Helyszín címkék:
Gastronomic excellence in the moat – interview with István Pesti
Francisck Réka Alíz
Simple, yet sophisticated... timeless, yet innovative and creative – that’s what you can read on the Platan Gourmet community pages about the cuisine your guests will encounter. What would you add to the above?
Here, the guest receives a complete package experience – it is important to emphasise this. Our strength lies in our tastes, but I am convinced that food affects many, if not all, of our senses: smells also evoke feelings and moods, and in many cases, they evoke pleasant memories. Personally, I’m not just concerned with the kitchen, I’m more concerned with the “round whole”. In the idle times, we talk a lot with colleagues, I go through the guest journey, from what the guest is greeted with upon entry, to where and what farewell gift they receive. Arrival is more of a process than a brief moment, as the restaurant is located on the moat level, connected to the salons of the Platan Mansion by a long tunnel with a wine cellar atmosphere, and after an aperitif, you can walk through these salons and the corridor to reach the dinner venue. On the way, they usually admire our wine safe and champagne list, and when they arrive, the spectacle is complete.
It is a theatre, or more precisely a gastro-theatre, in which a “gag” is not only allowed, but also necessary. We, for example, float truffle smoke curls to the guests. We need some humour to ease any tension in the guest – and not in an intrusive way.
What does a good service look like?
Elegant and kind, professional and direct. The sommelier, for example, doesn’t recite like a memorised poem what you need to know about a wine, but rather talks about the drinks. I’m now very proud of our service, which is done by 6 people, and the same number of chefs and 2 sommeliers work diligently in a team of 14.
Two gourmet packages are available from April this year. What is the fundamental difference between them?
If you book a seat in the Flavours and Senses room, you can dine in the upscale blue and white lounge in an intimate setting away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, while dinner in the Chef’s Table room is interactive thanks to the visual kitchen, where parts of the meal are prepared and served on illuminated chef’s tables. The menu is the same, with practically 18 different dishes (3 snacks, butter and bread, amuse bouche (a kind of welcome snack), 2 starters, 1 soup, 3 main courses, 2 desserts and petit fours (miniature desserts)).
How frequently is the menu renewed?
About every three months. Of course, there is one flagship item, the so-called “signature dish”, to which we (and our guests) stick: the egg (at the time of writing, available in the form of soup) and the duck liver (served as a torchon, see the photo above).
I strive to bring nature in as much as possible, and our own garden offers a good basis for this.
To sum up, we can formulate it in the following, sophisticated way: the menu reflects the seasons and the natural values surrounding the lake, while, at the same time, evoking the spiritual heritage of the Esterházy family who once lived here and the gastronomic traditions of historic Hungary.
Is this in line with the Hortobágy pancakes with crab, or the hunters’ wild game stew served meat-free in bao?
Michelin, we believe, to some extent “expects” there to be some consistency in the menu, but we are not driven by a desire to conform – we do things our way.
Our mission is rather to maintain a healthy curiosity. Our guests’ one as well as our own, as the backcountry needs to be motivated, too. It’s good to feel the buzz, the momentum.
This is a creative profession, and we like to experiment with ingredients, techniques and cuisines from different nations. We need to be able to live our energies, our emotions – and ultimately this is what we put on our plates, in the form of a dish. This is also good for cohesion within the team. I also offer my colleague who works in the cold kitchen the opportunity to help dream up the menu, if she feels like it. It’s important to ensure that everyone feels ownership of what we offer, and it is also important that the visuals, message and style match. When Platán Gourmet opened in 2021, it was clear that this was the direction. We wanted to create a place that could operate well anywhere in Europe.
Now that this has been achieved, what is the next step?
Last year was a tough year, but the fruits of this have now been reaped. From now on, our job is to stabilise this quality and to show that Platan Gourmet also executes its mission internationally. Of course, I always have food-related ideas in mind, but also other ideas to enhance the guest experience. I find joy in progress. I think there is still more potential in the natural and built assets that surround us. The culture and history that permeate this fabulously beautiful setting is exceptional, and the city of Tata – less than an hour from the capital – is worth a visit in itself. This was evident when I came here 8 years ago, proving that it was possible to excel in the rural gastronomy scene. I can say that it was not a pleasant torchlight procession all the way. However, I have a bulldog temperament, and the patience to match it, and the ideas I have put forward have been acknowledged and accepted here.
It feels good to be vindicated by life. It also proved that it is possible to take a Michelin-starred restaurant above break-even point and keep it there.
Platan Gourmet also had to become economical. Creating and living our 12-course menu is no cheap affair, even without wine pairing – but nowhere in the world is it in a two-star restaurant. I think that those things are expensive which are not worth purchasing and not those which cost a lot. It is already clear that there is a demand for this type of gastronomy in Hungary. We would like to see a revival of the desire to get to know us and Tata, along with our Hungarian and expat guests, in foreigners, as well. Have a great dinner here, go for a walk around the lake, sleep here at the Platan Mansion, have a light lunch the next day at the Platan Bistro or other restaurants around the lake, eat a delicious pastry here in the adjacent Castle Salon or a pastry at the Platan Bakery, and move on to explore other charming places in this small country.
