Eat Like Ushi

On my final evening in Bled, I wandered around the entire town looking for dinner. Given Restaurant Vila had closed down (TA #1) and the other restaurant with a great name (Ostaria Peglez'n) seemed to have an all pasta menu, I ended up reading menus to find something that interested me.

There were two options - the first was Mlino (menu looks decent, but later reading reviews aren't that favourable) and I would go back to try, and would have on this night if I wouldn't have had to backtrack away from town to go there.

Panoroma refers to the ideal location overlooking Lake Bled. During lunch or a warm evening this would be perfect. On this evening it was quite chilly and so sitting outside wasn't a reasonable option. It is a shame that none of the indoor seating really allows you to enjoy the location, especially so in the dark of the night.

Given the touristy location and name, I was pleasantly surprised the food (or at least the main) exceeded that expectation.

Mushroom Soup in a Bread Bowl €4.5 seems to be a dish the majority of Slovenian restaurants have on the menu. I'm unsure what the historical link of this is. The soup had decent mushroom flavour in a thin broth. The bread bowl was more bowl than bread - solidly baked and crunchy until inedible. I wonder if the waitress was surprised I tried.

I requested a fish main from that caught locally in Lake Bled. I ended up with Trout Fillet with Corn Crust, Potatoes & Roast Almonds €11.5. This dish surprised me with its quality. The trout was perfectly cooked, none of the dry fish flesh that makes me so fearful to order a fish fillet main in any restaurant. The corn crust was fried in butter, a rich delicious flavour. Simple boiled potatoes and crunchy almond flakes added nice balance and texture variety. Fantastic.

The quality of the trout tempted me into dessert. I tried another specialty layered cake Gibanica €3.9, this time with pastry, apple, chocolate and a very mild cheese. I've never been one for cheese in desserts and this didn't change that preference.

Next time I would order the Trout Fillet with Corn Crust. One of the best cooked and simply flavoured fish dishes I've ever received. I'd try the Goulash Soup just in the hope it was good. There are other seafood mains (not from Lake Bled) that also sound promising. Otherwise try Ostaria Peglez'n - it has all the markings of a place that would be good (if you are in the mood for pasta).

The central lake of Bled means that areas away from this are more frequented by locals. Smon is just up the road from the main city bus stop making it great for food or takeaway snacks while walking to or from the gorge or waiting for a bus. It is a combination of a bakery and sweet shop specialising in the local Slovenian cake (most specialised in Bled) called Kremna Rezina. I was lucky enough to sample many delicacies from here, eating them in the shop, on the bus and out enjoying the scenery.

Pizza Cetrtinka €2 (ham, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, oregano) had a thick tasty crust, topped with rich ingredients. Burek Sirov €2.5 (dough, salty cottage cheese) was an enormous roll of soft pasty wrapping a dry crumbly cheese. Too much for one, but another good option on the move.

Kremna Rezina is a layered sweet of vanilla cream, fresh cream and puff pastry. Under the flaky top lies an unexpected textures of light whipped cream, an airy layer of sugary vanilla custard mousse with a taste of meringue base. Not particularly my taste but definitely something for dessert fans.

To complete my cravings, I had a takeaway Cherry Slice that was decliously sour and enjoyed watching the waterfall at the Vintgar Gorge.

Next time I would order burek or pizza for lunch on the run and any number of sweets for a late goodnight.

 Finding "Slovenian" food in Bled is quite difficult. Due to geographical proximity, much of the reputed restaurants are actually heavily Italian pizza and pasta based. A Gostilna is a traditional home, akin to a Western pub. Local food is what people come here for, hearty and simple generous servings to fill empty stomachs.

Planincu has two eating areas, an informal bar decorated with a colourful array of license plates and a more defined restaurant area. Naturally I chose the bar which happened to be while a live Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match was showing. The atmosphere was more relaxed, the bargirl was gorgeous, and the only other patrons were locals having a drink and enjoying the football.

But food is always my focus.

Goulash Soup (juha golazeva) €3.9 was a little disappointing as it was slightly watery. Some salt enhanced the meaty flavour better making it an adequate entree. Perhaps I'm used to thicker versions.

Pork Scallop Ljubljana-Style (svinjski po Ljubljansko) €9.9 actually turned out to be a pork schnitzel with one side of the pork layered with ham and cheese. The schnitzel was great, crispy coating, juicy pork and a good lemon squeeze or the light cheese and ham added a different taste when one gets too repetitive.

Next time I would order the Pork Scallop aka Wienerschnitzel quite happily. But there are many other simple-sounding options including some that make use of the fish from Lake Bled.