Srecni Slon Indian Restaurant, Maribor, Slovenia

...of which brings me to Srecni Slon, the first fully Indian restaurant in Slovenia. There is a terrific restaurant called the Ocarina at Bled which was the first Slovenian restaurant to own a tandoor (these things pass as monumental events in Slovenia) but it is not a fully dedicated Indian restaurant, only firing the tandoor at weekends. Circumstances conspired against us experiencing Srecni Slon and so we actually ate at Namaste in Ljubljana (capital's ...
...were able to dine at Srecni Slon even though we had known of its existence for some time.

Srecni Slon (The Happy Elephant) is unfortunately situated and it has to be said that only the dedicated curry lover would make a special effort to get there. It has become popular with a hardcore of Maribor diners who love curry but, on the whole, Slovenians have yet to embrace Indian cuisine with anything like the gusto we Brits have. However ... more

As a self-confessed travel snob I find myself forever exhorting people to be not only more adventurous in their choice of destination but to embrace the culture more wherever they go. Partly the reasons behind this are political - did you know that in many resorts Cubans are banned from the beaches around some of the international hotels - they are banned from beaches in their own country! Now you could say this is down to the regime and not the hotels but when I'm in Cuba I want to meet Cubans and not feel somehow isolated from them and able to do things they can't in their own country.

I tend to shun Irish bars not only because I want to experience something authentic but because the beer is always far too expensive and any Australian backpacker who would rather pay over the odds to drink overpriced imported beer than experience the real wherever isn't worth talking to.

I avoid international chain hotels because quite frankly they could be anywhere; instead I like independent bed and breakfasts and hostels or, better still, staying in private accommodation in the owners home, a choice that in many poorer countries actually helps someone rather than lining the pockets of multi-nationals. What better way to see how people really live than to share their home? Some of the best travel memories I have are from staying with incredibly kind and interesting people in countries like Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, Georgia, Armenia and Cuba. When you have stayed in the home of an elderly Bulgarian lady who was so desperate for the income from backpackers that she gave up her own bed and slept on the balcony, the quality of the (non-existent in this case) complimentary toiletries fades into insignificance!

Of course there is always a but. For my partner and I that 'but' is Indian food. We are both addicted, he more so perhaps. So far we have eaten at Indian restaurants in Poland, Romania, Germany, Armenia, Turkey, Finland, Estonia and Norway amongst others. We have two ways of justifying it; first Indian restaurants tend to be the cheapest option in expensive places. The other reason is that my other half is busy setting up a website reviewing the restaurants we have visited so this is research and therefore completely acceptable.

All of which brings me to Srecni Slon, the first fully Indian restaurant in Slovenia. There is a terrific restaurant called the Ocarina at Bled which was the first Slovenian restaurant to own a tandoor (these things pass as monumental events in Slovenia) but it is not a fully dedicated Indian restaurant, only firing the tandoor at weekends. Circumstances conspired against us experiencing Srecni Slon and so we actually ate at Namaste in Ljubljana (capital's first Indian restaurant - I told you that they're big on firsts in Slovenia) before we were able to dine at Srecni Slon even though we had known of its existence for some time.

Srecni Slon (The Happy Elephant) is unfortunately situated and it has to be said that only the dedicated curry lover would make a special effort to get there. It has become popular with a hardcore of Maribor diners who love curry but, on the whole, Slovenians have yet to embrace Indian cuisine with anything like the gusto we Brits have. However as Slovenians travel more outside their own country - especially to Britain - more are discovering the delights of Indian cooking.

The restaurant is situated outside the city centre, to the north of town. From in front of the railway station start heading north up the hill, cross the road at the bridge and at the end of the bridge turn left and follow the signs for Srecni Slon. Quite some time after the restaurant opened we found that many Mariborcans struggle to find the place so I fear that tourists would have problems too.

I do wonder at the choice of location. Admittedly many good Slovenian restaurants are off the beaten track and people do tend to eat locally rather than hitting the town centres but I feel that visitors to the town would rather stay central than start trying to find out of the way restaurants.

The restaurant is housed in a stand alone building with ample car parking for its size. It is quite modern and has a small but attractive outdoor seating area which I imagine is quite nice in summer. Inside the décor is something of a hotch potch; a fairly traditional bar as you enter and then the dining area behind it which is contemporary and attractive though not really 'designed'. The colours are attractive and sunny while a few well chosen artefacts here and there give a sense that this is an Indian restaurant. I must quickly mention the toilets which are the best I have found in any restaurant or bar in Maribor, well equipped and beautifully decorated with a kind of Aztec theme.

Our fist visit to Srecni Slon did not go well; we hadn't booked and turned up on a fairly busy night. Having been shown to a table we waited some ten minutes to be given a menu and when we were, we still weren't offered a drink. Then another couple came in and chose their own table and were given menus and were able to order within minutes. After twenty minutes our orders still weren't taken. When they were taken it transpired that all curry dishes contain nuts and as I am allergic to nuts this posed something of a problem. I was offered a Thai curry which frankly didn't cut it for me so we left.

Some months later when we made the decision to buy a property in Maribor we were faced with a difficult task. Unless we were going to travel down to Ljubljana every time we wanted a curry we were going to have to mend some bridges. An e-mail to Srecni Slon saying we wanted to eat there but needed nut free dishes received a positive reply. We should phone to book on arrival in Maribor and the day we were due to visit the chef would knock up a nut free curry sauce to make up both of our meals.

I am pleased to say that our next visit to Srecni Slon was terrific. Admittedly it was quiet and I am still unsure as to how good service would be at busier times. On our first visit there were only two members of staff and I felt that the junior member of staff was somewhat under-utilised while the owner ran about like a mad lady, seemingly unable (or unwilling) to delegate. In my opinion you don't keep a dog and bark yourself - it should be your staff running about while you lap up the plaudits. However on our second visit the charming owner, a British lady called Diana, made us feel at home and was very attentive.

On first glance the menu is a nightmare and if we found it confusing I am not sure how Slovenian diners must feel. When we ordered, Diana did say "It's so nice to have some customers who know what they want and how to order!" Obviously this is because as people who love Indian food we knew what we were looking for on the menu and ignored the bits that were irrelevant. I suspect that Slovenian diners willing to give Indian food a try will struggle to know what side dishes to order because the menu is so poorly constructed. It would have been much easier to say "Pick a main course, now pick a rice dish, then pick a bread and finally choose a side dish" with the various dishes listed in each section.

Another drawback is that the sauces aren't listed separately so a palak dish is only available as "chicken palak" according to the menu but there is nothing to stop them serving you lamb, vegetables or prawn with the same sauce. However, you might not think to ask for lamb instead of chicken if this was your preference, you might think that this was the only option.

The final fault I found with the menu was the long list of special prices and combinations at the beginning of the menu. First there were too many gimmicky offers and secondly, I expect a menu to follow roughly the same sort of order wherever you dine. I wasn't interested in all the different lunchtime workers and student offers as I was there in the evening and just wanted to look at what food I could order. Perhaps it would be better to list the special offers on a separate card that could be slipped in to the menu at the relevant time.

Having ordered, our food came pretty quickly as it should given that the restaurant was quiet. We started with onion bhaji and vegetable pakora. Both were surprisingly good as was the tangy sauce that came with them. For mains I chose the chicken palak which was wonderful and with the spinach in the sauce it was the most vibrant shade of green. When we ordered we asked for the main dishes to have extra heat and mine certainly did. The other half had ordered a lamb madras; since he was told years ago by a Slovene friend that they tend not to like hot spicy foods, he decided that this dish wouldn't have sufficient heat and asked for extra spice but when it came Diana said that the chef had forgotten to do this and produced a small dish of mixed spices to add to the sauce. My intrepid curry fiend was over generous with the contents of the dish and ended up with what was probably another Slovenian first - the first phal! He had to eat it however and gave a good account of himself though he reported that the lamb was overcooked.

An accompaniment of pilau rice was delicious while the naan bread was fine although it was the thin papery kind served outside of the UK rather than the beasts served in British "curry houses".

I couldn't leave without a dessert not least because Srecni-Slon only serves British puds and the Slovenian fondness for nuts in desserts means I rarely get the chance to have a sweet when dining out there. You can choose from dishes like apple pie, treacle pudding or - my choice - bannoffee pie which was absolutely delicious.

Overall the standard of the food was very good though there was the odd fault here and there. I am so pleased we decided to go back and I am sure we will be there again in the not too distant future with both our British guests and Slovenian friends. It's worth mentioning that there are now several portions of nut-free sauce in the freezer at Srecni Slon for future visits. Maribor does have some excellent restaurants but Srecni Slon can compete admirably; I only hope it's out of the way location does not prevent more people from experiencing some great food in lovely surroundings.

We paid just less £40 for three courses and drinks for two people which is on a par with other higher end restaurants in the town.

Srecni Slon
Meljski Dol 4
2000 Maribor

Tuesday - Saturday 12.00 - 22.00
Sunday 12.00 - 17.00 (Buffet only on Sundays) 

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