Miroslav Sticynskij
M. Personally I am against all this adding something in style… it’s the same as trying to put something or someone in a cage. I think chefs must be free; they must be able to effect how they cook as well as the kitchen, products, guests and mood. For me cooking is my form of expression, my culinary element of hip hop culture, my way of expression. After classic Russian and Lithuanian cooking education, my chef in my first job told me forget all you know, it’s a good base but we will teach you a different way of cooking; the initial years of classic French, British, Italian and Spanish cuisine. It was fun …but I’m a curious person, I need more. When I discovered Scandinavian trends of mixing Asia and Europe, not standard aesthetics, not standard tastes it was about 15 years ago… after that I started to travel with a Lithuanian culinary team from competition to competition, books, videos, schools in France, Italy, new trends, styles, molecular gastronomy, new countries, a year of training in Iceland, then Thailand for 5 years, and now Slovakia. A chef must be a student forever, adding more sounds, more colors, and more techniques to your palate. The more I know, the more I understand how many more things I need to know.
Where did you get your inspiration for the food you create?
M. Music, nature, friends, books, streets, guests, etc.
Green Buddha
Can you tell us a bit about what will be new on the menu, any hints at what might be served to guests?
M. The strongest part of Green Buddha is that we are trying to be more authentic, we respect Thai culture and tradition, which is why a big part of our menu, same as the menu before, is typical Thai food, it’s like a short trip to Thailand… it’s not easy but we are trying . The second part of the menu is my playground with the dishes I am trying to play with food. This kitchen has limitations, has specifics, and I am trying to make the best under these conditions. As I see from the old menu, guests like it and I hope they will like it even more with the new menu.
Was there anything that surprised you during your research for creating dishes for the new menu?
M. No, I am not doing research; I am finding mood, and just drawing my ideas in my “black book” , when starting to think what we can do and what not, the cost, how to serve it, even how my chef can rape the dish when I am not in the kitchen, no surprises just cooking mathematics.
Green Buddha
What kind of experience do you want to give diners with the new updated menu?
M. I want guests to leave their comfort zone when enjoying food, it is much more when standards propositions from around ...people can travel with the help of food, in different parts of world and even into the world of the chef.
What's next for you and Green Buddha?
M. What next? I don’t know… I don’t like to plan, you can create the world from your expectations and dreams, but it will stay only in your mind. Life will reveal what to do next…
By Mark Ladiver
Green Buddha
