Bangkokstreet, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Bangkokstreet - one of many places in food court of Citypark shopping centre. Destined to constant flow of potenital clients, but also a lot of competition close by. They try hard and deserve a visit or two. Shopping optional. InYourPocket Ljubljana describes it like this: "Settle into a table with views of an artfully-lit perforated metal structure just beyond the ceiling-high windows at the back of this stylish new eatery, and you just might be able to forget that you're staring at the façade of a parking garage from a shopping mall. While the food won't have you sprinting to the nearest telephone to call home and sing its praises, it's better than you might expect given the location and you'll be hard-pressed to find better value in terms of ethnic food - the portions are huge and there's also a relatively inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffet."

Staša Podgoršek - Small Business Manager at Microsoft, grew up in Mengeš, top grades and Zois grant winner, graduated at FDV in international relations, finished Cotrugli MBA, started as a hostess, climbed to sales management, worked as JEF volunteer, TEDx organizer, AmCham YP member, very experienced backpacker with Ghana, Togo, Nagorno- Karabakh and 43 other countries behind her, volley ball player and maniacal sushi maker since her trip to Japan. Without limits she would create Podgorsek Foundation, mimicking Gates Foundation and they would divide the market: you take polio, I take malaria. Done deal.

Reševalec Mile, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Reševalec Mile - ex-Little Italy, renovated by famous hairdresser-come-actor Rado Mulej. With the exception of the new host, not that much different. Without mandatory reservation, they were still willing to accept us. Reasonably OK, worth giving a try. And no website this time. 

Borut Jeglič - graduated economist with experience and skills, about to be snatched by a lucky company, born and raised in Ljubljana, mother-side grandpa was dean of EF, worked at Kibuba with Rok Stritar, introducing Rogelli brand, spent a semester in Finland with Erasmus exchange, currently on international business post-grad, entrepreneurship teaching assistant, mountain biker and serious sailor, joined Zavod Ypsilon as he knew co-founder Žiga, karate trainer at Slovan, listening to Jobs biography audio book by Walter Isaacson and Leadership Charisma by Deiric Mc Cann from Profiles International, recently delivered a TEDx talk and will one day through public speaking and lecturing raise level of entrepreneurship in Slovenia and on top also have a major impact on UX, not unlike Microsoft video at recent AISEC Youth to Business forum. UX entrepreneurship.

Euro gurman, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Euro gurman - a bit remote location, still considered in Ljubljana city, does not look very sophisticated, friendly staff, odd-ish website yet quite good food.

Aleš Gros - software specialist for system Z at IBM, lives in Stanežiče, knows Miran Tepeš, the ski-jumper, who lives in the hood, roots in Koroška and Prekmurje where grandfather Samec first started veterinary practice, FE graduate, worked for Smart Com and EMC, his daughter is a ski jumper and women ski jumping will be Olympic discipline in Sochi 2014, about to attend TEDx event with his son, used to mountaineer and rode mountain bike a lot, worked in UK when younger, as he is aware who gets to miss you the most when you're gone, even without any limitations his family would still be priority number one far above anything else. Family man in the most positive sense. 

Badges from TEDGlobal. Most applicable for TEDx organizers on the day of event :)

Angel, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Angel - by Kaval group, stylish, up-scaleish, a bit priceyish, full at business lunch time, worth a visit or two.

Vera Dobravec - event manager, connecting demand with supply in a broader sense, grew up in Miren, lived for a while in Madrid and Tenerife just because she liked it, studied at Turistica, worked at several companies starting with P, co-organized NPP 2010 and Projektno vodenje with Aleš Štempihar, organizes Optimum IT and Minimum IT conferences, when younger worked also on Arion cruiser, attended Top Talk and listened to Richard St. John, parallel reader recently opened Dumas' Camille and fell in love with Coellho in Fnac in Madrid, plays flute, chess and pool, fluent in Spanish, Italian and English, regular aperitivo goer on Saturdays as she lives in Trieste, attended TEDxTrieste where she listened to Ricardo Illy and will one day raise level of all SME IT and maybe also study psychology. Click. 

Angel in tucked away in Mercator shopping center. Not the best of the spots.

Maratonec, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Maratonec - not long after we have visited this particular place dressed up as Lotus Chinese restaurant with Martin Wirtz, Maratonec is back, where it once already was. For this occasion, Martin did "a bloglunch FORM" on me. It was an interesting experience.

Matej Golob - as joitted down about me over lunch by Martin, unedited:

"I have meet Matej Golob five or six times mainly through business. I have been lucky enough to be invited by Matej twice on a “blog lunch” and jolly nice they are too. It was after our last “blog lunch” that I realized that Matej was asking some fairly probing questions and gaining an insight into me – sneaky I though this will not do! So I decided to “turn the tables” on Matej and invite him to lunch so that his readers may also gain an insight. Matejs mother is from Maribor and his father is from Celje and he grew up in Menges. He regards himself as a true Stajerska with the long pockets and the very short arms. He is married to Petra and they have a 17 month old son called Tristen and they live in Siska. Matej seems to have a lot of close, not so close and positively distant “Golob” relatives he was telling me about a web site called geni.com – so far 800 Golobs. Matej would like to get a car full of Golobs and cross the border just to see passport controls reaction. While studding Matej worked at Allied Domecq and as a tourist guide – so a tourist guide and Allied Domecq ? umm I can see the connection. Guide me around the restaurants and wine cellars of Slovenia time certainly not wasted while studying! Having studied computer science and finishing his masters 10 years at IBM was next. Now Matej works for Interexport in charge of all things IBM. Matej has undertaken some long distance cycling! to Hungary, Germany – long distance I would not want to be his socks after such a journey ! Now he participates in marathons so needless to say the golf was to unchallenging walking after a small ball even with a handicap of 24. Submersible sailing seems to be new sport I had not heard of until Matej explained. The key is to get the deck line submerged and then try to sail – anywhere. Sounds like fun but I am not too sure it will catch on. “Users guide to the brain” is Matejs current reading and after several months still not finished. You might say the book has become a marathon to finish. It’s either a very thick book or ... Matej does not have the traits of a true Stajerska as he enjoys making someone happy by giving away things that have no worth to the Golob family by placing unwanted items on web sites - for free. He is even trying to “optimize” this, he sends an e-mail with a google map of directions where to pick the items up and places the items where they can be picked up without anyone being home. Matej is also a member of Kiva.org “giving the gift of giving” by helping 3^rd world enterprises. So, if you are fortunate enough to be invited on a blog lunch with Matej ask as few questions !"

Yes, Maratonec is back. For good? For better?