Grand Cafe - a Place of Enjoyment and Spectacular Views of Piran Bay

Located on the 11th floor of the prestigious Grand Hotel Bernardin, Grand Café is not an ordinary restaurant. It is an excellent blend of fine coffee, delicious bites and a panoramic view of the Piran Bay, the Alps, Venice and Savudrija. Although, according to the French classification, a café is indeed a type of restaurant, Grand Café primarily embraces the philosophy of a cosy space for relaxation and enjoying the moment.

Grand Café offers a wide selection of drinks – from aromatic, house-made coffee creations and signature cocktails to refreshing non-alcoholic beverages. It is the ideal place for a quick bite during the working day, a coffee before a meeting, or a romantic dinner at sunset. Every guest can find their own corner in which to enjoy the special atmosphere offered by this rooftop bar.

The culinary magic of Grand Café is the result of the joint work of three experienced chefs: Aleš Grašič, the resort’s Executive Chef, and Mišo Jović and Simon Zlatkovič, who have been shaping the hotel’s gastronomic identity for the past three years. The particularly creative role belongs to Mišo Jović, a well-known and popular Slovenian chef and member of the Slovenian National Culinary Team.

Mišo, who also rose to fame in the show Gostilna traži šefa, is known for his positive spirit and great passion for gastronomy. With experience gained in top European restaurants and under the mentorship of famous chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Bine Volčič, his dishes radiate innovation, freshness and superb flavour combinations. Mišo is one of Slovenia’s finest chefs and an active member of its national culinary team.

As the restaurant is very popular, and often visited by guests wishing to combine a gastronomic experience with an irresistible destination, the menu also offers quick and hearty bites such as gourmet burgers. But for those with more time, true gastronomic pleasure is found in fresh Adriatic fish, homemade ravioli with a variety of seasonal fillings, and carefully prepared meat accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke. The ravioli, in particular, enjoy an excellent reputation and are an almost indispensable feature of every menu.

Grand Café makes the most of the natural riches of Piran Bay, renowned for its mariculture and traditional coastal products. One of the key players in the bay is the Fonda Fish Farm, a sea bass farm situated in the clean, deep waters of the bay. Thanks to strong sea currents, constant water exchange and relatively lower salinity in this part of the bay, sea bass from the Fonda Fish Farm is considered exceptionally high quality. Mussels are grown on floating lines attached to buoys, freely drifting in the sea – a tradition that has been maintained for more than thirty years.

In addition, there is an internationally recognised procedure of bacteriological depuration, ensuring the shellfish are safe to eat. Every dish here is seasoned with the ‘white gold’ of the Sečovlje salt pans, representing a fragment of tradition preserved in the bay for hundreds of years.

The production process of “Piran salt”, protected by a Designation of Origin (PDO), is carried out using traditional methods more than 700 years old – hand-harvesting the salt, maintaining the petola (a thin layer of biological film on the surface of crystallisation basins), using wooden tools such as scrapers (gavero), and operating within an environmentally protected area. The combination of these natural conditions – clean water, stable sea currents, sunny Mediterranean climate, together with a long tradition and a commitment to environmental conservation – allows even the relatively small Piran Bay to produce high-quality products. The wealth of the sea, shellfish, salt and fish farming is no accident, but the result of cooperation between humans and nature, of experienced practice and habits passed down through generations.

When it comes to wine, Grand Café offers a rich selection from both sides of the border – from Goriška Brda, Istria, the Vipava Valley and the Karst. These regions naturally produce top-quality wines, expertly paired with dishes to create true harmony of flavour.

Finally, the sweet plates that complete the experience are the result of the chefs’ teamwork, creating genuine works of art that delight both the eyes and the palate.

Foto: Nikola Zoko