Name
AFTR. Such bars, in the middle of the city, are for after, for visiting afterwards, after work (or during it). We go for a drink, and then we eat a little more, and then we meet someone else, and then we drink a little more, and then we eat a little more, and then it’s time for dinner, and after that it’s already happy, and then it takes a long time again . Even Aftr on Ljubljana’s Nazorjevi has such ambitions, ambience and offer.
Chef
AFTR was created after Jorg Zupan and Matjaž Ivanc returned Michelin’s famous star and turned the “fine” Atelier into a simpler, more youthful, more lively, more sociable AFTR. The ambiance has changed, the tablecloths have changed, the prices have changed, the number of chefs has changed, the red board has changed (there is no longer a star, but it is therefore a Michelin recommendation), the guests have changed… Only Jorg Zupan has remained (the same ). Keep this in mind all the time, when you’re missing something, but only his original dishes will be on the (old!) plates.
Hummus
V mišelinki je/bi bil to prvi pozdrav, zdaj pa je prva med več jedmi, ki jih črne majice z dolgimi neonskimi jeziki razporedijo po sredini mize. V Aftru se vse deli! Hummus is made with zhug paste, which is similar to chimichuri only in color, as it is hotter and more layered (coriander greens, coriander seeds, chili, lemon). With olive oil, dried olive powder and sourdough bread, Zupan’s hummus is without a star, but at least the best in Ljubljana.
Anchovies
Ricotta, toasted and marinated young broccoli, green salsa verde sauce made from savoy cabbage, fermented anchovies, pine nuts.
Labneh
Cucumbers like to hang out with yogurt, but labneh is not yogurt, so even during the “shering” you need to pay attention to the details. For Arab sour cream, full-fat goat’s or sheep’s cheese, it is not enough to simply drain ordinary yogurt, just as quince jam cannot be bought.
Adriatic
Thick sashimi slices of gofa are “cooked” with herbs in a dashi of roasted onions. Burnt plums help them to have enough depth and marinated onions help them to breathe from the surface.
Focaccia
Aftr focaccia is not so fluffy-hollow and wet, but it is tall and soft enough that with potatoes in the dough and rosemary in the crust, it lends itself happily to the coating of brown butter with salt flower.
Bagna cauda
The bagna cauda made of anchovies, garlic and cream is warm, the vegetables are roasted, and everything serves to introduce Zidaric cheese from from the cave with croutons and pine nuts. Effective!
Octopus
Octopus, new potatoes, leek oil, bacon sauce, chimichuri, pickled artichokes.
Tongue
Beef tongue glazed with reduced carrot juice, a little soy sauce, a little ginger and a little grated spring onion, grilled on a yakitori grill. Salad of kohlrabi, underground kohlrabi (Swedish turnips) and celeirac (like cole slaw cabbage salad), with young savoy cabbage leaves, lime and wasabi dressing, grated horseradish on top of the salad.
Lamb
Slow-roasted lamb, eggplant baba ganoush, roasted new potatoes, Arabic pesto zhug, beans, lemon. And probably something else, because this is a kitchen inspired by inspiration.
Catfish
Catfish “Kiev”, gribiche sauce, charred zucchini with lemon.
Pancakes
Crepes Suzette and chantilly cream.
