Secessionist-style building dating from the 1920s and designed by architect Jože Plečnik is hiding another gem – Restaurant JB. This restaurant is holding the initials of the owner-chef Janez Bratovz. Janez is known as a pioneer of modern avant-garde Slovenian cuisine. Not only that, chef Ferran Adria inspired him, but the conclusion was clear – good ingredients don’t need a molecular approach, but rather clean, simple, and yet complex flavors. Continue reading our JB Restaurant Review, and see if this approach still makes people happy.
Contents
About JB Restaurant
Family-run JB Restaurant is a dream come true for Chef Janez Bratovz. When Chef Janez opened the JB Restaurant in Ljubljana, he soon became a hot topic and inspiration to many. For that must be deserving his original take on classic Slovenian ingredients and recipes. After all, all that lead him to be one of the pioneers of the Slovenian fine dining scene. The fact, that Restaurant JB made it to the world’s best restaurants in 2010 and got the Michelin plate in 2020, which speaks of his talent.
Ambiance
Crooked fork on the windows invites the curious eyes from the street and got us excited with its elegance and potential. Yes, we did spot some room for improvement, but nothing major. Nothing that the elegance with the modest art deco touch wouldn’t overshadow. In our opinion, the indisputable star has to be the emerald marble floor. Its deep green color works soothing and sets the tone of the interior.
Drinks
Our advice is to give the house sommelier, Nina, the opportunity to shine by her father’s side. She is in charge of the wine pairing. In case you’d rather have control of your drop, you’ll find mostly European wines, emphasizing Slovenian wines. The start and finish of your meal can be met with an aperitif or a glass of worldly spirits.
JB Restaurant Review
Our lunch at JB Restaurant was quick but satisfactory. We are happy to report that lunch is the best time to check their mid-day pasta menu. Pasta, bread, and so on are all made from scratch and took years to perfect. For that reason, the JB menu isn’t changing by the seasons, although it might be influenced by them. Now let’s get into the details of our JB Restaurant review.
Amouse Bouche
Grab and pop could be one of the descriptions of our first bite at the JB Restaurant. First to go were the glossy green balls, filled with creamy eggplant and parsley root puree. The taste couldn’t be more gentle, but we still didn’t catch the eggplant in its heart. The next bite showed the extraordinary beetroot color and its versatile use. We loved how quickly the white chocolate shell bonded with the balsamic vinegar and liquid beets filling.
The last ball presented the lovely match between buttery baccala (dried cod spread), zesty lemon cream, and soft charcoal tempura. Amuse Bouche shows the artistic site of Chef Janez Bratovz.
Roasted Red Pepper
Light appetizer presented the nutty combo of roasted red peppers and roasted hazelnuts with sunflower seeds. For a more refreshing taste, Chef Janez Bratovz added a bit of lovage oil over the buttermilk sauce. This simple plate delivered well-tuned flavors that called us for recreation at home.
Pumpkin Ravioli
Soft cracklings cooked in cream on top of the toothsome ravioli were just the meeting point between the firm pasta dough and smooth Hokkaido pumpkin stuffing. Although, a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and chives on the side was just the perfect alternative once the cracklings were gone.
Seabass and Beans
Everything on the plate worked in favor of the seabass file, especially the mild gravy. Most of all, we loved to combine it with crunchy sea asparagus and zesty fermented lemon. Nonetheless, the cauliflower puree and tender green beans were flattering companions to the incredibly soft seabass as well.
Carrot Cake
Warming winter seasonings in the moist carrot cake reflected the use of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. This cake would be delicious on its own, but it was fit for the goods with white chocolate cream and brown butter ice cream. Clearing up the luscious brown butter ice cream off the plate with firm carrot cake was something we just couldn’t stop doing. That way, we were able to savor its buttery creaminess in all its glory.
You Might Also Like
Hazelnut Cream
Anything will do if there is brown butter ice cream on the side. In this case, we let the spongy licorice cake soak up the melted cream before adding slightly salty fermented plums. Equally addictive was also a combination of coffee crumble and hazelnut cream with creamy ice cream. Naturally, everything together is the way to go, even if it goes down too quickly.
Final Thought
And we got to the end of our quick lunch at JB Restaurant. To be honest, this wasn’t our first visit here and it won’t be last for sure. All the dishes were delicious, nicely plated and most important – fresh.
At JB Restaurant one can enjoy Slovenian cuisine with a contemporary approach. If you add a perfect service on top of that you get one of the best restaurants here in Ljubljana. Warmly recommended, before the world ends.
JB Restaurant Review Card
- ATMOSPHERE – 9.6/109.6/10
- SERVICE – 9.6/109.6/10
- PRESENTATION – 9.5/109.5/10
- FOOD – 9.6/109.6/10
- DRINKS – 9.4/109.4/10
- VALUE – 9.7/109.7/10
Price and Location
In case you will visit JB Restaurant, here is a link to the location for easier navigation. However, the degustation menu with 9 courses will ease you for about 110 USD.
You might also like
