PROMO Dining / January
FISH HOUSE
BRASSERIE
DE
LUXE –
a casual gourmet experience
Publicity photos and
by Dāvis Ūlands (F64)
Executive chef Jānis Zvirbulis
120
/ airBaltic.com
Riga has long deserved a restaurant
for lovers of fish and seafood at which
everything served truly falls under the
definition of ‘haute cuisine’. Fish House
Brasserie de luxe stands out with its
concept of casual gourmet dining and
an atmosphere reminiscent of a French
brasserie. Executive chef Jānis Zvirbulis
has created the menu based on his motto
of ‘quality without compromise’, and the
restaurant has unabashedly set itself the
goal of becoming the first Michelin-starred
restaurant not only in Latvia, but in the
Baltics as a whole.
Fish House has been on the Riga
restaurant scene for a relatively short while –
just since summer of last year – yet it has
already garnered an appreciative following.
It is the place where executive chef Jānis
Zvirbulis creates his unique interpretation
of Lyonnaise cuisine. Using modern cooking
techniques and only the finest quality
produce and ingredients, Zvirbulis creates
a symphony of taste that both honours the
cultural heritage of France and respects the
authenticity of natural flavours.
The master chef of Fish House has
studied cooking at the world’s culinary
mecca – Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon –
which explains his devotion to French
cuisine. He subsequently perfected his skills
working alongside legendary masters of
culinary art in some of the finest French
restaurants, such as the Michelin-starred
La Table des Blots.
Fish House’s master chef has also worked
at several of Latvia’s finest restaurants, so
locals are well aware that the name Zvirbulis
means guaranteed quality. He is also an
innovator, fond of discovering and combining
various flavours that may, at first, elicit
bewilderment – for instance, an appetiser
featuring burrata with octopus, or a lasagna
made from lobster and sweetbreads. These
sorts of successful experiments are exactly
why the restaurant’s guests return again
and again, praising the chef ’s nontraditional
yet sensational flavour combinations. In
emphasising seasonality, the menu has
already changed several times since the
restaurant’s opening, thereby sealing its
commitment to serving only the best that
the sea and the land have to offer. ‘Every
ingredient that we use at Fish House is
worth its weight in gold. We have our own
view of the world, and we wish to pass that
on to our guests through the food that we
create,’ explains Zvirbulis. There are, of
course, several customer favourites that
the chef is quite proud of: the Fish House
seafood salad containing lobster, scallops,
squid, octopus, avocado, fresh greens, and a
Skolas iela 29, Riga
fishhouse.lv
book@fishhouse.lv
+371 26497777
Opening hours:
Sun-Mon: Closed
Tue-Fri: 12.00-22.30
Sat: 10.00-22.30
*Next time you’re on
Instagram, check out
@fishhousebrasserie
for some really great
seafood pictures,
as well as to keep
up to date on new
menu items!
citrus dressing made with yuzu; and Zvirbulis’
masterpiece – the absolute best-selling lobster
risotto. Although Fish House is decidedly
a seafood restaurant, a few excellent meat
dishes are on offer as well, such as beef
tenderloin steak, and a very special offer of
classic wagyu bavette steak. The dessert menu
that Zvirbulis has created is also nothing to
scoff at, with such delightful treats as the
Luxembourg macaroon (made with green
tea ice cream, raspberries, and Arabian-rose
cream) and pistachio crème brûlée.
Fish House has succeeded in finding the
key to its customers’ taste buds, leading it
to becoming a favourite spot for romantic
dinners, business lunches, and relaxed
Saturday breakfasts with friends. In fact,
Riga insiders know that on weekends, Fish
House is the place to go for the most refined
and delicious à la carte breakfast in the city –
the twelve different egg dishes that Zvirbulis
serves leave no room for doubt.
It is accepted that wine is a perfect partner
for seafood, and in charge of this aspect at
Fish House is Gatis Pridāns, the restaurant’s
head sommelier and host. Pridāns is well-
known in Riga for having worked in several
of the city’s top restaurants renown for
their wine and champagne service, and
he has made sure that Fish House rises
above the rest not only in terms of food,
but with its drinks menu as well. You’ll find
no other place in Riga serving all-natural,
additive-free Radikon biodynamic wine, and
Pridāns’ selection of top-notch champagnes is
impressive, to say the least. ‘It was important
for us to listen to the preferences and wishes
of our customers when putting together the
wine list. That’s why we have such a large
selection of unique wines to serve to guests
who enjoy surprises,’ reveals Pridāns.
Interior designer Elizabete Ivanova has
brilliantly executed the casual-gourmet
atmosphere as envisioned by the team at
Fish House. Instead of white tablecloths,
your meal will be served on refined yet
warm natural stone tabletops, made right
here in Latvia. Just like the menu, the décor
features details that favourably contrast, such
as playful fish-print wallpaper juxtaposed
with elegant porcelain dinnerware. All
restaurant’s tableware is custom made by
Dibbern Manufaktur.
Fish House can accommodate 36 guests,
and no more. Which is why it is strongly
encouraged to make reservations for evening
meals if you want to be sure to get a table.
And don’t be surprised if you see a famous
face or two – Fish House’s excellent food and
reasonable prices have been discovered by
more than a few celebrities.
Lobster Risotto with Seasonal Seafood
Seared Sea Scallops
with Figs and Passion Fruit
Macaroon de
Luxembourg
Baltic Outlook
/ 2019 / 121