TOP 30 PLACEMENT AFTER 3 YEARS: Restaurant "Pas Mus", operating since autumn 2022, is the third newcomer in a row on the list of the top thirty rating. It makes it to the position 20.
3 WORDS BEST DESCRIBING THE RESTAURANT: informal, creative, open.
WHY WORTH VISITING? "Pas Mus" restaurant is a cozy, minimalist, and somewhat nostalgic space created by the chefs themselves based on their ideas. The restaurant boldly explores new flavors, and the dining experience is fulfilled by direct communication. "We are, in every sense, an open kitchen, a modern and informal restaurant," emphasizes chef Vita.
The restaurant's name (which translates "At our place" in English) is somewhat ironic and, as Vita says, it brings smiles or prompts teasing moments. "If someone suggests having dinner 'at our place' to their significant other, they often get the response 'thanks, but I really don't want to eat at home anymore,' and other chefs from different restaurants start calling their places by personal names, as saying 'At Our place' changed the menu could lead to misunderstandings," Vita smiles.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MENU? The foundation of "Pas Mus" restaurant's menu is vegetables – seasonal, local, sourced from the chefs' familiar farmers, and the wild. The menu changes with the natural cycles, and the restaurant calls itself an extremely seasonal one. Guests can expect fermented products and sustainably prepared food – everything is used to the bone, and an apple is used down to the core. The restaurant follows the same philosophy in creating its environment – guests won't find any new dishes or utensils here; everything on the tables (except glasses) comes from the creators' grandmothers' cupboards or antique shops.
"Although guests usually opt for the full tasting dinner, you can spend time with us casually, like in a wine bar, choosing from a few snacks," Vita mentions, adding that the restaurant plans to offer an à la carte menu soon. The wine list features natural wines, and for those avoiding alcohol, the restaurant offers homemade kombucha or juices.
"Even though we present ourselves as a vegetable-based kitchen, our signature dish, no matter how ironically it sounds, is beef tartare with a bun, glazed with soy sauce, tradition-brewed butter, and rye bread with butter," laughs the restaurant's chef.
GUESTS RETURN FOR the informal atmosphere, the restaurant's creativity, and direct communication.
WHO WORKS IN THE KITCHEN? "Pas mus" was founded by two chefs – Vita Bartininkaitė and Matas Paulinas. However, the latter has currently stepped back from restaurant activities, and Vita has taken over the kitchen's helm alone. She is one of the few female chefs found in the kitchens of the top thirty restaurants and the only one personally steering the restaurant.
Vita studied architecture but realized that her path led to the world of food. Alongside Matas, she worked at the restaurant "Nineteen18" and trained at the best restaurant of the previous year, "Geranium," in Copenhagen.
"Behind every dish or drink is a person, their story, so in our kitchen, we have atmosphere creators," says Vita.
Photos by Robertas Daskevičius
