One of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World 38th
You will be amazed, you will be shocked, you will be delighted, you will be entranced, you will go “no way crab and lamb go together” or “how can you make a pork creme brûlée” and in the end, it will be one of the greatest meals that you ever have. At Hiša Franko, chef Ana Roš presented us with 19 courses, some small bites, some larger, the way Ana contrast textures and contrast ingredients will leave you scratching your head but rubbing your belly. There is a rhythm to her progression from dish to dish and from the service you get.
You come to a small town in the Soca Valley of Salvena were there cannot be more than 50 houses in the town that runs parallel to the main road. You think you are lost. Rolling green hills, cows and goats in the pastures, how can one of the 50 best restaurants in the world be here? Depending on which way you come the restaurant is either one of the first or one of the last on the one road through the town. We kept asking each other if this large farmhouse at the curve in the road could this be the place and I actually said it has to be nearby at least they can tell us where. Though once you get inside it is very cute and the patio by the stream is such a delight. You are up in the mountains during the summer it is cool with a gentle breeze blowing.
So, I won’t go into the details of each course as it changes all the time. What we had likely will not be what you have but there are some things that are important. Everything is locally sourced, for example, you will probably have at least one dish with trout, which comes from a stream in the mountains not far away. The pigs are local, the vegetables are seasonal and local and the mushrooms are picked from the fields and forest in the area. The meal is divided up into finger bites, which are exactly what it sounds like pretty much a one bite plate; then table bites which are more sizeable each one is not a full meal but you get several bites of each entry; then sweet bites for dessert.
Valter, Ana’s husband is the Sommelier and in charge of the wine and cheese. He started taking the local cheese and aging it to add more depth and flavor. All the wines are Slovenian. You can purchase the wine pairing at an additional cost which I recommend as he has selected wines to match the courses you are own. You can purchase additional glasses along the way of any wine you really liked. We had a wide variety of whites, an orange Slovenia wine and several reds towards the end of the meal. Unlike most of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenian reds have a lot of character. With the pairing, you will get to try and a number of different styles of Slovenian wines from all over the country.
The service is impeccable! The staff is well trained and it like watching a ballet to some degree. In each room is the Sommelier of the day that works the entire room answering questions about the wine. Every few tables have a waiter who oversees your table that you get to know quite well. Then there are four to six servers, it was hard to keep count of, that help and deliver each course and explain the main ingredients. They all know the menu quite well and if you ask a question, and they do not know the answer they immediately go find out and report back. You will for sure meet Ana as she comes around during the seating and says hello and will eat lunch up by the cash register as the meal is winding down. It seems the staff signs on for the summer and stays nearby.
They also have a few rooms and from other reviews, I have read breakfast comes included of yogurt and sliced meats and cheeses and is quite something. You can watch about the restaurant on Netflix in season two of the series “Chef’s Table”
We have been to quite a few tasting menu meals over the years and often you find at the end you need to stop for a burger on the way home as the meal just whet your appetite. That will not be the case at Hiša Franko. You will be pleasantly full and completely satisfied by the end of the meal and which you could stay all evening and never leave. Note: I took a few pictures but on the menu, Ana ask that you not spend all day taking pictures as it interrupts the flow of service.