What are we looking for, those of us who like to deal with restaurants or gastronomy? Do we search at all, or do we find? Do you know the feeling of coming across a restaurant or a culinary moment that is both incredibly moving and the answer to my previous questions?
No matter how your answer turned out, mine today is Pas Mus. Lithuanian for “with us”. It was the fourth of the new Michelin-starred restaurants in the Lithuanian capital that I visited recently. Vita Bartininkaitė runs the small restaurant, which looks almost inconspicuous from the outside, together with a team of just four people. And in my opinion, this spot alone is reason enough to take the next flight to Vilnius immediately.
There is no fixed menu, the individual courses are determined by the availability of the products – the classic carte blanche principle. There is also no fixed wine pairing. Sommelière Monika Apčinikovaitė tends to create the latter in individual dialog with the respective guest – and of course depending on the bottles currently open. The focus is primarily on France. No wonder, really, as Monika spent many years there in prestigious establishments before returning home.
The menu starts with a plate of fermented fruit and pickled vegetables, especially the green strawberries and the pickled tomato.
As beautiful as the dining room is, candlelit, airy and open, it is much better to sit directly at the kitchen counter. A focus on the essentials – and always the option to ask about one or two details. Such as the provenance of the oysters, on which some lardo is currently being melted: Huȋtre plate from Brittany are being served this evening. Together with the delicate melt and increased fat content, a good accompaniment to the first glass of champagne currently in the glass.
Vita Bartininkaitė also takes a look back at childhood dishes. The classic Lithuanian dark bread daujėnų duona, here with caraway seeds, is served with radishes, nut butter, salt flakes and sour cream with wild garlic oil.
Tartelettes are very popular in Vilnius at the moment and can be found in almost all the best menus. But that’s not a bad thing, on the contrary, they make an ideal base for beautiful fillings. As in this case, based on chanterelles, a potato foam and sliced egg yolk. Topped with a small mountain of smoked Džiugas cheese.
Before the Pas Mus moved into the premises on Pilies Street, the oldest and most ornate street in the old town, four years ago, a pizzeria was located here. The scallop pizza is a small reminiscence of its predecessor. While I’m still taking photos, I can already hear enthusiastic sounds from the tables next to me. The people sitting next to me are spot on: it’s simple and sensational. The wafer-thin pastry is topped with a mushroom cream and a homemade tamari sauce, a wheat-free soy sauce. Then the cool, sumptuous slices of scallop on top.
We continue with another highlight: a coarsely sliced tartare of 70-day matured beef with dashi made from our own koji shio (porcini mushrooms). Accompanied by a very mature butter that reminds me of the intensity of the Sensations butter at Fäviken. The trio is completed with warm brioche. Butter, brioche, tartare – every bite is slightly different, depending on the proportions of the three components.
Before the finale, the vintage second-hand dishes (which I really like, by the way) are served with a little Palate Cleanser: an ice cream made from tomato water and leaves. Light and creamy, with a salty accent provided by Siberian farmed caviar. While we are still raving about the tomato ice cream at the counter, Vita takes another creation out of the cold store: asparagus ice cream!
Pure and so good: the long matured duck breast with duck jus. The reduced stock has seen no other ingredients on its journey. Reduced from twenty liters of liquid to 500ml. Intense and full. Pickled gooseberries keep the plate in balance with a slight acidity. Lucky whoever has put aside a small piece of the daujėnų to soak up the second helping of the sauce.
A shaved cherry ice cream with fermented rose petals and a rowan mousse with dried apples and rum plums round off the menu, but cannot quite match the incredibly strong tomato or asparagus ice cream.
The evening at Pas Mus Restoranas touched me. Of the many fabulous restaurants we visited during our four days in Vilnius, it will stay with me the longest. Chef Vita is extremely consistent in her ideas, and the connection to the place and the season is always palpable. Fortunately, there are not many of the mannerisms that restaurants at this level tend to develop. The interaction with the whole team is consistently friendly and authentic, and there are no memorized explanations about the origin and preparation of the products (of course, you can learn a lot if you ask). It currently feels like a slightly unpolished diamond, in the most positive way. The evening reminded me of the early phase of Ernst in Berlin, when it was still operating as a pop-up in various locations around the city. In this context, Pas Mus absolutely has what it takes to develop into a destination dining spot – or rather to be perceived internationally. A restaurant that makes you travel. In this case, you should plan a few days, because there is plenty to see and discover in Vilnius…
An overview of all the other restaurants visited can be found next door at Stevan Paul:
Vilnius – a culinary journey in 16 stops
Detailed reports on the other starred restaurants in Vilnius from our colleagues at Sternefresser:
Pas Mus – pure Lithuania
Nineteen18 – one star, one horn
Dziaugsmas– joy
Go Vilnius Tourism Office website
book airBaltic flights from Germany
Disclosure: This report was produced as part of a press trip. Go!Vilnius is one of the clients of our agency Kaiserhappen.
