Editor Pick
A plaice with sole
- January 4, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Although Slovenians do like to eat out, they tend to stay local in the evenings except for very special occasions, most favouring a particular gostilna (a local inn serving traditional fare) which they go to regularly. As a result many town centre eateries only open for lunch or until mid-evening. The lack of buses after 10pm (at least outside the capital) also has an effect on the number of city centre restaurants where you can get a meal after nine pm.
For all these reasons (and possibly even in spite of them) a good city centre restaurant that opens in the evenings is a rare and popular thing. In the second city, Maribor, there are a few such places, my favourite being Novi Svet pri Stolnici. It appears to also be the choice of business people entertaining guests from out of town, and large family group celebrating a special occasion.
The name translates as "New World by the cathedral"; the emphasis should be on the cathedral since it is indeed situated across the square from the pretty pastel coloured church, rather than the New World as there isn't really anything New Worldly about the place to speak of. You smell Novi Svet before you see it - and I mean that in a good way. The food smells coming from its kitchens never fail to make me feel hungry. Unfortunately there are no views of the square to be had since, although you enter on street level, the curious slight slope of the street means that the main dining area and the outdoor terrace are reached by descending some steps even though an extra exit brings you out at street level. No, it makes no sense to me either...
The interior is much larger than the exterior suggests and, in the usual Slovenian way, the restaurant is divided into a number of dining rooms , an arrangement that, given the high number of tables, makes dining there more cosy. In spite of being situated almost as far from the sea as one can be in Slovenia, the restaurant specialises in fish and seafood dishes and there is a vague fishy/nautical theme running through the decor though it doesn't always quite work. The differing styles in the décor are fine individually but as a whole the restaurant is a dubious mixture of rustic, nautical, modern and leafy.
The first dining section has rather stylish and very simple modern furniture with laminate flooring and very modern chairs that make quite a design statement. Walk into the next section however and you'll find the walls have been treated with a paint effect to give a look of weather beaten rendered buildings by the sea and on the wall are fishing nets, just to make sure you get the idea; there's also the rather curious "fish prison art installation" (the photograph on the Gallery section of the website illustrates this bizarre feature much better than I could describe it). Yet another dining area (this one seems to be available to book to accommodate a whole group) is quite formal with wood panelling, a bit like an English stately home.
The nicest section is the outdoor area which is full of palms and other plants as well lots of vines that are draped over a pergola to provide a shady canopy. There is a drawback, however, and this is that the furniture in this section consists of teak patio tables and chairs which is not so comfortable after a while.
Overall the restaurant is an attractive place to dine although one problem does blight all areas and that is the lack of decent lighting. While dim lighting can create an intimate ambience it's more than a trifle annoying to barely be able to read the menu for lack of light.
A nineteen pages long the menu does take some reading too. The menu lists dishes in Slovene, German, English and Italian though sometimes it lists fish names that don't make it much clearer for being in English - buzzara anyone? The division of the menu into hot and cold starters and soups starts off well and then you hit the "Special offers" (which are all fish and seafood dishes) followed by "Speciality Dishes"(which are all fish and seafood dishes). Next comes "Fish dishes" (which speaks for itself), by this point you're getting a good idea of what you fancy but then they throw in the "Dishes with truffles" which throws you off balance (don't worry there are fish dishes in this section). The problem I find is that I want a fish dish but I can't remember where I saw it so I have to start leafing through the menu again and then I can't find it but I do spot something I had missed first time round...Let's just say there is a lot of choice (there are steaks and escalopes for anyone who's not keen on fish) and you will inevitably be approached by the waiter long before you have made a decision.
If you do order fish you should be prepared to possibly not be able to have your first choice; this depends on what was brought in that day and what has been popular that day with other diners. The waiters are good at suggesting alternatives and often you can substitute another fish in a dish that comes with a particular sauce although the menu does not offer a complete list of permutations (thankfully).
Some fishes dishes are listed for a flat price, most are priced per 100g (you should generally reckon on a portion being between 250-300g) and we have never been given a ridiculously expensive portion of fish in Novi Svet. My favourite dish is the oven cooked octopus with potatoes - one for garlic lovers only, while himself favours the wild sea bass. There is also a delicious grilled octopus dish with two generous octopus tentacles cooked to tender perfection and served with a well dressed salad, while the various kinds of stuffed squid are excellent value for money and are very filling. These tender tubes of squid are stuffed to the brim with cheese and Slovenian air-dried ham and are rather salty so only order a small portion. A less successful dish is the "shark gypsy style" which to my mind ruins a tasty shark steak which is best served very simply but in this version is drowned in a rich sauce of cheese, cream and tomatoes. The most simple dishes on the menu are the tastiest without a doubt.
Portion sizes are generous and you may find that it's not necessary to order a starter. Having now been several times we like to order one starter and a salad to share as well as one main course each.
There is no pressure to order several courses or side dishes, and many of the main courses include a side dish such as fries, rice or potatoes. The starters tend to be simple dishes like a plate of grilled sardines or local ham and olives; it's a good way of sampling some Slovenian specialities.
Service is always prompt and friendly. The waiters rush round with effortless efficiency and you're never left long with dirty plates or without another drink. All the waiters speak more than language and I've yet to meet one who doesn't speak English.
At weekends there is music played by costumed musicians which can be fun or intrusive depending on whether you were hoping for a quiet and cosy meal and whether there's a drunken local football team celebrating the end of the season. On a visit last year we were seated next to a large family group who had all had a lot to drink and started to sing along to the musicians; this was entertaining to begin with but the novelty soon wore off.
Although the on-line menu lists the prices I haven't done so because the prices do change according to the cost of fish at the time. However, a meal for two with starter, salad, main courses and drinks usually comes in around £25.00 which I think is excellent value given the quality of the food, the portion sizes and the ambience. The choice of dishes is excellent and even though the emphasis is on seafood there is a good enough selection of vegetarian and meat dishes. I also like the fact that you can sample traditional Slovenian fare too. With a childrens' menu and a choice of informal and formal dining areas Novi Svet is a good choice for families too.
As a seafood restaurant in a town in the mountains Novi Svet does stand out, but so too do the delicious food and the friendly staff. Always recommended.
http://www.novi-svet.com/
Mon - Fri 10.00 - 24.00
Sat 11.00 - 24.00
Sun 11.00 - 21.00
From journal The Magic of Maribor