Abecedarium, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abecedarium - Cafe and Restaurant in the oldest house in Ljubljana, built in 1528 by mayor Bosch. Primož Trubar, who published first Slovenian printed book called Abecedarium - hence the name - also used to live here. A decent place and next to it is agency mm turist that recently launched Par3 Golf Club - of which I am a proud 25,6 HCP member.

(Uroš) Uros Ponikvar - CEO of Agito, company of choice for app development on Microsoft platform. FRI, SRC.SI and now Agito. Post graduate at FRI not compelling enough to persue it. Big on XC skiing, FIS technical delegate with licence to license, makig sure that in races everything works as it's supposed to. In 1985 won 2nd place Yugoslav Army XC Running Championship in Kosovo. Symbolic. Wikipedia on Prishtina article: "This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved." Somewhere down the road landscape architecture might become even biger part of his life. How Good Businessmen Can Make Great Fathers.

In Abecedarium one can not get bored even if looking at the ceiling. Imagination required. Very good waldorf salad was served. Ščurek Up is supposedly a must have bottle.

Cubo, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Cubo - recently remodeled, one of the poshest restaurants in Ljubljana. And it deserves to be positioned very high. For the food, for the wine and for the service. Most of the time. This time the service actually was not what it is expected from a Cubo-class place. Intentionally or not, they left me waiting, while they would tend to others, arriving significantly later. Well, nobody died anyway and it still is a strong recommendation for foodies of all sorts.


Gregor Kvas - co-founder and co-owner of Vikarus, a new company in tourist services and real estate business, primarily focused on Croatian coastline. First professional steps were done at Factor Banka and continued at SRC.SI where he was responsible for BorzaWin. A good skier and even better golfer, currently reading E-Myth. A person to play a good game a golf with. If you are ready to learn, that is.


We were served Modri Pinot by Jakoncic (Jakončič). This very bottle of wine is featured on my other blog, too. Can I See The Bottle?

Kausar Bibi metal shop, Lahore, Pakistan

This time I have actually not been to Lahore, Pakistan and there was no eating done. Kausar Bibi (in the background, with her husband) is a mother of five. I have never met her, but I did lend her some money. To help her grow her metal shop business. She already started repaying her loan. Kiva.org is making all this happen. People give micro loans to people where there is not enough "interest" from and for the banks. Grameen started the whole movement.



Kiva - Loans that do change lives. If it is true or if enough people believe it is true.

Galeb, Bresternica, Slovenia

Galeb (Seagull) - El restaurante la gaviota, is a popular Mexican place just outside Maribor on river Drava shore. Looks somewhat spooky outside in winter time, but I believe it must be awesome on hot summer evenings.


Matej Rifelj, co-founder, co-owner and reigning CTO of Intera, a growing IT/web app house based in Ptuj. Intera was the reason he moved from his hometown Kamnik to Ptuj, where he already picked up Štajerska accent. Being once a resource at Amadej and Hal, he is now also occupied with finding human resource for Intera. Finding it in Serbia does not bring such a cost benefit as initially thought. He's got the hint for his most recent book The Selfish Gene in the other book: The Game. Each passing week he's getting better and better in the sport where a single ball can cost more than 200 EUR - bowling. In the long run, he still sees himself solving everyday problems with web apps. For effectiveness sake.


Lots of restaurants (Gostilna) on both shores of river Drava. That's what Štajerska is about. That's what Slovenia is about. You gotta FEEL it.

Flanagans, Vienna, Austria

Flanagans, voted best Irish Pub in Europe in 2004. They still stand in a good shape 4 years down the road. Lots of sports, lots of happening. Serves also as cigar lovers hang-out and temp office environment.


Gueney Kuelahoglu, working for IBM's regional HQ in Vienna as Software Sales Strategy Leader (a.k.a. Master of The Universe), essentially making sure that our resources are aligned with market needs. Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, with Gueney being a Turkish name that actually means "south". One of the rare Germans without the so common German accent English speech, mostly due to two years spent at University of London. Some experience in investment banking and some in hi-tech textile equipment. Recently he read Der Schwarm and it's been a while since he rode his Suzuki GSX-R 750. Co-founder of cigar lovers club in Vienna. One day he will be directing movies. More for himself than the public..


If you don't have enough money on you while visiting Flanagans, there's plenty on the wall.
MIS stands for Management Initiated Separation.


WTF?

Go Wok, Vienna, Austria

Go Healthy. Go Tasty. Go Wok. A catchy line by this Asian Food chain in Austria. So far this "chain" only has two links - one in Vienna and one in Linz. Good food and good service - as several other visitors are also confirming in their Guest book.


Jan Romancenko (Romančenko) - Tivoli software business development person at DNS in Prague. Born in Krivoy Rog in Ukraine and grew up in Ostrava. His grandfather joined Soviet Partisans and moved to Czech Republic to fight and fall pray to Czech charms and settled there. Before joining DNS, Jan worked for IBM and later for EDS in Derby on Rolls-Royce project with UGS Teamcenter software. Fluid in Russian, fluid in ambition.


(Tomáš) Tomas Jindra - Tivoli Certified Consultant at AG COM. Plzen is his hometown and it is also hometown for the more unknown part of Skoda. Most people know Skoda as a car maker, but skoda also makes trains and power turbines. Datasys was also one of the companies that benefited from Tomas' Tivoli Tech knowledge. Waiter in Go Wok likes to play Solitaire - check the monitor in the background behind Tomas - we have actually seen him doing it. Nothing wrong with it, though. Viva la Windows!



Sushi wallpaper redness. Spicy Mix it! is a recommendation. Maybe it was served slightly too cold, but it is a matter of taste.

I Ragazzi, Vienna, Austria

I ragazzi, ristorante and pizzeria where most of the staff actually is Italian. For some UK expats known to me, it is the home of the best pizza in Vienna. Nothing short of a strong recommendation.


Kevin Redmond - managing channel for IBM Software Group in CEMAAS. Currently based in Vienna, but could once call himself a citizen of many other places: Bath, Marchington, Harrogate, Edinburgh, Tokio, Hong Kong, Madrid and Barcelona - too name but a few. Travels a lot on business and if mice play when the cat's away, females are actually way more productive when the guy's not at home. He doesn't like everything about Never Eat Alone book. Maybe it's the fault of cold fire or dry fish tank looming from the LCD TV while he's reading. He has that ambient DVD. He also has tons of his own hi-res cooking photos that he might issue in his own book via Blurb. Good food + good wine = Kevin. One day he will buy Bordeaux. The whole region, that is.


Natalie Dew - cute Taiwanese-Swedish mix working for STEC, provider of solid state storage drives, such as the one used in the new MacBook Air. IF "Natalie loves good food" AND "Kevin = good food" THEN ... you do the math. Spends a lot of time following food&cooking related blogs. Born and raised in Uppsala, lived in Hottingen in Germany, Taipei in Taiwan where her dad's from, Stockholm and now in Vienna. According to a Fast Cash book, Serbian mafia in Stockholm is not to be underestimated. One day she will have a pig, a dog and a goat. A brown goat, that is. Raising them in Bordeaux?

Luigi, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Luigi is a quite decent pizzeria with not such a decent website. Main thing is that the food is good. And it is. Recommendation.


K.D. - just about to be graduated theologists with big journalism aspirations. Born in Ljubljana, moved to Pula, really wanted to study and move to Zagreb, but eventually ended up again in Ljubljana again - with a brief Erasmus stay in Leuven in between. Her media career started at Radio Maestral and now she is a journalist in the making for Svet at Kanal A. She teaches Christian course (verouk), is one of the most active Facebook user I know and watches all the movies that can be rented at iTIVI - she's part of the family there. Tony Parsons is her favorite author and she likes to study psychology of relationship. All kinds of. Her father was whole life in restaurants business and she might also end owning one or two sometime. Years from now. Experimenting with food and recipes, while also being a good columnist and interviewer.


IKEA-ish or what? Neat anyhow. "The worst thing a journalist can do, is to gradate in Journalism"

Manastirska Magernitsa, Sofia, Bulgaria

Manastirska Magernitsa is a very good restaurant with killing-funny menus. This is exactly why they beg you not to still them. A must visit when in Sofia. Great food, great wine, great fun. Prepare to spend at least 15 minutes just reading the menu.

Svetoslav Tolev - Technical Consultant in EMC Bulgaria office in Sofia. Tolev was the first name of his great-grandfather. Raised and educated in Sofia, worked for Teza, Bulmag and very recently joined EMC. Crazy about sailing, won some awards with Conrad Peterson sailboats and reads The Good Soldier Svejk every couple of years. He likes traveling and he really likes what he is doing. The job. The tech stuff.

In this traditional Bulgarian setup resturant, you can often find Austrian Airline stewardesses. Some call them trolley-dollies. A term for all of them, not only Austrians Airline ones.

Hotel Zodiac, Borovets, Bulgaria

Hotel Zodiac - slightly out of Borovets center and slightly out-of-date. You get tranquility and clean snow surrounding as a bonus.


Ashwin Rofina - IBM Lotus and Websphere Portal competitive specialist. His roots are in Curacao, a small island in south Caribbean Sea, grew up in Eindhoven in Netherlands, studied in The Haag and later moved to UK - Largs in Scotland and Wilmslow near Manchester. Chevening Award was the reason to move to UK and graduate in Integrated Management at Birmingham University. Foster Wheeler, Lotus and several times IBM - that's where he worked at so far. Has experience in Taekwando and recently read Stop Thinking, Start Living. Marginalized people are the ones that will benefit significantly, when Ashwin has his own charity foundation.


You can find lots of frozen fish hanging upside down in Borovets during the night. You can also find lots of English people in Borovets. Not frozen though and not all hanging upside down.


Hmm ...

Pri Yaphata, Sofia, Bulgaria

Pri Yaphata - popular, authentic restaurant set up in an ancient house and entirely in a traditional Bulgarian manner. Where foreign visitors are taken to. Recommendation.


Radomir Milanov - Manager of Software Group in IBM Bulgaria. Came to Sofia from Bulgarian seaside near Varna, graduation at FEBA in Sofia was topped by Henley MBA. From Netis to being one of the best IBM sales person to manager. Likes rock music, was a professional swimmer, plays football and reads Russian authors Ilf and Petrov. Likes Slovenia also as a holiday destination, occasionally makes plum brandy with his father in law and is expecting his first child. One day he will have have his own fish restaurant and will then focus on achieving aggressive target in terms of total number of his happy children. I could not agree more.


Bulgaria is a good destination for wine lovers. Lots of good wines and you have a wine map placed in Pri Yaphata restaurant. Cheers!

Polna Skleda, Mons, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Polna Skleda is a spacious, stylish self-service restaurant in Hotel Mons. Great salad bar. Worth a visit even if you are not staying in the hotel.


Jaka Lenardic (Lenardič) - entrepreneur and author, founder and CEO of Enki - a young and rising company mash up of web design and optimization, event management and PR communication. English version of their website being out-of-sync with Slovenian version, I bet they will update that soon. Born and raised in Ljubljana, economics graduate at EF in Ljubljana with a subsequent postgraduate degree at EPF in Maribor. As a high school student co-produced a literature handbook which then led to educational CD-ROM production and resulted in founding of his company Enki, at first specialized in web and multimedia production. His thirst for TV experience was quenched at TV Pika and TV Paprika. Drawn to eastern practices, from trekking in Nepal to Qigong and Tai chi - about to buy himself a new Dao. Tennis - yes, golf - not anymore, Books - "Too great of a treasure to prioritize". We should help nature more than we help people and "Gates would do most with his foundation, if he would buy massive areas of Amazon rain forest to preserve it". One day you might see Jaka planting trees. Lots and lots of them. And making money while doing it.


Hotel Mons was build not long ago right off of Ljubljana ring, the expressway around Ljubljana with the heaviest traffic in Slovenia - 60.000 vehicles a day. Smart move.

Operna Klet, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Operna Klet - Not much from the outside and not much better from the inside, but the food, experience and good reputation do the rest and it is always full and you will have a good time. Recommendation. Fish.


Miha Malovrh - IBM Global Services Channel Sales guy. Brought up in Fužine part of Ljubljana. Hudinja is to Celje what Fužine is to Ljubljana. Sort of. Maybe that's what took him to Celje to serve his army duty in Celje Hospital where he met Mateja Nežmah. Just a random detail. Not strong on books, but does Saturday edition of Dnevnik. Plays indoor hockey and too much money would make him nervous - for a while.


Marko Pelikan - IBM Global Services Sales guy. Primorska origin, born in Koper, has lived in Izola, but resembles a true Ljubljana native. Graduated at FOV, worked at Telemach among others and recently joined IBM Slovenia. Recently read "Medicina na krivih potih" by František Blaha and does not play indoor hockey Has something to do with his ancestors being in Dachau. One day he might make Črnuče a Republic.


As you wait a bit in the beginning, prior to being seated they serve you Prior - pear brandy by Fructal. The reason to then stay longer. Vicious circle :)