Hungarian rural restaurant awarded two Michelin stars! – PHOTOS

István Pesti’s restaurant is the first Hungarian rural restaurant to receive the most prestigious gastronomic award.

The Platán Gourmet in Tata is not only the first Hungarian restaurant in the countryside to be awarded a Michelin star, but the restaurant, run by chef István Pesti, has also been awarded two stars by the Michelin Guide. According to the Michelin Guide, two Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants that not only use top quality ingredients and consistently high standards of preparation of dishes with unique flavours, but where the chef’s personality and talent are clearly reflected in the refined and inspired dishes.

Platán Bistro. Photo by: György Darabos

The Platán Bistro, also located in Platán in Tata, has been included in the first independent Michelin Guide in Hungary, the Michelin Guide Hungary Selection 2022, making Platán. With this, another restaurant of Platán, which runs under the management of Vivien Varga and Mónika Varró, has become a member of the Michelin family. Platán Bistro was represented at the ceremony by Head Chef Gergely Futó. The awards were presented on Thursday evening at the Millenáris in Budapest.

“I have always believed that there is a place for a high quality rural restaurant. It took a lot of work to get here. I’d like to thank Michelin and everyone who supported me in this,” said chef István Pesti. “We are very honoured to be recognised by the Michelin Guide. We will continue to strive to serve our guests to the highest possible standards,” said Vivien Varga, Platán’s manager.

Chef István Pesti took over the kitchen of the Platán restaurant on the shores of Lake Öreg in Tata in 2015, which had been operating successfully for several years. His aim was to show that fine dining in the countryside does have a right to exist. With the help of his team and designer Zoltán Varró, he has fundamentally redefined the gastronomic concept of Platán, located between the Tata Castle and the Esterházy Palace.

The transformation resulted in the opening of Platán Bistro in the summer of 2020, currently led by Head Chef Gergely Futó, offering seasonal and locally sourced dishes in a relaxed, family atmosphere, and a year later, in May last year, the fine dining restaurant Platán Gourmet, offering a top gastronomic experience.

Using a complex mix of vegetables and spices from Platán’s own garden, the dishes are created using the most modern techniques and the highest quality ingredients, reflecting the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Esterházy family who once lived here, as well as the gastronomic tradition of historic Hungary, and are served with an exciting wine pairing.

Vivien Varga, István Pesti, Gergely Futó, Mónika Varró. Source: facebook.com/gourmetplatan

Platán’s own artisan bakery produces sourdough breads and bakery products from quality ingredients with careful attention, but you can also buy homemade jams and speciality coffees dedicated to Platán. The kiosk, set up on the shores of the Old Lake near the 234-year-old plane tree that gives the restaurant its name, offers takeaway drinks and food for those who want to walk around the lake.

The 10-bedroom Platán Udvarház and the 12-bedroom Platán Utca also reflect István Pesti’s food poems and the cultural heritage and natural environment of the area. Zoltán Varró, winner of the Gold Key Award in New York, has created interiors that are both close to nature and modern. Guests of the hotel can also share the complex experience that is unique to Platán: the unrivalled blend of nature and the built environment, the medieval moated castle, the heritage of the Esterházy family and the natural treasure of more than 200 species of birds, which guests can start their discovery with a gourmet breakfast prepared by chef István Pesti and his team, and the Platán Bird Guide.

• Read also: The Tata Bird Guide is published: collaboration, spectacular graphics, more than 250 species of birds

In 2021, the Mirror Spa was completed in the moat near Platán, designed by Zoltán Varró. The spa, which uses fresh spring water, was a finalist in the Gold Key Award in the specialty design category, and thus one of the best in the world. The mirror-clad mobile structures, which include a sauna, jacuzzi, steam room, plunge pool, massage and relaxation rooms, were designed in respect for nature and in collaboration with local conservationists at the foot of the medieval castle walls.

Platán, located 50 kilometres from Budapest, transports its guests to Tata with its own driver, so that the top gastronomy of the countryside can be enjoyed daily by the public in the surrounding towns.

The Michelin star is awarded for excellence in cuisine to restaurants that offer the finest culinary experiences to their guests. Five universal criteria are taken into account by the inspectors when awarding the star: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef and the way this manifests itself in his cuisine, and consistency – both in terms of the overall menu and the time.

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Source: HellóMagyar