• Home
  • FOOD AND DRINK
    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • RESTAURANTS
    • BARS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
  • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • SPAS
  • TRAVEL
  • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
    • Photo Essays
    • Black And White
    • Fashion
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • Tags

    afternoon tea Art Asia Bangkok Bar Buffet cambodia cocktail cocktails confession drink Europe favorite food food photography gallery Hanoi heritage hotel High tea History Hoi An Hotel hotel review Hotels Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Mandarin Oriental Melaka nature Penang photography Restaurant review Romantic getaway Siem Reap Singapore Slovenia Sofitel spirit Thailand the best travel Travel story Vietnam YTL
  • Follow Us

Wild 'n' Free Diary - travel food drink hotel review art photography
  • Home
  • FOOD AND DRINK
    • RESTAURANTS
    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • BARS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
  • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • SPAS
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
  • TRAVEL
  • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.1: FOOD IN PIXELS
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.2: PEOPLE PROVIDE FOOD
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.3: BLACK AND WHITE
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.4: LET ME HELP
      • Food Photography Vol.5: Sweet
      • Food Photography Vol.6: Stack Up
      • Food Photography Vol.7: Sunday Brunch
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL. 8: STUDIO
      • Cocktail Photography Vol. 1: Get The Party Started
      • Cocktail Photography vol.2: Into The Details
    • Photo Essays
      • Arrogance Is The Real Pandemic Photo Essay
      • Photoreport: Bee Hive Bus
      • Wintertime in Vienna – Photo Essay
      • Photo essay: ROCK SHELLS PICKING IN VIETNAM
      • PHOTOREPORT: Singapore through my lens
      • Photo Essay: I Love Plants
      • Photo Essay: Children of Asia
      • Seaside Photography Vol. 1 – Wave After Wave
      • Seaside Photography Vol. 2 – Salt
      • Walking Through Venice – Photo Essay
      • Photo Essay: Pine Forest Walk
    • Fashion
      • Hoi An Dress Shooting Vol. 1
      • HOI AN FASHION SHOOTING VOL. 2
      • Shipwreck Fashion Photography Gallery
      • WALKING AROUND IMPERIAL CITY OF HUE
    • Black And White
      • Black and white photography Vol.1
      • Black and White Photography Vol.2
      • Black And White Vol. 3: Let’s Get Deep Into Shades
      • Black And White Vol. 4: Uncertain Times
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
      • Architecture Photography Gallery Vol. 1
      • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY VOL. 2
      • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY VOL. 3
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US

Restaurant Pavus Review: Castles are Magical

January 13, 2020

Dining inside a castle is always something special! It isn’t every day to have lunch at the heritage building from the 11th century, right? Also, you’ll eat like a king at the Pavus restaurant, whether you choose the degustation menu or just a dish or two. In any way, you’ll surely enjoy Chef Marko Pavcnik’s creations. Now let’s bite into the degustation menu Wild and Free Diary had a pleasure to taste. Here is our Restaurant Pavus Review, just for you.

Contents

  • Pavus Restaurant Ambiance
  • Pavus Restaurant Menu
  • Amuse-bouche
  • First Course – Trout Sashimi
  • Second Course – Deer Carpaccio
  • Third Course – Poached Egg, Truffles, Celery
  • Fourth Course – Black-belted Pig, Miso, Kimchi and Eggplant
  • Dessert at Pavus Restaurant
  • Wine
  • Conclusion
  • Restaurant Pavus Review Card
  •  Price and Location
    • Pavus Restaurant Dress Code
Castle Tabor
The grand entrance to the Pavus Restaurant, Castle Tabor, Lasko.

Pavus Restaurant Ambiance

This medieval castle has stone walls with small windows that give away a little moody vibe. For more down to earth feel there is dark wooden furniture everywhere. Also, the handmade ornaments act playful and make the restaurant more laid-back. Since the Castle Tabor is on top of the hill, we got to see the surrounding forest as well as the Lasko town in the valley.

medieval castle
Small windows and stone walls give away the moody vibe.
boy and the bee
Locally sourced ingredients on the Pavus menu show Chef Marko Pavcnik cares about natural treasures.

In reality, this fairytale Castle Tabor has one minus we can’t be quiet about. On the day of our visit, a large plastic tent occupied the castle’s courtyard and ruined the outside image. Probably they were preparing for some bigger event, and we have another excuse for our next visit.

inside Pavus restaurant
Get ready for modern Slovenian dishes.
Pavus Restaurant
Dark wooden furniture for more down to earth feel.

Pavus Restaurant Menu

Chef Marko Pavcnik at Pavus restaurant embraces modern Slovenian cuisine with a free spirit. He is incorporating wild ingredients and combining international favorites into his dishes. While the tasting menu changes with seasons, the final dish depends on the items Chef Marko Pavcnik has at hand. On the day of our lunch at Pavus restaurant, we got to taste the mix of Asian and European influences on Slovenian cuisine. Just right, for our slow transition from Asia to Europe. Enough Said, Let’s dig into our Restaurant Pavus Review.

Castle window
Sometimes it’s not about the far-reaching view but the windows themselves.

Amuse-bouche

If I have to pick one combination of this two-part pallet starter, I choose the “sassy glassy.” Well, allow me to call it so, mostly due to the glass in which the creamy foam stands. It’s about the refreshing cucumber flavor and cube of terrine floating in it. I loved the gentle salty-sour balance of briefly pickled cucumber and meaty piece. The second bite at Pavus restaurant showed French influence in Slovenian cuisine. Freshly made pate on a crispy slice – yummm.

Amuse-bouche
Cucumber foam with terrine and pate on bread.
[adsforwp id=”10626″]
[adsforwp id=”10630″]

First Course – Trout Sashimi

“Slovenian style” marinated Trout Sashimi starts with condiments like radish pickled in beetroot’s juice as let’s say “ginger replacement.” While the gravy made of elderflower berries worked with aromas in trout’s marinade. Let’s say the gravy could be taking the place of a “runny sushi condiment” swap.

Restaurant Pavus Review: Trout Sashimi
marinated Trout Sashimi with condiments.

For the “thick paste,” we got the orange cream that melted quickly and coated trout. On top of that, there were cuttlefish ink polenta and spicy Nasturtiums. The whole dish works very refreshingly, clean and great balanced. Watch out Japan!

castle stairs
It isn’t every day to have lunch at the heritage building from the 11th century, right.

Second Course – Deer Carpaccio

Maybe quinoa chips were meant for a dip in foie gras foam. If not, there is still an option for the future. Firstly, it is the deep-fried quinoa chips we loved, with or without anything else. However, when combined with goose liver foam, the balanced buttery notes took over. Add to that some raspberry and a piece of black walnut skin for some sweetness.

deer carpaccio
Quinoa chips, goose liver foam, smoked deer carpaccio.

Of course, that’s not all. On the bottom, there is delicious deer carpaccio. Deer carpaccio shows Italian influences, plus over 50% of Slovenia is still devoted to nature. Tender meat with black forest fruits and delicious goose liver foam is an amazing head start.


Third Course – Poached Egg, Truffles, Celery

On this plate, we could taste celery seasoned with truffles, poached egg, and bread crumbs. First, it was about nourishing celery head foam to which parsley contributed some freshness. Colorful match to this tasty garnish proved to be the mild celery oil made of celery stems and leaves. Chef at Pavus restaurant even pickled the celery root. That means he is using the whole plant and show his creativity.

Restaurant Pavus Review Marko Pavcnik
Our third course was all about the celery and truffles.

As we all know, creativity is not enough, so let’s check other aspects. We love the balance between oil and poached egg. Also, herb oil can easily overwhelm the main component, but not here.


Fourth Course – Black-belted Pig, Miso, Kimchi and Eggplant

Our interpretation of this dish is; “Reality, here and now.” The star on the plate is the Krskopolje Pig. The Krskopolje pig or black-belted pig is the only preserved Slovenian indigenous pig breed. This pig was popular to keep among regional farmers so it makes even more sense to serve it at the Restaurant Pavus. Now, if we compare it with the commercial pork, it has a stronger color, intensive aroma, and is tastier because of marbled meat and slower growth. The aroma in this particular dish circled towards China with their famous five-spice mix. Asian influence expanded through kimchi and the miso addition.

Restaurant Pavus Review: Krskopolje pig or black-belted pig
An absolute star of the plate is the only preserved Slovenian indigenous breed of pigs known as “Krskopolje pig.”

Proteins in this dish were flawless, miso sauce and pickled addition were right on spot. Add fried rice ball and five spices to this combination and we get a great dish.

Krškopolijski pujs
Pickled onion with beetroot juice in front of five-spices black-belted pig file.

Dessert at Pavus Restaurant

One part of the dessert was refreshing, while the rest bonded in comforting notes. To point out, there was fragrant Slovenian native wine (Jurka) sorbet in deep pink color. The color is all-natural from grape’s dark purple peel, also known as a rich source of antioxidants. Chef Marko Pavcnik enhanced grape’s fruity-floral aroma with Asian aromatic spices. He seasoned the Greek yogurt with cardamom while pumpkin got star anise. As a crunchy element, there were buckwheat popcorns, which get along perfectly with yogurt and pumpkin.

Restaurant Pavus Review dessert
Fragrant sorbet of Slovenian native wine Jurka with Greek yogurt and pumpkin.

We must also mention the expanded fragrant symphony when we combined the dessert with aromatic “Diseci Traminec” from Slovenian winery. It not only prolonged the taste but also added wings to grapes aroma. Talking about wine…


Wine

Ahhh yes, finally in a country with a rich wine history. To be honest, the wine was one of the things we truly missed back there in Asia. However, we will make up for that. For our Restaurant Pavus review, we paired our main course with Merlot Benedetic, 2016 and Tilia Rubido, 2017. Merlot with its deeper ruby ​​color and red fruits on the nose was a perfect match for our pig. Low acidity and fresh finish with a slice of spiciness on spot!

Pavus Restavracija
Don’t just stare at food. My eyes are here, focus Ian! Cheers.

On the other side, Tilia Rubido is a chapter for itself. It is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured in barrique barrels for about two years. It is elegant and playful at the same time. Some dried prunes, fresh red fruits, jam, smoke, and full body. This glass was nice with the pork, but I wouldn’t mind to have it with our Deer Carpaccio as well. Exceptional wine! For dessert, we added “Diseci Treaminec”, which means aromatic Traminer. Ian doesn’t like this one, due to the irritating aroma, minding him on perfumed wine. But I loved it.


Conclusion

JRE Restaurants usually don’t disappoint, and our Restaurant Pavus Review can only confirm that. Our five-course menu was a delicious and fun experience. Slovenian ingredients going hand in hand with Asian spices, sure why not. If these twists are Chefs’ signature, let it be. This castle lunch was delicious and we warmly recommend the restaurant to all travelers.

Castle Tabor
Castle Tabor in the autumn sun.

Restaurant Pavus Review Card

  • 9.3/10
    ATMOSPHERE – 9.3/10
  • 9.6/10
    SERVICE – 9.6/10
  • 9.6/10
    PRESENTATION – 9.6/10
  • 9.5/10
    FOOD – 9.5/10
  • 8.8/10
    DRINKS – 8.8/10
  • 9.3/10
    VALUE – 9.3/10
9.3/10

 Price and Location

The five-course menu at Pavus restaurant costs about 54 USD per person. Note that making a reservation is highly recommended and will assure a pleasurable experience. If you want to adjust the menu due to your dietary restrictions it is best to inform them already in your reservation. Here is a link to the location for easier navigation.

best restaurant in Lasko
Handmade ornaments for a playful touch.

Pavus Restaurant Dress Code

Whenever you visit the Pavus restaurant, we suggest you consider obeying the smart-casual dress code. After all, you will be entering the noble premises.

casual smart dress code
We suggest you consider the smart-casual dress code for Pavus Restaurant.

castleEuropeJRERestaurantreviewSlovenia
Share

RESTAURANTS

Vivi
A culinary enthusiast who is prone to writing. She loves discovering new flavors, spiced with cultural differences. The fear of the unknown does not stop her exploring and learning new things.

You might also like

Kurentovanje Carnival
March 13, 2023
KURENT IN BLACK AND WHITE
March 6, 2023
Majestic Saigon Hotel Review
December 7, 2022
  • Categories

    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
    • BARS
    • BLACK AND WHITE
    • FASHION
    • FOOD AND DRINKS
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • PHOTO ESSAY
    • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • RESTAURANTS
    • SPAS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
    • TRAVEL
    • XYZ
  • FOLLOW US

  • Tags

    afternoon tea Art Asia Bangkok Bar Buffet cambodia cocktail cocktails confession drink Europe favorite food food photography gallery Hanoi heritage hotel High tea History Hoi An Hotel hotel review Hotels Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Mandarin Oriental Melaka nature Penang photography Restaurant review Romantic getaway Siem Reap Singapore Slovenia Sofitel spirit Thailand the best travel Travel story Vietnam YTL
  • Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017


  • Recent Posts

    • Kurentovanje Carnival
      March 13, 2023
    • KURENT IN BLACK AND WHITE
      March 6, 2023
    • Tea in Vietnam
      February 25, 2023
  • Popular Posts

    • Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel
      February 15, 2019
    • Four Seasons KL Review
      March 30, 2019
    • Majestic Hotel KL
      October 12, 2018

© Copyright Wild 'n' Free Diary Cookie settings Policy Page

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The button is on the bottom of the page. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT