POSITION IN THE TOP 30. For the last two consecutive years, Monai ranked the list of 30 Best Restaurants in Lithuanian in the 4th place, but this year shot straight into the 2nd place! Such an assessment means that officially it is the best restaurant in the Lithuanian seaside and one of the best in the whole country.
BRIEF RESTAURANT’S STORY. Well-known chef Vytautas Samavičius had dreamt long about a place in Klaipėda where you could spend an evening with your family, organize business meeting or just spend your time with friends, a place where the plates are full of improvisation, seasonal character and elegance. However, first the steak restaurant Momo Grill was established, and only later – Monai. By the way, both Samavičiai family restaurants are located on the same Liepų street.
RESTAURANT’S UNIQUENESS. Restaurant’s guests and the kitchen masters are separated only by a glass partition. Thus, guests of the restaurant, practically are sitting in the kitchen. Thus, is just another feature which helps to create unique ambiance and confidence in what you eat. Excellent service, the creative potential of the chef and delicate elegance on the plates contribute to this - all of this creates a unique experience in this restaurant.
BRIEF MENU. In Monai, dishes are lighter, subtler and more stylish than in the neighboring Momo Gril. Here, Vytautas experiments more and looks for more diverse tastes and more interesting structures. Besides, here, more fish dishes are served – quests of the restaurants will always find at least 2-3 fish dishes and 1-2 meat options. In Monai, fish is prepared fresh, i.e. chilled, first kept on the ice in vacuum. Those who understand that, appreciate this method. Moreover, the menu now includes more dishes meant for sharing. Plus, it includes more one-bite dishes intended for larger groups of visitors.
CHEF. Vytautas has been on internships and worked in restaurants abroad, including Noma in Copenhagen which has been acknowledged as the best restaurant of the world several times. When he came back to Lithuania, V. Samavičius was probably the first among the renowned kitchen chefs to open his own catering place back in 2010. Before Momo Grill and Monai, he and his wife Kristina owned „a bistro with a creative cuisine“ – La Cle. Even before that, he worked as the chef in Navalis hotel as well as in restaurants Skandalas and Radisson Blu.
SPACE. The Samavičiai family had a building in mind for the restaurant Monai for a long time, however, it was not easy to persuade the owner to lease the building for a restaurant. Finally, a deal was made, and currently all the parties are happy. Before that, this building used to house a prosecutor’s office, and the premises of the current kitchen used to house the mysterious black room.
