Totally Unexpected Gastronomic Delight!

Pizzeria Minutka | Postojna, Slovenia

By Leyla

We walked into this unassuming Pizzeria expecting decent pizza and beer. We ended up with the most delicious and creative meal we have had in Europe. Traveling through France and Italy we had nothing that even comes close.

Based on the waiter’s recommendation we ordered the meatballs, the salmon and the lamb. It was the best lamb I have ever had in my life – it literally melted off the bone with subtle flavors of mint and other aromatic herbs. Unbelievable!!! My daughter ordered a beef soup that was more of a consommé, which she slurped up in an instant, pronouncing it the best broth ever! We saw another table receiving a dish cooked in parchment that the waiter torched at the table. When we asked, we learned it was buckwheat ravioli filled with truffle infused ricotta and what the waiter fired at the table was the egg to top it off, along with lots of cheese. We ordered that too. And it was amazing. Dessert was ridiculous. A stacked Napoleon-like confection of warm peaches, honey, fried white chocolate and lavender was my favorite. The chocolate, mango, strawberry, sorbet extravaganza was also great. We licked the gorgeous large ceramic plates clean.

We met the chef, Ermin Kukavica, who at 29 years old, is humble, earnest and obviously very, very talented. We made plans to return the following day. He personally served us a multi course tasting menu of Octopus Carpaccio with strawberries and pistachios, followed by scallops on a bed of cauliflower purée with hazelnuts, then creamy polenta topped with grilled endive, oyster mushroom, soft herbed cheese and a green sauce (spinach?). Because we asked about the burger, the chef included a 1/2 burger taste for each of us, before serving the main course of beef ribs. The burger was layered with onion jam and homemade cheese on a leek brioche bun and so juicy! The ribs were as melt-in-your-mouth and flavorful as yesterday’s leg of lamb. On a whole, all the dishes were expertly prepared, the meat and fish cooked to perfection, with the additional bonus of a sophisticated blending of flavors, with none of them overpowering and all serving to make each dish an extraordinary sensory experience.

What a find!!!! We had made reservations at Hisa Franko for a few days later, but we we imagine that at 150 – 200 Euros PER PERSON it will disappoint us after the two superb meals chef Ermin served us at Pizzeria Minutka for which the TOTAL bill was between 60 – 100 Euros for our family of 3. We are telling all our friends to get on a plane!!!!

Our Review on TripAdvisor:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g274878-d1099843-r619737011-Pizzeria_Minutka-Postojna_Inner_Carniola_Region.html#