Mansion
Although 2026 seemed like a surprise – the awarding of a Michelin star -, Galerija okusov was already born for this very thing – excellence. What the first chef Borut Jovan set out to do, the successors continued and upgraded. The transformation of the Novo Celje manor’s outbuilding, from a former stable (and laundry), into a modern and top-notch restaurant, had the same goal from the very beginning as the former name of the manor – Mega. But at that time, there was no Michelin in Slovenia… And so it was time for Gašper Puhan to slowly and persistently assemble his team.
Chef
Marko Magajne (born 1992) is a chef, but not a chef… He doesn’t highlight himself, but says: “The team is the soul and body of every kitchen!” The fact that the Galerija is a team, consisting of the kitchen, the service, the basement and the first floor (owned by Vita and Gašper Puhan), is generally the reason for the relaxed atmosphere of this gallery, in which nothing is exhibited, but on the terrace in the middle of the park, on the marble in the former stables, and on the plates and in the dishes of Marko and his team, it is always put together to the satisfaction of the guests, who did not come for the stars and celebrities, but for the young, talented and cheerful team.
Terrace
Galerija okusov first had a green, sustainable Michelin star. When Michelin itself abolished the sustainable green stars, it “had” to award to Galerija okusov a real star…Because it deserves it with its sustainable and vegetable-oriented philosophy/cuisine!
Vegetables
Instead of a snack, the opening sip, green cucumber gazpacho, an invigorating drink, is a tribute to summer and the park, where Galerija has spread its shady sail next to the mansion, farm and walking path. It not only whets the appetite, but also arouses curiosity.
Green pepper, cucumber, green tomato, black pepper, topped with cold-pressed sunflower oil from the Zupanc farm.
Greeting
Marko Magajne is not exaggerating, because it is no longer “Michelin-style”, to set the table as a greeting from the kitchen as if it were a feast. It is for three times in your mouth, but only after you see the aesthetic precision. A fried cheese ball, made from several types of cheese, among which gorgonzola stands out, is placed on an apple chutney, in which chicory gently whets the appetite. The crispy tart is filled with onion, with cream and charred spring onions, covered with fermented radish and borage flower. The small muffin is all green with chives, which lightly and chili-tinged, on top of a cream of beech oyster mushrooms and purslane. The exhibition of flavors in Galerija oksuov can begin!
Tomato
The Italian tricolor of tomato, basil and mozzarella is no longer a fashionable cold appetizer throughout the Western culinary world, because it has been around for so long that it has lost its sincerity and is left with only a generic shell. That is why chef Marko did not set out to reinvent caprese. His tomato terrine, with green tomatoes, white tomato essence, basil sorbet and cheese, but made from hazelnuts, like vegan cheese, on a hazelnut cracker, is therefore not new-Italian, but “only” new-Celje. A sincere and original summer dish!
Bread and ...
If it were just bread & butter, one might think that Galerija has no ideas (and taste)… But combinations like corn & porcini not only sound better, they taste better too. Focaccia has been a staple at Galerija okusov since its early days under chef Borut Jovan. It is still as soft and fluffy as ever, except Marko Magajne has added corn (polenta) for more crunchiness and increased the dough hydration to 100% for even more air pockets. The butter that makes it all the more ‘dangerous’ is infused with parsley and porcini mushrooms. Yet, the Novo Celje bread and whipped Ljutomer butter are there only because of the beef tongue…”
The base of the open sandwich with thinly sliced beef tongue, freshened with pickled red onion and onion gel and whitened with egg yolk cream, is fried, made from corn beer batter. To make sure the porcini mushrooms aren’t just in butter, there’s a cup of red currant gel with porcini foam and parsley oil. And we haven’t even started yet.
Trout
Neighbor’s trout (Ribogojnica Žalec), poached in brown butter, still alive with its caviar and chives, floating in a buttery, beurre blanc elderberry sauce. Its texture is delicately tender and soft, so it is enriched with pickled magnolia, sunflower seeds and velvety flowers in search of sweetness.
Beetroot
Beetroot challenges modern chefs, which is why it is also a regular on Slovenian fine tasting menus. We are not complaining, because it is always the same dark blood red, but in everything else it is also always different. Marko Magajne enhances its flavor by baking it in salt, and then additionally “blackens” it with imagination and black walnuts. At the bottom is cream (beetroot) with black walnuts, on top is carpaccio (beetroot), slices of black walnuts and roasted walnuts, and the whole thing is spicy refreshed with oil and nasturtium leaves. In fact, a whole gallery of beets!
Rabbit
With so many vegetable ideas, you don’t miss the meat, but you’re still happy with the rabbit… This one is also delicate, not only because the fillet in the center retains the deliciousness of juiciness and tenderness, which is further emphasized by the crispy corn crust (made from fried cornbread) and the rich, dark demi-glace sauce made from rabbit bones. As befits a rabbit and an appetizer, the dish is not deep and heavy, because the puree, which is drunk in enough sauce, is made from apricot cream; just in case, the apricot is still on the meat and burnt. The balance of colors, textures, flavors, and Galerija’s vegetable reputation is due to the chard, in a spoonful of clotted cream.
In between
Then, in between, an intermezzo appears, but it doesn’t completely interrupt, as it continues the seasonal and fruity mission (apricots). Next up are cherries, but from a folk song. I like to eat red cherries, but black ones even better… Well, the best ones, black, thick and firm, even more so because they are sour, and they are also used to make sorbet. The other end of the intermezzo is provided by wood so, a little differently sour.
Deer
Roe deer & chanterelles is a foretaste of a roe deer’s back growing on the most beautiful plate from the Gallery’s white porcelain collection 2026. With drawing and sculpture, the painter and sculptor harmoniously add the liveliness of the contents on the plate to the still life: a piece of the best piece of meat, a paté of mushrooms roasted to almost charred state, pickled chanterelles, fried potato pie, blackberry gel, blueberries, wild herbs and, of course, a delicately rich, also thanks to good red wine, venison demi glace, enhanced with black garlic.
Yogurt
The chef’s menu is an exhibition that has its own (green) thread, and it doesn’t end there – even in the dessert.
Yogurt and dill mousse, compressed cucumber with granny smith apple, dill, cucumber sorbet, buckwheat crumble, dill and cucumber gel. Where is the dessert here? You’ve probably never had such good (vegetable) ones!
Pastry shop
The beauty of Galerija’s fine tasting of the chef’s creativity is that it is not just fine-dining, but (also) fun-dining… After all, that is also the purpose of visiting “Michelin” restaurants – to delight us with their excellence! On the terrace in the manor park, it is therefore relaxed, but according to the rules of good eating. So, you don’t go home before you have “cleaned up” a boatload of tiny pastry delicacies, which, like petit fours according to the old French custom, announce throughout the fine culinary world that it is time for the bill… Is it then fun-dining? We don’t know of a tasting menu in the entire Michelin world with such a friendly-fun price!
So, petit fours: financier with coffee glaze, honey marlenka pie, chocolate truffle, carrot candy and black apple.
Wine pairing
With the qualitative growth of the Gallery of Tastes, its wine display cases, displayed in a gallery in the hallway leading to the dining room, have also grown. One of the best Slovenian wine lists, not only because of Slovenian, but also foreign wines!
Aperitif: champagne Egly-Ouriet, Grand Cru, Champagne; tomato and hazelnut: Sauvignon Grassnitzberg Riff 2021, Tement, Austrian Styria; corn and procini: Laški Riesling Terase 2023, Greif, Styria Slovenia; trout: Chardonnay Kramarovci 2022, Marof, Prekmurje; beetroot: Pommard 1er Cru Chanlins 2020, Nicolas Rossignol, Burgundy; rabbit: Malvasia 2020, Miklus, Draga Winery, Collio, Italy; roe deer: Merlot 2020, Due del Monte, Collio.
Non-alcoholic pairing
Galerija okusov offers several drink pairings for the tasting menu: wine, basic and premium; non-alcoholic and mixed with cocktails.
Non-alcoholic accompaniment to proxy drinks – tomato and hazelnut: N°1, Feral, Italy (white beet, hops, Sichuan pepper and a little elderberry for a sauvignon note); corn and porcini: Arensbak Effervescent, Denmark (based on Wuniuzao Longjing green tea kombucha, added gooseberries and lemongrass, spicy; malolactic fermentation; the most famous Danish producer of non-alcoholic accompaniments); trout: Arensbak White, Denmark (based on kombucha and quince, melon, lemon thyme and marigold flowers, which are mixed in the second fermentation); beetroot and rabbit: Arensbak Red, Denmark (kombucha based on Shu Puerh black tea, and in the second fermentation they add aronia, black currants, sour cherries, juniper berries and liquorice infusion and mushrooms for umami flavor); roe deer: The four horsemen, Muri, Denmark (based on sour cherry wine, with fermented tomatoes, lacto-fermented beetroot, kefir, bay leaves and green pepper).
