Štangl presents a new autumn menu, with seasonality and ingredients in the main role
A tasting dinner at Štangl
The new autumn menu is based on Štangl's long-standing philosophy - to cook from what tastes best right now. The team of chefs led by Martin Štangl works with respect for nature, and gives prominence to ingredients from small local farmers and growers.
"What grows, what is fresh and what is of high quality determines what appears on the guests' plate. You could say that the menu at Štangl is written by nature itself. We cook from what is in season and in the best condition," says Chef Martin Štangl.
Guests can enjoy, for example a starter of Czech wagyu with Jerusalem artichoke, ponzu and horseradish. "With the wagyu, which we age in our restaurant, we serve a doughnut made of Jerusalem artichoke from the Oleško farm. Veronika and Renata specialise in growing Jerusalem artichokes and are putting this almost forgotten, but traditional ingredient for our region, back on our plates," says Martin Štangl, describing the new starter.
The doughnut is decorated with ponzu jelly, which Štangl produces with Václav Smolík's Oceteria. The course is complemented by horseradish mayonnaise made from kefir, herbs from his own hydroponic farm and freshly grated horseradish - Czech "wasabi", which is full of flavour in autumn.
The main course consists of roasted pikeperch from Mr. Kalenda's Chabrybarna. In Štangl it is prepared in butter with herbs and served with a delicate cauliflower puree, egg white garum and a dressing of hazelnuts, apple balsamic from Oceteria, shallots and trout roe. The freshness of the course is underlined by pickled elderberries. "We have elderberries from Mr Lesny's summer harvest. Thanks to preserving, fermenting and pickling, we can draw on the abundance of summer all winter long," adds Martin Štangl.
A sweet ending in the form of smoky plums was provided by chef-sugar maker Sabina Keltrnerová. The autumn fruits were complemented by chocolate mousse, fig leaf ice cream and plums smoked on walnut leaves. "I'm not a fan of heavy autumn desserts. I wanted to add a freshness to the earthy ingredients," explains the chef, adding that the dried fig leaf ice cream surprises with the smell of coconut.
A wider range of wines and a shortened three-course menu option
During the evening service, guests can also enjoy a newly expanded wine list. It has been designed by the Stangl team together with Sommelier Martin Kleveta, who has been through several Michelin starred establishments and now works as head sommelier at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London.
"We wanted to give the wine list a new, clear and simple format where the guest can find all the drinks on our menu. We've expanded it to include wines from the world's better-known wineries, but we remain true to our philosophy. We still have an important role to play Czech and Slovak winemakers, but we have added to our offer so that every guest can choose," says Rudolf Herman, general manager of Štangl restaurant.
The new wine list currently includes around 120 items - In addition to wines from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, guests will find wines from Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Georgia and, for a change, one from California.
"We work with winemakers who understand the soil on which their wines grow. A sense of terroir and respect for nature is important to us," adds Herman.
Guests can now enjoy an experiential dinner in two ways - they can choose between a five-course or a shortened three-course version. Each guest can choose the individual courses from the menu according to their preference.
"Although we are a tasting restaurant, we're seeing a trend where people don't want to spend as much time in restaurants. This way we want to allow guests to experience the atmosphere and service of a tasting restaurant in a shorter time.," explains chef Martin Štangl, who has expanded the menu to include a new three-course option.
Restaurant Štangl is open from Tuesday to Saturday, always from 18.00 to 23.00. In addition, every Saturday the restaurant serves a three-course breakfast.
