Everyone’s finally back from summer holidays, which means the culture and lifestyle routes of Kaunas are busier than ever. Gastronomic, too – two brand new restaurants have recently opened their doors to foodies of Kaunas and beyond. Both of the places have exciting stories and experiences behind them, which means they’re in for the long haul.
Last week, we bumped into Urtė Mikelevičiūtė, a food blogger based in Vilnius (her blog is called DerVynas and is written in Lithuanian), while she was on her weekend getaway in Kaunas.
Urtė managed to visit both of the new spots during her stay and agreed to tell us about her experiences. Of course, later on, we discussed some of her old favourites. But first, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Snobas and Momo Grill!
Snobas, the youngest child of the centrally located Uoksas restaurant (particularly loved by Scandinavian foodies!), is situated in Arka business centre, itself a brand new building on Karaliaus Mindaugo prospect running along Nemunas riverside, a stone’s throw from Akropolis mall. “It’s a very modern and minimalist place planned down to the smallest detail”, says Urtė. She adds that “perfectionism” is a suitable word to describe Snobas, and in this case, it’s a compliment.
The restaurant industry insider also told us Snobas is a true playground of Artūras Naidenko, the head chef of both this restaurant and Uoksas, loved for a creative Scandinavian approach to traditional Lithuanian herbs, vegetables and other foods. “The recipes that didn’t make it to the menu of Uoksas are accomplished here, and I must say the food is great – it also gives you comfort”.
Let’s stroll down Karaliaus Mindaugo street until we reach Momo Grill. This steakhouse was opened by Vytautas Samavičius, one of the best Lithuanian chefs, who runs a restaurant bearing the same name in Klaipėda, a seaport in Western Lithuania. In fact, the seaside Momo Grill has always been popular with visitors from Kaunas – no wonder it opened his branch here. Finally! The restaurateurs present their concept as “Knowledge and feelings. Seasons and emotions. Tastes and memories”. Let’s hear what Urtė has to say.
“Located in a former yeast and spirits factory, the restaurant is very cosy. To sum my experience up, it’s all about grill dishes made by loving hands from quality ingredients – oh, they even have their own branded beer”. Urtė believes it’ll be love from the first sight for meat lovers in Kaunas. Breakfast lovers, too!
A frequent visitor of Kaunas and a true believer in kaunastic spirit, Urtė has a long list of her favourite places. “My first gastronomic discoveries in Kaunas were Monte Pacis and Uoksas. I later completely fell in love with DIA. I also admire what Agave does with Mexican cuisine, and I always love to visit the Indian spot called Moksha. Nuogas, the cocktail bar slash Asian fusion restaurant, is also on my list. As well as Kamerinis bar for its fantastic cocktail menu. Oh, and Kultūra, too…”
What about the nightlife? “I can’t help but mention Lizdas and Anna Mesha”, smiles the food and lifestyle blogger.