Slovenia is known for its amazingly stunning nature. Who has ever been there, can never forget the amazing blue color of the rivers in the country. Once you arrive in the area of Kransjka Gora, you get a good example of where that reputation of stunning nature is coming from. The environment is truly beautiful here. In the midst of this gorgeous place, in front of a beautiful lake and mountains, you can find restaurant Milka, where chef David Žefran serves his fabulous food. In a combination between Alpine and Nordic cooking, and as a perfect blend between tradition and modernity, great products are turned into surprising and truly delectable dishes.
Concept & location
Milka restaurant is situated in Kranjska Gora, nestled in the Slovenian Alps, in the northwestern part of the country. This location is quite remote, but it’s a very popular tourist destination. During the winter it attracts many winter sports enthusiasts, while in the summer it’s a hotspot for biking, hiking, mountain climbing, and trekking. Tourism here is divided into two main seasons: winter and summer and it serves as the primary source of income. The region is close to the Italian border, just a five-minute drive away, attracting many Italian guests. But also tourists from other European countries find their way into this beautiful environment. As Kranjska Gora is very touristic, it is logic that you can find numerous hotels and restaurants in the area. More surprising is the fact that true fine dining options are rather limited. Milka Restaurant is clearly a strong exception on that fact. The restaurant is located within the Milka hotel, that occupies a building dating back to the 1970s. The original owner ran a small guesthouse and gave the restaurant its name.
Over the years, it transitioned into a trattoria but was never considered fine dining until its recent renovation. The current owners, who are chef David Žefran’s business partners, transformed it into a boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant, officially opening on June 2nd in 2022. Milka stands out as the first fine dining establishment of its caliber in the region. It offers a holistic hospitality experience, aiming to create a relaxed atmosphere for guests while delivering a refined and complex cuisine inspired by nature and traditional techniques, but also and even more by contemporary cooking styles, with influences from Scandinavia and Asia. Despite its sophistication, the food maintains a sense of place, connecting guests to the surrounding region. The cozy atmosphere is enhanced by warm, dark colors, with the highlight being the large windows providing breathtaking views of the lake and mountains.
The Chef & the team
In the kitchen of Milka, we find Chef David Žefran, a Slovenian native hailing from the southeastern part of the country, nearly two hours away from the restaurant. He grew up on a farm where his grandparents tended to the land. Spending so much time at a farm, initiated the love for cooking with fresh ingredients from a young age. Unfortunately, the parents of David did not consider cooking as the right job for their son and they pushed him to study. David went for socials studies. It wasn’t until post-grad studies at 26 that he delved into cooking professionally, starting at a burger joint near his school. This marked his first taste of the real culinary world. Sensing his calling, he moved on to work at various establishments in Ljubljana, including a brunch place, a bistrot, and eventually Atelier, a fine dining restaurant where he quickly rose from pastry chef to sous chef, earning a Michelin star in the year he was working in the restaurant. Shortly after, he embarked on a two-month stint at Frantzen before being approached by his business partners to launch Milka. Over the years, his culinary prowess earned Milka two Michelin stars. Besides cooking, David’s passion for music led him to curate the restaurant’s playlist and he also contributed to its interior design, shaping Milka into what it is today.
In the kitchen, David leads a team of five, including himself, serving 25 covers. Additionally, there are four staff members in the front of the house. Each team member has their designated station and responsibilities, but given the small team size, they collaborate closely to ensure smooth operations. The team comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the restaurant’s international flair.
Gastronomy / Cooking Style
The chef at Milka restaurant places a strong emphasis on technique and quality ingredients, finding excitement in the meticulous details of cooking. Described as a fusion of Alpine and Nordic cooking with a mix of classic and modern styles, the cuisine often incorporates a touch of rebellion while always striving for perfection. Each dish is crafted to achieve superb flavors and textures, utilizing techniques like fermentation and occasionally sferification to enhance taste and texture. While the menu leans towards vegetables, proteins remain a consistent element, though the focus is shifting towards highlighting vegetables with proteins complementing them instead of the other way around. For that, David works very closely together with a farmer about forty kilometers away from the restaurant.
At the start of the season, the chef sits together with the farmer and he explains to her what vegetables he would like to work with in the new season. Based on this talk, the farmer makes a plan of which vegetables to grow. All the producers Žefran works with, he finds himself and he talks to them continuously to make sure that the products they create meet his quality requirements at all time. The restaurant pays a lot of attention to sustainability and even gets all its products in glass bottles and containers which are always reused. In this way, the chef avoids to use plastic. Despite this dedication, the chef is wary of the term “sustainability,” believing it’s often misused in the culinary industry. However, he genuinely cares about environmental stewardship and that fits perfectly in the vision of his business partners.
The creation of new dishes occurs spontaneously, as the chef is constantly very busy. He finds inspiration throughout the day, whether from encountering a new ingredient or from visiting a farm. The menu, which consists of about twenty dishes and bites, evolves gradually, ensuring it remains as seasonal as possible, with dishes replaced as ingredients go out of season. The restaurant serves only dinner four days a week, as the chef believes his team deserves time to relax and enjoy life outside of work in order to enable them to provide guests with exceptional service on the days they are at work.
Service & Wine
The restaurant’s service is characterized by its youthful energy and dynamism, avoiding stiffness and formality. Guests never feel neglected or lacking in attention. The restaurant prioritizes its guests, ensuring they are at the center of everything. The service is impeccable, often with kitchen staff leaving the kitchen to personally deliver dishes to guests. Žefran insists on this approach as he is convinced it is important to enhance the connection between the kitchen and the guests and to ensure his cooks witness the guests’ appreciation firsthand.
Lenart Plavčak serves as the head sommelier, with a focus on Slovenian wines, reflecting the country’s reputation as a wine destination. The restaurant offers wines from small producers across all regions, including orange and biodynamic wines. They have about 400 labels on the wine menu, but the plan is to still further expand the wine offering. Next to the extensive offering of Slovenian wines, also French and Italian labels are offered. Additionally, there’s a wide selection of Champagnes, catering to the chef’s fondness for them. The bar manager prepares amazing cocktails and the restaurant can also offer a non-alcoholic pairing with the menu. In the normal pairing, apart from wines, also beers and sakes are incorporated.
Why go?
To begin with, the surroundings of the restaurant are undeniably breathtaking. It’s an ideal destination for a relaxing stay at the hotel, serving as a perfect starting point for exploring the stunning natural landscapes nearby. Whether it’s leisurely walks amidst the picturesque scenery or exhilarating skiing adventures during the winter months, there’s something for everyone. However, the restaurant’s appeal extends beyond its surroundings. Chef David’s innovative approach to cuisine, coupled with the use of high-quality local ingredients, elevates the dining experience to extraordinary levels. The combination of his culinary vision, the region’s exceptional produce, and the restaurant’s captivating views, along with the attentive service provided by the team, ensures a truly remarkable dining experience. This ethos resonates with the region’s philosophy of savoring life’s simple pleasures and taking moments to appreciate its beauty. In Slovenia, there’s a common saying: “it could be worse.” So, why not seize the opportunity to indulge in the finer things in life? With its focus on exceptional wine and food, Milka emerges as the perfect destination to do just that.
