The Hotel Sopron is a long-established restaurant, which was joined in 2017 by the vehement, versatile, creative chef -Csomós András ZAKAnT Restaurant opened in 2019, and he told us about the real chef life, without the icing.
Last time we had the chance to meet you at the Ikon restaurant. How did you get from Debrecen to Sopron?
I was once told I'd rather have 10 restaurants in 5 years than 1 restaurant in 10 years in terms of jobs for a chef. I have stuck to that and I try to keep improving because I think that's what makes any profession beautiful, that you can get better and better, and I have taken the opportunity. Of course, many people don't think like that and like routine, but with ZAKAnT I saw another chance to become an even better chef. It wasn't an easy situation, as I had to bring my family up from Debrecen, but we had moved a few times and eventually got used to it. András Gendúr, who was helping the hotel develop as a consultant at the time, contacted me to see if he would be interested in a little climate change (470km). First I came alone for 3 months to Sopron, we got to know each other, we thought together with the two managers of the hotel, Tímea Szarjas and István Soltész, and then I started because I liked it.
Hotel Sopron has been a well-known hotel close to the city centre for decades. Does the restaurant fit in with this classic line or is it a new direction?
I try to use as much 21st century technology as possible and create classic, beautiful but cool dishes that fit the hotel's image but also add to it. I love Hungarian, traditional flavours, which is why, for example, the delicious stew is sometimes on the menu - of course, it's a little different to what you're used to in the canteen. But you need a sense of trust from the guests, which we have been feeling more and more since we opened. True, the epidemic has intervened, and since we opened in autumn 2019, we have a smaller regular clientele for now, but they are very enthusiastic and grateful. They challenge us, we talk, they ask questions, and then they are more and more brave to taste. We prepare the hotel meals ourselves, and when they see that even at breakfast the ham is premium, the pastries are fresh, they start to get interested in the à la carte is. That's how it goes, with a lot of hard work, which is slowly, slowly bearing fruit.
You said you got testicles from faceless places. What do you mean by that?
There is no democracy in our kitchen, or rather, after a point, there is no democracy. When a new menu is created, we sit down, we discuss it, I look forward to and accept good ideas. Then we boil it down, re-evaluate, talk it through. Up to this point, you can have a say in what we do together, but after that I expect everyone to do what we have discussed. When we cook in real life, the plates are prepared, and all we have to do is follow the instructions, and everyone has to stick to them. You know, like in Ludas Matyis: „You'll be the chief weed-picker, if there's no leader, the army will scatter”. All the people are equally important in the game, but there's always one who takes the blame. That's how a team can work well, and let's not forget that I bring my own skin to the fair, because my name is on the menu.
“I ask one thing of all chefs and waiters: only serve food that you would serve to your lover or your mother. No exception to this rule.“
What technologies are you working with, what is the main thrust?
We mostly use the method that the raw material itself requires. Of course, we sauté, confit, use thermomixx and try to make healthy food without waste. I'm thinking of using almost no flour, and I thicken my stews with my own ingredients. Of course, there is also xanthan and agaragar in the kitchen through molecular gastronomy. Still, I think the most important thing is seasonality and sourcing local ingredients. That doesn't mean I have to cross my fingers if something else is on the plate, I just strive to do that. Sometimes a tiger prawn goes perfectly with a steak and passion fruit in a cake, no problem there either. It's all about harmony, harmony in taste, harmony in texture, harmony in sight.
What is the difference between running a hotel and a bistro?
As an outsider, I thought the hotel was monotonous, but it's the opposite. I really enjoy having several projects running in parallel. Sometimes, in one week, the à la carte we are preparing for a birthday party, a wedding, a conference. Each one is different, varied, requires creativity, logistics, and that's what I like. Of course, you can go crazy if you don't pay attention, but let's just say that the name of the restaurant is just a reference to the railway.
- Finally, one of the restaurant's favourite recipes, shared by the chef himself:
Rye duck, cauliflower, barley
Duck
for 4 persons
4 nice duck breasts with skin
salt
Clean the breasts and put them in a 6% salt solution for 2 hours, then put them in a vacuum bag with a little butter and rosemary. Sous vide at 58 degrees for 55 minutes.
Fold in the skin side and cook slowly in a cold pan, when the skin is crispy flip and cook the other side. Let rest for a few minutes and serve.
Cauliflower puree
White cauliflower 0,6 kg
Butter. 0,05
Milk 0,5
Garlic 1 clove
Salt
Wash the cauliflower, cut into roses and cook in the milk until soft with the garlic.
Make a silky puree with the butter. Keep warm until serving.
Pickled cauliflower.
Coloured cauliflowers 0,3 Kg
Tomato vinegar 0,1 Kg
Granulated sugar 0,1 Kg
Wash the coloured cauliflowers and cut them into roses. Then marinate in salad vinegar. (Pour the boiling juice over the cauliflower roses and leave to cool.)
Gersli crispy
Gersli 0,2 Kg
Parmesan 0,05 Kg
Vaj. 0,05 Kg
Panko crumbs
Eggs
Salt
a large quantity of parsley greens
Meat soup
The gersli is cooked in a broth like a risotto. Add the butter, parmesan and an unduly large amount of parsley and leave to cool. Roll out the cooled mass and freeze. Bread and fry while frozen.
To garnish, you can use radish rings and coloured pearl onions, parsley oil and be sure to add some pecuniary stock or jus.
