A good Riga start

Saturday, 02.05.

As remote as Riga and Melbourne are, one common element could be the minute by minute changing weather. This morning is cool but clear; it is not raining with moments of sun breaking through. Having learned to use all dry opportunities, we make for the Stone Bridge and an easy walk straight into town. We are excited to experience the old town’s differences in the spring, having has a memorable time here in the winter two years ago.

The route takes us past the new and controversial National Library which is where we will return for the conference in two days.

Our reacqaintance with old Riga does not disappoint. Be it May 1, the national Independence Day in a few days or another unknown occasion, Latvian flags are in abundance. We walk past the colourful Presidential building into which we ignorantly wandered into last time – without any security. However, we were soon pulled up. It is one of the oldest civic buildings in Riga. It is good to be here now and not in the middle of summer. Tourists and visitors are already in considerable numbers. Later in the season there will be crowds.

Let the images tell the story.

The official seat of the Presidency.

The uplifting spring awakening is well on the way.

The legendary Freedom Monument is on the main axis as you exit the old city.

The Freedom Monument is like a shrine to Latvians. The inscription is "To Fatherland and Freedom".

The changing of the guard. The ceremonial uniforms are from the 1930's.

The Opera House.

The legendary landmark of the Laima clock which has been a favourite meeting point in the centre of the city for  over 80 years. It has changed little in that time.

A Latvian Harley Davidson 'convention' in the centre of the old city a few days ago.

Baiba Braže, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry has arranged for us to have dinner at a restaurant. Regrettably she is not able to join us. However, we have the address, hop in a taxi and go. It has been mentioned to us that the Chef himself is looking forward to meeting us. Baiba also mentions that this is one of the better restaurants around. Sounds interesting.

Indeed, we are warmly greeted and welcomed by the Chef as important VIP’s. With great exuberance he proclaims to be a fan of Peter’s. He and his brothers who live in the UK have apparently been following Peter’s case. May be Baiba has also briefed him on Peter’s notoriety. We all take photos and selfies in various combinations on numerous phones and cameras.

Time to sit down. Martiņš Ritiņš, the Chef, offers us the tasting menu option. We promptly accept as it will simplify our decision making. Seeing that this visit has been arranged by the Foreign Ministry, we also feel confident that we will not be disappointed.

Martiņš suggests we might sample some of the edible ‘flowers’. In a vase on the table is a display of some green twigs together with other delicate looking ‘sticks’. They happen to be very fine pastry. It is intriguing to work out how they may have been produced but they taste excellent. We are also offered a selection of aperitifs and we choose some bubbly.

Martiņš is a great host. He hovers around and gives us special attention. There is a profusion of waiting staff as well. In no time at all, a plate is set before us with what looks like a 100 mm. diameter frosted glass ball. 

Martiņš makes a comment about how real global warming is while the waiters put a small gas powered blow torch on each of the ‘glass’ balls. A hole is suddenly melted to reveal an immaculately presented piece of raw fish on square of sea weed. Wow! We exclaim that he has indeed left Heston Blumenthal in the deep shadows. Yes, he says, Heston too has cooked in his kitchen. Now we know whose company we are in.

The wine waiters explain that they will be serving specially selected wine for each dish. They hover around quite ceremoniously. We begin to get the idea that this is going to be a performance occasion and not just a meal. Despite there being many other diners, Martiņš spends most of his time in conversation with us.

Next arrives the bread basket. It is a selection of five different styles, all freshly baked this morning. There are also three kinds of butter, served on a cooled piece of stone. Martiņš explains why thinks these hand made butters are the best in the world. One is very special, being mixed with finely chopped sea weed. Here is the story of his favourite butter. It comes from the Normandy region of France and is made by farmer Jean Yves Bordier. Only the best quality milk is gathered and then aged for three days and then creamed. 36 hours later the butter is hand made using traditional methods. We now understand that he is not just bragging. He travels the world, sourcing only the best products of their various kind. By now we realise that Martiņš is a very special Chef. 

Do visit his website at http://www.restorans.lv/en/  

He recounts how he brought a special sour dough starter culture which has been going for 27 years from Jerusalem on one of his visits. Because of a local disturbance, flights out of Israel were cancelled for days. With great care, he kept the culture alive in bar fridges until he could return. For that reason he feels he can fairly call his sourdough bread holy bread.

The Chef disappears for a moment and returns with one of his apprentice chefs. He offers an apology that the next seafood dish has gone wrong. He is about to humble the young man. He then explains that as a last minute gesture, he has found a tin of Riga sprats for each of us. We are coaxed to open them. As we cannot eat a can of sprats each, I suggest that we just start with one and take the others with us. However, the other waiters quickly pull open the ring-pull cans to reveal a beautifully served piece of diced raw beef, garnished and topped with the yolk of a qual egg. I have been truly tricked. They all have a laugh at how we have been caught out.

We now realise that this is very special food, prepared with loving care and attention, presented with great flair as a total sense experience and as a performance as well. Of course Martiņš sociable presence makes it even a more special treat.

Next arrives a delectable serving of foie gras ravioli, a separate piece of foie gras, topped with truffles and all garnished in a very special way. By now the various wines are beginning to stack up. We have to concentrate on what was meant for what.

Now an immaculately cooked piece of fish appears, dressed with some salads, almost more to merely look at and admire than consume. 

But we are not done yet. Next we are offered two lamb cutlets in a Middle Eastern style, with some humus, chick peas and a miniature falafel. The meat is so tender, it almost does not have the texture of meat. Martiņš tells us that he thinks this is the best lamb in the world from a special farm in Scotland. By the size of the ribs, the animal could have been only days old when he ended up on our plate. Delectable poor lamb!

To clean our palettes, we are offered some small sorbet balls, presented spectacularly in dry ice. In all the excitement, I forget to even take a photograph. To finish, we are presented with a very special chocolate desert which is better pictured than described. AND finally, a choice of more chocolate, all served with a wine that can only be described as extraordinary.

AND we even come home with a small box each, containing an immaculate piece of confectionery.

What an unforgettable experience of fine dining this has been. We would never have chosen it ourselves, either because we would not know what we are getting or that it would be well beyond us. When we are finally about to leave and ask for our bill, Martiņš absolutely refuses to talk about the cost. He assures us that it has been his pleasure meeting us and sharing his deep interest in food with us. We respond as best we can with some of Peter’s prison bread stories and African meals which are best forgotten. Finally, he even insists on organising a car to take us back to the hotel!

As we are about to leave, all quite overwhelmed, we are offered to see kitchen and meet the staff. It is not all that big with about 10 people in the kitchen but he employs about 60 people in all. He tells us that while most of his ingredients are organic, he cannot claim to offer 100% organic meals as some products would not completely qualify. He then mentions that his chickens are grown by a 14 year old boy in the UK who started just as a hobby.

We depart through the picture gallery. There we see he has cooked for any number of celebrities - the Queen, Prime Ministers and various other VIP’s. He tells us that soon he is going to Japan to offer master classes. Now we know that he is regarded as one of the best Chefs in the world, especially in the Nordic region.

This has been an absolutely amazing experience, made more so by its unexpectedness. We were hinted that Vincents is a good place to have dinner but this has been entirely something else. A visit to Riga cannot be complete without a meal at Vincent’s. It has been obviously an illustrious part of Riga. He has been cooking here for over 20 years.

What a night!!!