ARTE’s Fall Menu: Nine Courses Full of Memories

ARTE’s new nine-course fall menu was created by Executive Chef Patrik Andrejčák and his team as a modern interpretation of the dishes and flavors they know from their childhood. This report will be a bit longer, but just like the dinner itself at ARTE, it’s worth setting aside some time for it. So, let’s get started.

We are located just 15 kilometers from Bratislava, but the halls of the Renaissance Pálffy Manor draw us into history right from the start of the tasting dinner. Dozens of stories have been written here: the love story of Katarína Pálffy and Štefan Ilešházi; the devastating Rákóczi Uprising; and memories of the “golden age” of Svätý Jur and its winemaking traditions.

You can’t expect anything ordinary in a place like this. A fine-dining dinner led by Chef Patrik Andrejčák and his team combines the best of the past with the most original elements of contemporary gastronomy. What does that mean in practice? For example, a “tsunami in your mouth” in the form of a dessert inspired by the centuries-old almond tree in the manor’s courtyard. Or a sophisticated duck feast with truffles and top-quality cognac.

The moment we step into ARTE Restaurant, however, we have no idea what’s in store. The experience, orchestrated by Patrik Andrejčák’s team, is just beginning.

The head chef at ARTE is known for telling stories through his dishes and symbolically transporting guests back to their childhoods. That’s how the new fall menu came to be. “Each member of the team brought in their favorite childhood dish, and we tried to transform it into something completely different,” Patrik Andrejčák tells us at the outset.

We’re sitting in the lounge, where the whole experience begins, and as the head chef introduces us to the evening, an amuse-bouche—a little treat from the kitchen—appears before us. We take a bite of a small, crispy ball topped with a bacon chip, and almost immediately recognize the flavors of traditional Segedin goulash and langos. Everything is harmoniously blended—familiar yet completely new.

Next up is the head chef’s personal favorite: sour potatoes. Of course, they’re unrecognizable at first glance.

If the amuse-bouche is meant to set the guest’s mood for what’s to come, this course succeeded 100 percent.

Starting with the second course, we move directly into the restaurant. Throughout the evening, we have the opportunity to watch the kitchen team at work right from the chef’s table. It’s perfectly fine to get up from the table at any time and go over to chat with the chefs. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. Patrik Andrejčák stopped by each table several times, exchanged a few words, and, with his characteristic sense of humor, created an even better atmosphere.

But we won’t reveal any more here: the ARTE experience is built on surprises, combinations of textures, and visual effects you would never expect.

A glimpse at the new fall menu offers just a hint of what awaits ARTE’s guests over the course of nine courses. Rabbit with mushrooms, cabbage, rice, and tomatoes.

Roasted pork with Wurzelspeck, bell peppers, and potatoes. Or a twist on a favorite snack from past decades: cod with a roll. Yes, even that can take on a fine-dining form… “Since cod isn’t a Slovak fish, we used rainbow trout. Instead of mayonnaise, we use a yogurt base complemented by our homemade pickled cucumbers and shallots. The dish is topped with trout prepared using the gravlax method—essentially a kind of fish ham—and we serve a beer roll on the side,” we’re told.

The evening at ARTE Restaurant continues in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. It’s important to set aside plenty of time for it: thanks to the interactive nature of the entire dinner and the ARTE team’s sense of humor, you won’t even notice that nearly two hours have passed.

…and we still have dessert ahead of us. To be precise, one pre-dessert to prepare our taste buds for the main dessert, followed by three “little treats” in the form of petit fours. We were expecting anything but borscht, so it was definitely another big surprise.

“The borscht is transformed into a dessert in such a way that the beets take on three different forms. We have a beet sauce in the form of an espuma and a granita, which adds a sweet yet tangy element. Another component is pickled beets in three colors: yellow, red, and white-pink. We serve this with chips marinated in a blend of various spices. “Unlike classic borscht, we’ve also added orange and cardamom,” the head chef explains. The entire dish is rounded out with a refreshing sorbet made from sour cream and dill.

With each course, a new drink is served. At ARTE, you can choose between alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings for dinner. In the non-alcoholic version, our dishes were paired with fermented hibiscus and cardamom tea, a house-made cola, a drink based on red cabbage juice, and various other options. Everything is carefully thought out and presented in detail by the waitstaff in advance. In the alcoholic version, guests can also sample the exceptional flavors of local VIAJUR wines. “We do beverage pairing once we have finalized and fine-tuned our recipes. The drink must complement the flavor of the food so that the flavors blend nicely with the meal,” adds Patrik Andrejčák.

While the restaurant team drew primarily on our grandmothers’ cooking for the fall menu, they also took away one golden rule: “You don’t leave the table until you’ve finished your meal.”

We’re not leaving either, because ARTE Restaurant offers the chance to enjoy the experience to the fullest: after the final course, you can treat yourself to a night in one of the historic apartments at Pálffy Castle. This package also includes a royal breakfast the following morning.

We could write an entire article just about the semolina porridge with white chocolate and clarified butter. But there’s no need. The experience at ARTE Restaurant and Pálffy Castle simply can’t be conveyed in words. And it’s unforgettable. You simply have to experience it for yourself—with your own taste buds.