Where the Eye Tastes First
Plate aesthetics have become an inseparable part of contemporary cuisine. They are no longer intended merely for visual impact, but serve as an expression of the chef’s relationship with ingredients, space, and guests. Every line, colour, and texture has its purpose – complementing flavour, telling a story, and enhancing the overall experience. Today, a plate is no longer just a vessel for food, but a canvas where creativity meets a sense of balance. This is why plating is no longer simply the final step before serving, but a thoughtful and essential part of the creative process.
Two JRE Slovenia Chefs on the Dialogue Between Aesthetics and Flavour.
What do you shape first – flavour, story, or the visual appearance of a dish?
Igor Jagodic, Restavracija Strelec: When creating new dishes, flavour is always our top priority. We develop and test a dish for as long as necessary until we are completely satisfied with the taste, or until the dish is truly very good. Once the flavour is perfected, we shape the visual presentation, and we never add or remove ingredients purely for visual reasons. A story is not essential for a new dish for us – except in the case of certain special themed events.
Jure Brložnik, Miza za štiri: All three qualities intertwine. It is impossible to create only flavour or only appearance. And impossible to create only a story. The story is, of course, the beginning – without it, we can wander aimlessly in our thoughts and minds in search of the best. But that is not me. In everything I try to find meaning, and I take every detail on the plate seriously, because it has to be there. I never work in the sense of “I need something red on the plate, something green” – I do not follow any kind of formula – correctness, something modern, something refined. The appearance must, of course, support the story, while at the same time influencing the flavour.
Every detail on the plate matters — nothing is there by accident.
Miza za štiri
How important is the visual impression of a dish to you?
Igor Jagodic, Restavracija Strelec: The visual impression is extremely important – it can excite the guest even before they start eating. The appearance of a dish has always been very important to me, and even more so in recent years, as social media posts have become part of the culinary experience. A beautifully presented plate can reach many people and perhaps convince a new guest to come and visit us.
Jure Brložnik, Miza za štiri: The most important. It is the guest’s first contact with the dish and one of the two moments when you have their complete attention. The second is the moment when the guest tastes the dish for the first time. The first bite. Interestingly, the story is often the least important element for the guest. Sometimes it is even too much for them – even though without it, the plate would not exist at all.
A dish is finished when it’s so good I could eat it every day.
Restavracija Strelec
When do you know a plate is finished – what is your inner criterion?
Igor Jagodic, Restavracija Strelec: My inner criterion is quite simple – a dish is finished when it is so good that I could eat it every day without any trouble (… and not get tired of it – which is quite a high standard). Of course, just to be safe, I always check with the team as well.
Jure Brložnik, Miza za štiri: I always know when. How? Because I simply know it is never finished. Every dish evolves from week to week, which is why I will never say – it’s finished, it can’t get any better. It always can! There is always another detail. And yes, it is not necessarily on the plate itself… We may often forget this, but it is just as important a part of the dish as a whole.
