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About chef

It is important to understand the setting. A top chef not only explores the gastronomic side, but also the local side.

Filip’s path to the world of cooking was virtually unavoidable, as he grew up in it. He is the fifth generation of restaurant owners in his family. He learned about all sides of this job early on. Both the good and bad sides. That is why he initially chose to go to grammar school. In the middle of his education, his father asked him to help at the family restaurant. Just for two months. And he stayed. But he didn’t stay within family boundaries, he wanted more than simple tradition.

Favourite dish

Beef tail

He could eat it every day since he was little, perhaps because his father also loved it.

Favourite ingredient

Fresh, locally grown vegetables

Since he favours local produce, he will soon have a field of his own.

He took his first steps in the world of haute cuisine under Emanuele Scarello, chef at Agli Amici in Italian Udine. They still work together and Filip appreciates his opinion very much. But he discovered something more, a different experience that pushes the boundaries of the culinary dimensions, in one of the best restaurants in the world, The Fat Duck in London. The restaurant’s manager, Heston Blumental, inspired Filip to take a step further. He opened his own restaurant in Portorož and took on the challenge: to present traditional Istrian dishes so that they tell a story.

Photo: Restavracija COB archive

“There are many cooks and all can cook in their own way. If you want people to remember you, you must do something different.”

A culinary experience according to Filip means one that enables guests to enjoy food and drink in a different way. A way that surprises. He fascinates guests with the story of his cuisine and its presentation. So that guests feel how work is done and life is lived in Istria. “Fine dining at COB begins with the morning make-up in the hotel room and finishes with brushing teeth with toothpaste made from fresh raspberries and coffee beans and a refreshing mouth water with peppermint,” he explains the culinary concept named A Day in Istria. Tasty Istrian experiences in several courses come in between. The courses change according to the journey that a guest picks from the menu. It is not a traditional menu we are used to, but rather a map revealed only after correct heat treatment.

Photo: Restavracija COB archive

A good cook has a goal. To attain it, they need motivation. And that’s the beauty of it.

Today, a former member of the youth culinary national team enjoys success and praise also at the international level, from the third best young chef of Europe at European Young Chef Award 2017 to the ambassador of Slovenia – European Region of Gastronomy 2021.

Filip has found his mission in cooking outside the box. His restaurant COB (cooking outside the box) allows him to do that. He combines cooking with play, imagination with surprise, indigenousness with extravagance. The basic ingredient of a dish is simple, while the other elements that produce the wow effect are complicated. He seeks inspiration for his culinary stories in the location, culture and life in Istria. While picking olives, he thinks about how to use their leaves. His guests learn about Slovenian cuisine interactively, in a way they have not been used to here. They are part of the cooking process and finish the dish or even cook it themselves. For example, soup from sea stone. “If the soup isn’t good, it’s your fault, you cooked it,” the young chef giggles mischievously.

“The idea of a restaurant was born out of passion for top cuisine and a desire to raise the level of the Slovenian culinary scene,” says Filip, who does not hide his ambition to make COB one of the best restaurants in this part of Europe. The project is also supported by the celebrated figures of the international culinary scene, such as former director of the Michelin Guide for Italy, Mr Fausto Arrighi, and culinary master from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Mr Emanuele Scarello, holder of two Michelin stars.

Photo: Restavracija COB archive