Nebotičnik, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Nebotičnik - "This restaurant on the 10th floor of the Nebotičnik building looks like something out of New York in the 1920s (or at least films set in New York in the 1920s). A wooden spiral staircase leads down to the large dining area which has been completely restored from the stone floors to the high recessed ceilings, including furniture custom-designed in the style of the 80 year-old originals. With sweeping views of the city in all directions, it offers a dining experience like none other in Ljubljana." by InYourPocket

Nataša Pirc Musar - Information Commissioner of Republic of Slovenia, grew up in Mekinje, not hiding her slight Kamnik accent, her mother was the 13th kid in the family, among the most followed females in Slovenia on Twitter, second only to Katrina Krasal, does not eat raw tomato, though her father would very much liked that, while studying law started working at local TV station in Kamnik, quickly found way to national TV, graduated on the very date she had to to stay on RTV, still and totally passionate about law - human rights in particular, also VP of Europol Joint Supervisory Body, reading Prikrivanje, the third book in trilogy V imenu države, for which information sources and hence publication she was instrumental, avid bowling player - 6th on Masters ranking, only after knee injury folded her handball career, with unlimited resources she would earn her way into 75% parliamentary majority - preferring direct election which would provide a safety plug to the nation in case people would not like the new and improved system she would build then. Checks and balances lady creating new board-game and rules.

Pomaranča, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Pomaranča - these "oranges" are spreading fast all over Slovenia from Ptuj and they have every reason to do that. A very nice place, cool staff, a-la-carte maybe a bit pricey, but during business lunches it's a no brainer for a visit or two. Thumbs up.

In Pomaranča toilet they want you to hit the ball(s) ...

Tomaž Deisinger - Relationship Manager at UniCredit Banka, born and raised in Koper in a medical doctors family, grandfather locomotive operator on Vienna-Trieste route, wanted to study medicine, but ended up falling in love with economy and finance instead, EF graduate and Cotrugli MBA Alumni, student summer PR intern-ship at Port of Koper developed into job in finance dept, also lecturer at UIP, played basketball for Koper club, was ski instructor and is now totally into mountain biking, publishing photos on his biker blog, currently reading book about flat-coated retriever dogs and will one day uptake a Kona Africa Bike like related project.

Ana Bernetič Deisinger - born and raised in Izola with Italian-Balkan roots, non Višnjić passed on many valuable lessons, her maiden name linked to Bernetiči village, wanted to study medicine, but then opted for Psychology at UNITS in Trieste - specialized in development psychology, works with Coccinella kindergarten, writes Čarobna Preproga blog, started organizing animal assisted therapies and will soon try it also herself, just finished and recommends Alenka Rebula's Blagor Ženskam - almost bibliotherapy ready, recently playing piano at friends wedding rekindled her passion for music and will one day have a big farm with lots of animals for others. For experience, exposure and therapy.

Mufi, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Mufi - not very well known, but definitely not be avoided. Friendly staff, good food, distinct ambient. Recommended. By Mustafa Dizdarević and Jasna Abdić.

Janez Kolar - born in Murska Sobota, mother from Kobilje - at the end of the (Slovenian) world, father from beneath Boč, near Castle Borl, where Miha Pogačnik is reigniting Parzival legend, linking us tightly to The Holy Grail, FS graduate, newspaper delivery boy, Slovenijales stipendiary - later declined Moskvič sales job, served JNA in Banja Luka, in early team at GEA College, also lecturer after having an opportunity to stand in for Miroslav Glas, selected as preferred thesis mentor by many students, DHL HR director in Slovenia, while working for Panasonic had the occasion to observe morning corporate anthem listening in Japan offices, built house in Vnanje gorice and ran for mayor, worked in Aerodrom Ljubljana board, Rotarian by heart and enjoyed a great Rotary trip to India, reading David Icke books, has 2 grown up kids, used to sail competitively, father Milan invented Watrek and will be featured at Dragons Den, plays keyboard and will continue to help uncover and show true potential of everybody, starting locally in Ljubljana first. Not unlike Adlers are doing.

The little lamb. Ready for prime time. Peace by piece.

Origano, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Origano - "Located in what was once upon a time the village of Vrhovci, Origano isn't Ljubljana's most conveniently located restaurant, but is nevertheless worth the effort it takes to find. Set in a century-old house, the interior has been extensively modernised in a spacious minimalist style, which is well-suited for the cooking workshops and culture/culinary evenings that frequently take place - with Russia, India, Ireland and Greece all recently featured. In addition to a seasonally focussed à la carte menu, Origano has some of the best set lunches in town, usually consisting of a few lower priced options, a slightly more sophisticated business lunch and something for vegetarians." - by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Tomaž Jug - CEO at Beezway and Advisor at Editor, born and raised near Gorica, flexible with his accent, did a bit of family tree research - found Vojvodina roots, GEA College Entrepreneurship graduate in Portorož, one of the earliest geeks in Gorica with 9600bit modem, started a company with his sister, was a paid DJ, worked for Krea in Gorizia Italy and Arctur, tried with Markendrink, founded Editor with Igor Cej,  which eventually evolved into a franchise which was also his thesis subject, recently their new baby Beezway got funded in by a VC and is now pivoting through Start Cloud series of workshops using Ries' Lean Startup and Steve Blank's Startup Owner's Manual, 7 months old daughter, was recently engaged in last minute (literally) vacation capacity searching in Istria, tinkering most of the time he will one day grow a business accelerator with special ephasis on proper physical environment to the tune of I/O Ventures probably starting in Gorica.

Sometimes they also organize blind dinners in Origano.

Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Kino Šiška - "After nearly a year of renovation, one the city's most iconic cinemas reopened its doors in 2009 as an urban cultural centre featuring several state-of-the-art preformance halls and exhibition spaces. Dedicated to promoting contemporary music, theatre, dance and experimental events, it already attracts big-name regional and international artists, and is scheduled to hosts around 200 events per year. Most concerts are held in its largest multi-purpose hall, dubbed 'the Cathedral', which can fit over 800 people. Check out their English language website for more info and a full schedule of events." - by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Alenka Bizjak - sister, finishing MF in Maribor to become GP, born and raised in Kranj, father developed first DOS based IS for National Archive, developed leadership competences as a proud member of Rod Stane Žagar mlajši scouts - like Igor, participated in DŠMM, SloMSIC and IFMSA which took her to Australia, Jamaica and UK and got her in contact with Zero Generation trainers, rekindling the fire with HealthcareLSS, was Erasmus exchange student in Aachen volunteered at TEDxMaastricht, is active organizer at TEDxLjubljana, was also au-pair in UK, reading 7 Habits by late Covey, Theory U, watching quality TV series and will one day have her own clinic for integrative medicine while keeping a tab on too much working.

Katarina Bizjak - sister, researcher and lecturer, finishing Ph.D thesis on pedagogical practice, Kranj roots recently replanted to Maribor, FSP graduate, used to be gymnastic trainer, but after practice in Canada with Ljudmila Korolenko realized that world class gymnastics is to cruel and she does not want to be part of it, returned to school sport education to teach at GimB, was a trainer at GIB, TEDxLjubljana organizer, founder of Nora Zabava - circus style animation for and with kids, certified Adler coach, writes sports related articles for Ciciban and Cicido, helped run Poletje.eu project, avid salsa dancer, just about to get married, reading Formule ljubezni and will one day change education system through transforming teachers, spending time with them to influence them to spend more time figuring out what kids really want and can become. Yes they can!

Frks, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Frks - "We usually don't make such lofty pronouncements, but as far as we're concerned this tiny take-away on Kongresni Trg makes the best wraps in town. The menu isn't overwhelming in terms of options, but most of what they do have are exotic concoctions of ingredients that we never would have thought of putting together - that's probably why they make tasty wraps and we write travel guides." - by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Domen Kert - young entrepreneur in the making, born and raised in Ravne with Bavarian roots, just started drinking coffee and calls her grandma "bica", proud Galaxy S III user, second cousin to Vid Kavtičnik, and related to Members of Parliament Göncz, was part of the winning team at Ljubljana StartUp, likes going out of comfort zone and make new connects i.e. with Sandi Češko or President Türk, used to work for Linea Directa, EF graduate, about to become EarPeace distributor, bought golf club set, but never actually made a proper swing yet, reading Millionaire Messenger, 4 Hour Work Week and Thinking Fast and Slow, avid tennis player and Federer fan, will soon do it on new grass court in TPLJ, listens to MorningCoach and will one day have his own Dragn's Den without cameras, support lifting mindset and offer Lumosity as a free service to everybody on the planet. Entreprenosity.

Sputnik Cosmic Caffe, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sputnik - "Modern and trendy, yet welcoming and unpretentious, Sputnik may be more known as a nightlife venue for Ljubljana's up and coming elite, but during the day it's a popular breakfast and lunch time stop for out-of-town businessmen, white collar workers with offices nearby, and even the odd student who appreciates a subtle ambiance. The menu changes daily, but it tends to lean towards lighter Mediterranean fare with pastas, soups, salads and the like. One of the warm breakfasts accompanied by a strong espresso is a great way to start a day." - by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Marko Petković - Co-founder and CEO at Slidemotion, earned first money by selling New Year's greeting cards when he was six, later selling bags with Istrian graphics in camp  for his father, FE graduate, lead power generation division for Siemens in Slovenia, started Centra Design also in Energetics market, creating many home videos out of pictures brought him to Slidemotion step in his life, has 2 sons, reads a lot of non-fiction books, recommends The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, likes Simon Sinek, played clarinet in PPO Vevče, now getting better and better at playing synthesizer - currently on a new Yamaha PSR S550, travels a lot - recently to Zambia, sailer on Topcat catamaran and will one day earn a psychology degree and then consult on how things can actually get done and seemingly impossible achieved. Mission Psyhossible.

Pri Škofu, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Pri Škofu - "Hidden down a small side street in Krakovo, Pri Škofu is a long-time favourite of cash-strapped university students who still like to enjoy a proper meal from time to time, and you're virtually guaranteed to see at least a couple bespectacled hipsters seated at a table nearby. The €8 lunch specials come in obscenely large portions and are one of the best values in town. Although there's no menu it's also possible to order à la carte, and an English-speaking waitress will gladly rattle off what's available" - by InYourPocket Ljubljana

Andrej Černigoj - assistant to MEP Alojz Peterle, born and raised in Vipava valley, which he still dreams about, scout member, active in many student societies and clubs such as ŠKIS, DOS and ŠOS, worked for Mercator, sent unsolicited letters with CV to all 7 Slovenian MEPs, Alojz called back and offered internship,     solutions for solving non-employability of youth is currently on his map of ideas, actively networked with Slovenians in Brussels, staying in Belgium had a positive impact on his food perceptation - qualitatively and quantitatively, now he also runs regularly usually late in the evening, reading mostly EU reports, recently on Acta, recenty watched Too Big To Fail, expecting his first child soon and will one day renovate all castles in Slovenia and organize a web of vibrant tourism stories around them.

Bicycles in this part of Ljubljana are a privileged species. Cars need to back off on the street.

Gostilna Katrca, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gostilna Katrca - "Specialising in Tuscan cuisine, this century-old inn has a menu that puts most of its competition to shame. Going well beyond the run-of-the-mill noodle and sauce offerings, this is the place to tuck into some truly fantastic creations, such as pasta with prawns, bacon and chilli pepper or truffle and honey risotto. The meat dishes are also a cut above most, with horse, turkey and wild boar taking centre stage. The recently renovated premises also include several spacious and well-equipped rooms upstairs" by InYourPocket Guide

Simon Ražman - co-founder and CEO at e-manent, born and raised in Koper, zoo technology graduate, worked at Banka Koper, already developed Mlekomat business case in 1995, unfortnatelly 10 years before the trend kicked in, used to have long hair and heavy metal style,  currently among Top20 LinkedIn Slovenes, same generation as Peter Brenko and Andrej Nabergoj, and would without limitations still be developing innovative solutions that would help companies be more agile and effective.

Klopčič - Dom Litostroj, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Klopčič - not at all pretentious, workers lunch place near Litostroj, doing decent catering also. Recommended for reality check on multiple levels. Sobering, recession proof.

A.K. - Associate dean at ERUDIO Business School, born and raised in Kranj, lives in Adergas under Štefanja gora, Erudio is latin for instruct/cultivate, used to work for FSD, was school counsellor and taught knowledge management, runs 21km with Runtastic, likes swimming, has 4 kids, listens to Audible books, recently Gladwell's Outliers and recommends The Happiness Advantage, plays Teach Me French to kids during bedtime and will one day improve school system in general to be more goal oriented and proactive, not unlike Kipp in US.

A safe bet that Klopcic is the biggest bang for the buck. Or fullest stomach for the Euro in this case.

Gostilna Rok, Krtina, Slovenia

Gostilna Rok - not very well known, almost hidden. A hidden gem nonetheless. OK, some polishing still needed, but no regrets even if you stumble upon it by chance. Great service, great shady terrace for hot summer days. And summer it was: day 1. Hot day 1.

Cees Nieboer - HeRoes group founder and owner and LearningPaths representative for EMEA, Dutch native, Haag born, Rotterdam raised, father born  in Indonesia, used to work for IBM years ago in AS/400 marketing, later IBM leasing agency, played and was tennis instructor in Brunei, ISO9000 certification consultant job - mostly via API - had him travelling a lot, moved to Dubai for 11 years, golf HCP 14, Lumina Learning also in portfolio, just finished Have A Nice Conflict, has 4 kids and 1 granddaughter and will one day totally devote himself to animal welfare - establishing shelters. Long live cats and other animals in need.

Rihard Rifelj - business development manager at HeRoes, Novo Mesto born and raised, redeveloped Dolenjska accent, not related to Matej Rifelj, knows his family tree all the way back to 1620, EF graduate and AIESEC Alumni member, Cotrugli Scholarship contest finalist, read Skok v Smetano, in free time works in wineyard, adores home produced Cviček and will one day put all his talents and efforts into promoting Krka tourism - Cviček included. 

Buon Piatto, Mengeš, Slovenia

Buon Piatto - a well known and established pasta&pizza place in Mengeš. Worth trying. Many times. Good food, great service.

Simon Meglič - founder and CEO at ePrvak, grew up in Vir, office in Mengeš, EF graduate, FRI post graduate, worked for Kompas Group, later acquired by Adriatica.net, helped operate and optimize potovanje.si and lastminutecenter.si portals among others, went through 100 Top Tržnikov program, is lecturing UX, does usability testing and sees this as the real growth future, also avid traveller and operates Potnik.si e-zine/community, Logatec Rotary club member, recently read and recommends Champan's Five Love Languages and will one day dedicate himself to travelling and building travel community, while testing and help improve hotel experiences.

Gostilna Jerinček, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gostilna Jerinček - down the road of the more famous Jurček, but still a decent quick-business lunch place. Daily menus, fast service, efficiency over fancy. Throughput optimized with a nice terrace. 

Mitja Simčič - founder and owner of Kupi, not related to Simčič wines, FRI graduate, did parallel EF study, but dropped it disappointed, Cotrugli MBA Alumni and just recently elected Alumni Club President, started with golf, used to be a DJ, regular Ibiza goer, recently married, re-read Sun Tzu's Art of War, plans to read 360 Degree Feedback, will one day end up as teacher and coach, probably in the field of mathematics and problem solving, while - through wife's influence - becoming increasingly eco-friendly and animal friendly. Solving the Art of 360 Degree Caring.

Krinolina, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Krinolina - tucked away in the cellar of a mighty business building, which used to be HQ of once mighty Iskra group. Decent food, though more on the quantity/speed side of the spectrum, interior decorator tried, but not very hard. One day somebody will improve all that. So far they have no entries in the web guest book. What's a web guest book?

Lidija Dragišić - owner&director at Studio360, born and raised in Novo Mesto with Bela krajina roots, architecture graduate, industrial design masters, worked for Ofis, Sadar+Vuga and D&K before launching her own studio, briefly lived and worked in Vienna, among others worked on awarded rotating storage system, private business club, and Sončna Aleja projects, used to make her own clothes, likes Slovenian designer clothes and fashion was a runner up at her study decision, likes TED talks, has a daughter and lately reads a lot of fairy tales with favourite being Lila Prap and Loes Riphagen. One day she devote most of her energy into raising aesthetic awareness on new levels in Slovenia and changing the landscape on the go. Not unlike what Jamie Oliver is doing with culinary awareness.

Okrepčevalnica Stegne, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Okrepčevalnica Stegne - operated by Murić Esad, "A cheapie where any meal is truly hearty. :)" as commented by one of Foursquare check-in-ers. 

M.Z. - investor and private fund manager, co-founder of Finera and recently (with TS) co-founder and partner at Depoziti.si the first savings deposits coupon discount player in the region, recently moved back to his home hood Šiška, while he also lived in Belgrade for a while, has one kid, expecting another very soon, likes fishing, especially big time tuna, likes good food, many times in good company with Boki and even if he did not have to work for earnings purpose, he would still do the investment game, particularly in factoring area. Speeding up the flow of money is his cup of tea. And there's plenty of fish in that sea to be caught.

Frenk, not the best coffee in town. Unlike Franck.

Big game, big time. Tuna galore.

Gostilna Štorklja, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gostilna Štorklja - European, Chinese, fusion. Close to maternity ward, hence the name. Popular with students. Good location, good food, recommended.

Maja Bresjanac - Teacher and Scientist at Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana, born in Čačak, parents architects moved to Celje and later Ljubljana, where she quickly adapted, picks dialects on the go, her father had five brothers and all had only sons, Bresjanac name origin linked to village Bresje in Kosovo and an alleged dispute between a particular head of Stojanović family and a particular Turkish agha over a beautiful daughter a long, long time ago, she recently gave a talk at TEDxLjubljana, neuroscience is her field of work, play and joy, wanted to be neurosurgeon, but being a female is still too big of an obstacle in male dominated neurosurgeons fortress, research proved somewhat easier in that regard, but with lots of room for improvement, used to practice fencing, tapestry, Irish dance and Argentinian tango, now hiking, biking and kayaking, some of it with her daughter, is slowly reading through Opium, totally recommends Gödel, Escher, Bach and will one day - through initiatives like  Sinapsa - raise Slovenian brain awareness and neuroscientific   community even further. For the benefit of the society at large.

Next in line. A good chew.

Burja, Portorož, Slovenia

Burja - excursion and dinner party boat in Piran bay in Slovenia. Well known for years to all convention goers in Bernardin - this time for DSI2012.  Try it at least once, but don't expect too much. Fish, wine and wind. And usually good company.

Andrej Grobler - born in Kranj, Austro-Hungarian roots with many unrelated Groblers in Netherland and South Africa, worked for IBM in student years, electrical engineer and economics post graduate, once AEGEE, now LesAnciens member - which links him to his present Russian wife,  worked for Zavarovalnica Triglav, Steklarna Hrastnik, Abanka Vipa and now Crea Plus, scout, traveller, on 9/11 could not go to Hawaii so he ended up in Bali, 2 kids, recently read The Book of Negroes and Hribci and will one day teach unprivileged Slovenes to catch proverbial fish while running his bed&breakfast in Hawaii. With real fish. 

Andrej Guštin - born in Koper, family roots from Slovenian surroundings of Trieste, physics graduate as there were no entrance exams, economics post graduate, subtle discouragement by professor plunged him into world of finance, worked for Abanka, Zaslon, Hermes Softlab, Crea and now Crea plus/pro, proud owner of RV, loves scuba, fishing and badminton, recommends Peter Florjančič's Skok v Smetano and Jacques Cousteau's Silent World, 2 kids, wil lone day run a diving center, have more with less and maybe run a marathon.

Stojan Košti - Prlekija roots from the only Košti family in Slovenia, born and raised in Ljubljana, FOV post graduate in three stages, had a restaurant and is now in IT at Temida, mountain climber, karate fighter, acrobat skier and avid sailor, recently read One Day, and will one (other) day sail in Carribean and then some. Like Tomaz Pelko on his Heron right now.

Boccaccio Dravlje, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Boccaccio - picestavracija (pizzestaurant). Two locations, both very nice places. Recommended. Whole grain pizza dough included.

Andrej Šolinc - owner and sales manager at Klaro, grew up in Tržič, known as a big pizza buyer as the whole company would buy/deliver on his name from Hallo Pinki, started FRI, switched to FOV, worked for Didacta and Infos, has a 1 year old kid, is a big pizza lover and a regular at Azur, where they always order Radičeva pizza with draft Erdinger beer, also wine aficionado, co-organizer of Slovenian Wine Festival, just bought new kitchen and will go from zero to chef, Rotary and BNI member, reads a lot - recently Propad civilizacij and A Storm of Swords, started running - influenced by Wega blog who recently bough a pair of On Cloudrunners. One day he will teach in school, while still be involved in sales and business development and wood related business will not be far.

Disclaimer: it was another of those intense debates, so the photo at the place did not happen and I had to steal it from his FB profile :) 

Oštirna, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Oštirna - a nice place near Gospodarsko Razstavišče Exhibition and Convention Centre. Serving also business lunch regulars from Slovenijales office building, majority owned by Zavarovalnica Triglav, the biggest insurance company in Slovenia, which has new website, done by Klika, which was recently bought by Sportradar and where Matjaž Pečan and Aleš Rosina work, who are also members of TEDxLjubljana team, where Miro might appear some time in the future.

Miro Lozej - DBA at Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, studied math and felt non linear systems topic was not covered enough, knows the importance of Joel Barker's paradigm shifts, recommends the book Chaos, is very much interested in chaos non linear systems theory and is convinced we should raise awareness about it significantly, to decrease entropy and paradoxically instil more predictability and rationality. One day he will lead the efforts to put significant emphasis on quality chaos education in schools, so that we will one day better understand know what's happening around us and what to do about it.