Ever since Dutovlje in the Karst region, where Svetozar “Pope” Raspopović first served guests seafood pasta and fragrant Karst wine at the end of the eighties, switched location to the centre of Ljubljana, light Mediterranean cuisine has become an integral part of the best of what the capital has to offer. The restaurant, which right from the start has pulsed with the Raspopović family lifeblood, has become a location where guests keep returning for the cultivated and light food, for the aroma of fresh herbs and a bottle of Pope’s wine, and for the unique blend of Italian authenticity and cosmopolitan sophistication. The philosophy? Simple but high-quality ingredients. The method? A hospitality that is comfortable in prestigious yet agreeably home-like surroundings. The difference? Passion – without this, there is no AS.
First temptation? The richness of Mediterranean cuisine. You go to AS for its authenticity, which you experience when Pope, the owner, serves you a fresh fish, steak or vegetables from the Japanese grill, in this way fusing the Karst love of good things with worldly wisdom, which originates in the conviction that the simplest of things can also be the best.
All the more so when you add to this the superlative wine list, which mixes Italian, French and other sommelier achievements with the best of all the Slovenian wine-growing regions, and which succeeds in turning every dish into an unforgettable culinary experience.
Inspiration? Seafood prepared on the Japanese grill with a drop of olive oil and pinch of spices, Mediterranean Miso soup with shellfish and fish, pasta with bottarga, and to round it off, home-made panna cotta with plum jam. Or home-made pate, beefsteak and chocolate gateau for those times when you need something really intense. All of which must of course be combined with a good story, which will reassure you that it is worth banking on a family tradition, local ingredients and a pinch of savoir-faire.drinks.