FOODIE FRIDAY – Off to Lake Bled and a Delicious Dinner
We had a long day traveling from Kranjska Gora east of Triglavski National Park up and over the Vrsic Pass, riding and exploring the Soca Valley with its waterfalls and beautiful turquoise blue water. Back over the pass again and through KG, we headed begrudgingly away from this beautiful natural area. We headed south to Lake Bled Castle late in the afternoon. On our way we ended up on some back road that took us to the castle on Lake Bled that overlooks the lake, and what a view it is! All the way to Ljubljana and all the mountains we had just visited. As the sun was going down, we walked the castle grounds and decided to eat in the castle restaurant Jezersek. I should mention that they have a wonderful outdoor seating area and if it had been a little bit warmer, outdoor dining would have been great. With a slight chill and the sun going down, we felt it would be better inside.
The interior of the restaurant was European modern, interestingly very Scandinavian; it really appealed to my interior designer wife. We were seated at a table with a decent view of the lake and surrounding countryside. We perused the menu and both found our selections pretty quickly. With a nod of confirmation from the waiter that we had made some good choices, Rebecca picked the black risotto with octopus and I picked the bacon-wrapped pork medallions with pommes frites. She had a similar meal in Prague a couple years back and was hoping for the same and to compare the dishes; I simply figured anything with bacon must be good. As the food arrived we knew we had made good choices. My pork medallions were delicious. Cooked to perfection with just the right amount of crispiness of the bacon, don’t know how they did it. The pommes frites were also cooked just right. I scored. While the risotto wasn’t exactly like the one Rebecca had in Prague, it was delicious. The octopus was cooked perfectly, cooked through but not tough and rubbery as can happen very easily with a protein like this. The risotto had excellent seasoning that we both got to enjoy.
It was another excellent meal on our trip. We have been very fortunate that many of our meals have been good selections (we always ask the waiters and they are often quite honest) and cooked exceedingly well. It doesn’t hurt when you have a long day of travel and exploration in such a beautiful country with wonderful people and it only adds to the experience when you’re in a centuries old castle with a view of a beautiful lake and countryside.
