Martynas Praškevičius opened its doors in February restaurant "Dziaugsmas" already has its own group of regular visitors, who happily taste new dishes made from Lithuanian production. Original recipes, combinations of unexpected ingredients and games of taste all together create something unique restaurant The menu. More precisely, not a restaurant, but a bistro. The famous chef, who constantly emphasized this, explained that the difference between a bistro and a restaurant is that this type of place aims to make people more relaxed, surrounded by a less committed environment, and some of the food here is offered to be eaten with your hands: "We want people to share here. food, would eat with hands and get them dirty, would feel and behave more freely".
According to M. Praškevičius, the cuisine of this bistro is based on Lithuanian products, but this does not mean that Lithuanian dishes are prepared here. Not really. The decision to make Lithuanian-grown vegetables, Lithuanian meat, and fish took a long time to mature. The chef shares the joy he gets from going to Lithuanian food markets and buying fresh, local vegetables: "What good is a tomato or cucumber when you buy it out of season. It has only its form, but neither smell nor taste can be found in it." The chef is looking forward to the actual spring, when the root vegetables will be replaced by greens and other vegetables that have just grown.
Having worked in the kitchen for many years, the chef admits that everything happens: sometimes ideas come to mind as soon as you see the products, and sometimes you can look at them all evening, but no thoughts will arise. "Tuna and shrimps don't necessarily have to be tasty, you can create great flavors with beetroot," M. Praškevičius shares his experience. When asked if he still has the energy to cook at home after spending the whole day preparing food, one of the best Lithuanian chefs opens up: "At home, there is home-made food, among which you can find frozen dumplings, mayonnaise, and meatballs, but I often cook soup for my son when I come back from work." .
The chef does not hide that the restaurant business requires a lot of love, energy, and patience, but he notices that this year the restaurants that opened in the capital restaurants they seem the same and indistinguishable: "I used to find restaurants more interesting and diverse, but now you can't understand what they are about and what they offer. Of course, there are good ones, but we would like more such places. After all, frozen shrimp and avocados have not surprised anyone for a long time."
Author of the article: Kamilė Zaleckaitė
