No. 23 Selfish

TOP 30 PLACEMENT. This seafood specialist made its debut in the Top 30 last year, and has succeeded holding steady in the mid-20s this year – thanks mostly to its solid and perennially popular à la carte menu.

WHY VISIT? If you’re looking for a touch of sultry Mediterranean joie de vivre, Selfish is the place. Here, fresh fish and seafood are served without frills and at reasonable prices. The Vainius family’s genius concept comes straight from the shores of southern Europe, where oysters and mussels are not the stuff of fancy restaurant menus, but a popular daily treat. This is the only fish and seafood restaurant in Vilnius that imports its produce directly, cutting out the middleman. That means oysters from Ireland and France, tuna from Spain, sea snails from France, mussels from Holland and octopus from Portugal. The Vainius family even imports wines and champagnes independently from France and Italy. Selfish is the only Lithuanian stockist of Hostomme Champagne, and will shortly begin providing wines from the family vineyard of Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli.

BRIEF MENU DESCRIPTION. Seafood lovers will be overwhelmed by the choice on offer at Selfish: from oyster varieties you won’t find elsewhere in Lithuania, through tuna prepared as tataki, tartar and steak, to seafood stew, scallops, soft-shelled crab, caviar, sea snails, herring, cod, and mussels prepared up to six ways. Last year, Selfish sold over 12 tons of mussels.

Although the side dishes vary according to the season, main dishes remain steady. “Consistency is a part of the skill,” says the restaurant owner.

CULINARY HITS. The four cornerstones of this restaurant are oysters (sentinelle and ostra regal; EUR 3); mussels (à la marinière and Thai; EUR 12 and EUR 16); tuna tataki (EUR 9) and octopus (EUR 18).

TEAM. The entire Vainius family has been involved ever since the restaurant opened: Renatas works at the bar shucking oysters; his wife Ingrida takes care of administrative matters while one daughter, Gabija Monika, deals with marketing and the other, Kamilė Liucija, works the restaurant floor. Renatas and Kamilė spend most of their time at Selfish.

Chef Tadas Vibrantis came from the restaurant Režisierius in Kaunas. Prior to that, he spent seven years working at a variety of restaurants in London, the most famous being the seafood restaurant J. Sheekey. He studied the culinary arts at Westminster Kingsway College.