Hey, Blurt People. Whenever you visit Slovenia’s north-eastern region Prekmurje, we advise you to stop at the Rajh restaurant. That way, you can have a fair taste of the local cuisine, including some unique courses. Indeed, the fact that the fourth generation runs Rajh restaurant guarantees an unforgettable experience. Now let’s dive into this Rajh restaurant review to see if it is the best restaurant in Murska Sobota.
About Rajh Restaurant
Family restaurant Rajh serves regional cuisine, prepared by updated recipes that respect culinary heritage. Rest assured that they perfected the recipes by family teamwork. Fine-tuning took place with a thought of the future and present need, both concerning the origin. Therefore, the Rajh restaurant menu is very appealing and made with locally sourced ingredients, some even from their vegetable garden.
Ambiance
It is impossible to miss the connection to the past when a foot hits the Rajh restaurant’s indoors. The most precious must be the old china cabinet filled with antique porcelain. Of course, more obvious are the white tablecloths among the dark wooden furnishings.
Therefore, the two-color scheme works elegantly and leaves enough room for the details. However, a more laid back atmosphere is present on the covered terrace, surrounded by greenery and faces the somewhat busy street.
Drinks
Rajh restaurant drinks menu is divided between the gin book and the wine list. Both cover bottles from all over the world but keep a special place for Slovenian pieces. With that being said, know that the wine list offers an extensive array of wine grown in proximity, which is a good enough reason for an extra day in Murska Sobota. Maybe even a stop at the Marof winery. We were especially excited to see the organic wine and many by the glass options.
Food
We liked the lightness of the greasy comforting foods and authentic home-cooking. Besides an array of regional specialties, you can choose among the European dishes with or without animal proteins. Something like Wiener Schnitzel will please fussy carnivores for sure.
Amuse-Bouche
For a start, we got to taste the homemade buckwheat bread topped with two meaningful toppings. The first canape was topped with a blend of butter and pumpkin seed oil. Oil’s extravagant flavor got through the buckwheat and pleasantly greased its way down. The next bite might be a tribute to the once-famous Rajh sandwich topped with their homemade salami. We loved the soft texture of salami that quickly bonded with horseradish cream underneath.
Appetizers
Langas
There are a few varieties of this beloved Prekmurian fast food that originates from Hungary. At Rajh restaurant, they decided on a lighter version and added yogurt to the batter. Besides the dough’s lightness, they also managed to fry it perfectly, without surplus fat absorption. The chef topped the light fritter with grated ham, horseradish, fresh yogurt, and hemp seeds to make it even more irresistible.
Tomato Soup
This place is well known for the best tomato in the country, and their tribute to this was tomato soup. The soup was intense but with balanced acidity and buffalo mozzarella for a quick split from strong flavors. We loved the sweet touch that grew through with the help of aged balsamic vinegar.
Yellow Chanterelle & Poached Egg
Perfectly poached egg provided the thick gravy along with the pumpkin seed oil to the pan-seared chanterelle. Chef added some roasted pumpkin seeds for extra texture and fresh tarragon that invigorated the heartwarming dish.
Eggplant & Tomatoes
Roasted eggplant dip turned out to be a silky delicacy with pure eggplant taste. Nothing overtook the eggplant, but all the additions were there to enrich every bite. Fresh cherry tomatoes and Italian basil added fresh notes, while pumpkin seed oil deepened its taste.
Mains
Deer
Slowly cooked deer file in sous vide ended up with the texture as soft as butter. Next to the file, we got firm bread dumplings that soaked up very flavorful gravy. In contrast, the creamy pumpkin puree and crunchy baby spinach added some color and extra taste to the plate.
Dodoli & Fungy Paprikash
This old Prekmurian dish demands muscle power to perfect lump free sticky mash by combining the boiled potato and flour. Despite its demanding start, it is a very fulfilling dish with crunchy fried onion and sour cream gravy. It is often eaten with a green salad, but we didn’t mind the fragrant chantarelle paprikash instead. It provided some extra moisture and irresistible chantarelle bounce.
Desserts
Pumpkin Cake
A cake that defied our expectations but fulfilled the sweet tooth with various flavors. First, let’s explain the base of this dessert, which has pumpkin seeds in the dough. A great base for the raspberry trio and crushed pumpkin seeds scattered around the cake. On top of the green dough was a luscious creamy filling thickened with mascarpone and cream. This vibrant dessert includes raspberry reduction and homemade raspberry ice cream beside the fresh berries.
The only thing parting it from perfection would be the absence of raspberry seeds. However, on the second thought, seeds add a trustworthy domestic charm to the plate.
Milk & Buckwheat & Honey
Beautiful and delicious is what we can say about the heavenly combination. We especially liked the dessert’s lightness as a whole, with the “dolce con latte” whispering to us “la dolce vita”. A few red currents here and there excited us with a stimulating kick like a coffee on a cold morning. Brittle gingerbread sheet between the milk cream sweetened with buckwheat honey was a symphony that we absolutely adored. The same goes for the milk ice cream rolled into crispy buckwheat popcorn on its own or combined with the cake.
Prekmurska Gibanica Ice Cream
We opted for the traditional dessert with a cooling twist instead of the original piece that is also on offer. This traditional dessert has numerous translations, with the most entertaining being the “Over-Mura Running Cake”. Joke aside, the traditional folded cake deserves a more detailed description, and you can check it here. Once you’ll get to know it, you’ll surely crave this modern twist that sees the traditional cake’s transformation into the ice cream. For a more toothsome treat, Chef added sweetened fried breadsticks and apple cubes.
Elderflower Ice Cream
A dessert that calls for an endless summer with a big scoop of homemade elderberry ice cream. Before the taste sent us straight to the seventh heaven, we were spoiled with the fabulous sweet aroma of fragrant flowers. That was even before we reached the candied ginger and vanilla crumble.
Final Thought
There is a word Rajh Restaurant is an embassy of Prekmurje (East Slovenia) cuisine and gastronomy. After our visit, we can only confirm those words and encourage all our readers to give them a visit when wandering in Slovenia. It's not only the food that it's authentic here but also the service. People here around are well known for their kindness and at Restaurant Rajh you will experience kindness at its finest.
Rajh Restaurant Review Card
8.7/10
ATMOSPHERE – 8.7/10
9.4/10
SERVICE – 9.4/10
9.4/10
PRESENTATION – 9.4/10
9.5/10
FOOD – 9.5/10
9.5/10
DRINKS – 9.5/10
9.7/10
VALUE – 9.7/10
9.4/10
Price and Location
A seasonal tasting menu with 7 courses will cost you about 80 USD. If you add 35 USD, you will get wine pairing as well. However, here is a link to the location for easier navigation.