When Gaspar opened his restaurant in Vilnius, he at once received many compliments and ensured a flow of regular customers, which has been uninterrupted ever since. This encouraged the chef of Indian origin to think of means to expand.
CHEF.
Gaspar came to Lithuania from Great Britain, however, he was born in a sunny island of Goa, while his grandparents were Portuguese. This child of different cultures grew up in the family which worked in the food industry all its life.
One of Gaspar’s grandfather’s was a chef – he prepared food for the Portuguese colonist government and royal persons. Gaspar’s mother took over the culinary talent from him. Both parents of this chef, who became famous in Lithuania so quickly, worked in the food preparation business.
So from early childhood, Gaspar knew that he also wanted to be a chef. Seeking that objective, he graduated from a prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in London. He worked in many places and is not ashamed to admit that he started from washing dishes. His record – 600 plates a day. Later on, his positions became increasingly more important and creative. Finally, he worked in the kitchen of a prestigious golf club Wentworth Golf Club in London.
Having come to live in Vilnius (because of love), Gaspar did not think twice about what to do. He knew long ago that he was going to have his own restaurant, however, before he met his love Krystsina of Belarusian origin, he did not know where exactly the restaurant would be. Thus it is in Vilnius that Gaspar opened his first restaurant which represents European cuisine with a flavour of the modern Indian cuisine.
DINNER.
The restaurant’s menu changes together with the seasons. Gaspar brings a part of special ingredients from Great Britain, he also has suppliers who supply the necessary ingredients from other countries. And spices, certainly, are sent to him by his family from India.
The restaurant has its secret blend of spices, which is already well recognised by regular visitors, but it still remains hard to decipher. Even the woman Gaspar loves does not know all the constituent parts of the blend.
Certainly, when preparing dishes inspired by India, the chef cannot do without local products, either. Gaspar strongly supports Lithuanian producers and farmers. For instance, he buys butter only from small farms, coffee – from Emanuelis (Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories), whisky – from Šarūnas (King & Mouse), potherbs – from Evaldas’ farm, etc.
The chef of Indian origin has noticed that Lithuanians like the smell of smoke. Thus, in this restaurant, quite a number of dishes are cooked on a grill, but with an Indian flavour. The culinary knowledge transferred from generation to generation helps Gaspar when he looks for uniqueness while combining different cuisines and using Lithuanian products and Indian spices. Up until now, he prepares a part of dishes in the restaurant according to his mother’s recipes, however, the other part is a 100% creation of the chef.
Work in the kitchen and experimentation is an integral part of each day of Gaspar. He spends most of his time in the restaurant, therefore, it is only natural that Gaspar’s visitors soon feel as if they are at somebody’s place as guests. And it is natural – because the restaurant is now the chef’s home!
CIGARS AND A WINE LIST.
In this restaurant, the menu is supplemented with cigars and a wine list. The chef orders wine from Vyno Klubas (The Wine Club) in Vilnius. By the way, he gladly sells by glass not only gourmet wines but also champagne. While in summer, on an open-air terrace, he suggests trying special cigars, which the visitors can choose on the spot.
BRUNCH.
Every Sunday, Gaspar’s serves brunch. Gaspar’s brunch is healthy, light and motivating. On the menu, you will always find an Eggs Benedict, at least 3 cold dishes, 2 main courses, a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit as well as desserts.
INTERESTING.
From India, the chef brings special spices, which you can find only in Goa. The restaurant would not function without this blend of spices, and Gaspar says it very seriously that in case of a shortage of these spices he would close the restaurant until the spices arrive. In fact, this year he already was close to that, however, his sister managed to send one kilogram of the spices through express couriers for crazy money, which saved Gaspar until a normal parcel arrived. These special spices are prepared by Gaspar’s family in India, therefore, he is confident that no one else in Europe has such a blend of spices.
