Exploring Transylvania's soul through cuisine

It’s not a fine dining restaurant in Bangkok, Paris or Antwerp, it’s a one of a kind culinary experience in the heart of Transylvania, where seasonal produce and rich traditional tastes come together in the hands of our talented Chef de Cuisine.

Culinary mastery paired with a relentless curiosity for the true character of each local flavour. These are the two ingredients that make the cuisine of Bethlen Estates Transylvania a must have experience for any true gourmand.

Our kitchen pays tribute to seasons, terroir and traditions. It is inspired by the emblematic elements of the region: garden, rivers and lakes, mountains, farm, tradition, memory and artisanal character. The terroir is our playground, each dish, a flavourful insight into the region’s soul.

No Two Meals Are Alike: The Vital Role of Seasonality

Chef Ròbert Tordai may be the head of our Kitchen Barn, but nature dictates the course. Our menu changes with the seasons and each dish can take on slightly new shapes depending on what happens to be perfectly ripe, seasoned, pickled or crafted each day. Why follow a fixed menu when you can let nature and local flavours guide you on new creative paths?

If the day’s catch is particularly bountiful, Ròbert may prepare trout with dehydrated trumpet mushroom and river crab with apple and celeriac. Or he may walk into the kitchen after an inspiring garden stroll and decide to whip up a pumpkin mille feuille with five spices, pumpkin bavarois with pumpkin seed pesto and a herb infused pumpkin juice. You never know what delicious experiences the day may bring.

Anchored In Terroir, Elevated Through Experimentation

The wild mushrooms in the surrounding forests have been growing here since time immemorial, local farmers have been raising ducks, growing herbs and harvesting quinces for hundreds of years or maybe more. Yet there are still new facets of the region’s terroir to be discovered.

Our way of honouring the land’s unique mix of flavours and also Transylvania’s rich cuisine and traditions is by exploring each ingredient with curiosity and seeking truth in simplicity.

By going back to the roots with an imaginative appetitive for exploration, a new type of cuisine emerges.One that has absolute freedom to challenge the imagination and come up with dishes that enrich our bank of food experiences, like the honey glazed veal tongue with carrot and kumquat sushi, served with hay ice cream.

Good food makes you want to travel the world and also takes you on a brand new journey once you taste it. At the Kitchen Barn, as you are satisfying a craving for decadent dishes, you are also taping into the land’s memory and identity and opening new avenues of flavour.