specialises in making sparkling wine according to the Champagne (traditional) method. On the night, we drank some of their best sparkling wines, as well as a homemade cocktail with Zima pear brandy and Slapšak sparkling wine.

Here’s a list of what we drank:

Brut Réserve
Brut Nature ŽČ
Blanc de Blancs
A homemade cocktail of Zima (Evrosad pear brandy), Gostilna Repovž apple juice, and Brut Réserve Slapšak
Modra Frankinja, 2017
Brut rosé