POSITION IN THE TOP 30. Gaspar, originally from the exotic island of Goa, quickly succeeded in fascinating his guests and creating an extraordinary gastronomic experience in Lithuania. Thus, from the very start of the 30 Best Restaurants in Lithuania project, this, even though pretty small, restaurant named after the owner Gaspar, confidently stays at the top of the list of the best restaurants (8th place in 2017, 11th place in 2016).
GASPAR’S STORY BRIEFLY. G. Fernandes came to Lithuania from Great Britain, however, he was born in a sunny island of Goa, while his grandparents were Portuguese. One of Gaspar’s grandfathers was a chef – he prepared food for the Portuguese colonial government and royalty. Gaspar’s mother inherited the culinary talent from him. Both parents of the chef, who became famous in Lithuania so quickly, worked in the food preparation business.
So, from the 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 personal 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 Kristina of Belarusian origin, he did not know where exactly the restaurant would be.
RESTAURANT’S UNIQUENESS. Gaspar's represents European cuisine with the influence of modern Indian cuisine. This is truly unique in Lithuania, especially having in mind that the restaurant has its secret blend of spices, which is already well recognized by regular guests, but remains hard to decipher. 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.
BRIEF MENU. 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. The restaurant’s menu changes together with the seasons.
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. Especially in the summer, both fish, meat and seafood are prepared on the grill. In winter time, the chef switches to the slow cooking when the processes are slower, longer and at low temperatures. Of course, not forgetting THAT mixture of spices that creates the Gaspar-style taste of the dishes. By the way, the kitchen very often has special offers, which are not on the menu - ask and enjoy the worth-trying Gaspar’s experiments.
CULINARY HITS. Onion bhaji with tomato and tamarind sauce, caramelized onion purée and marinated shallots – 6 Eur, chicken tikka served with cucumbers, yoghurt sauce and crispy bulgur – 6 Eur, Gaspar’s mother curry (with chicken, shrimp or Jumbo shrimp) – 11-20 Eur, turmeric ice cream with pistachio cream, butter biscuit crumbs – 6 Eur.
