Vytaras Radzevičius, the founder of “World Pots”, spoke about the ambitious plans at Merkinė

I had to visit Merkinė in your outdoor restaurant. The views from the valley are spectacular. How did you choose and find such an amazing place? What is your story?

I still wouldn’t call this activity a restaurant. The idea was to create a street food place and treat people as they are in different parts of the world. The restaurant and other activities will be located, I hope, in the near future, as it is quite difficult to predict the future due to the pandemic.

I discovered this place while living on a single farm near Merkinė. A magical place where three rivers, the Nemunas, Merkys and Stangė, contribute their energy. And where every foot of the earth is full of Lithuanian history. A few years ago, I learned that the Merkinė mansion rental contest was underway. Twice it didn’t happen because there were no people willing to participate and we won the third contest. Before that, we and our partners established muilo fabrikas by UAB Merkin, because it is from soap production that now the story of the buildings in the mansion begins: the mansion itself has not survived.

At the end of the 19th century, there was a soap and tar factory in the red brick house; we also have drawings, we will display them when the house is fixed. After World War I there was a primary school, after World War II, a hospital, later, a nursing home. During the interwar period, Antanas Smetona had lunch here in Merkinė during the Ancient Day, and in the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania undoubtedly all the rulers of Lithuania visited here. Perhaps it was in this place that Jogaila granted the city rights to Vilnius. As a joke, the Imperial Road ran through the country, the road connecting Vilnius and Krakow through Grodno, which has now been turned into a small gravel road.

What prompted you to open a restaurant like this?

A few things. First, the uniqueness of Merkinė. And its future, viability. As they say invited, Merkinė is doomed to prosper. People are interested in Merkin and its surroundings. It is a strong center of attraction. And not even as a city, but as a place with a good aura. Many are surprised to learn of Merkinė’s story. Which, by the way, is perfectly conveyed by the employees of the Merkinė Regional Museum, the Merkin patriots – – Mindaugas Černiauskas and Žygimantas Buržinskas. I advise you to get to know Merkine from this museum. Merkinė has something to see and learn. The flow of people was and is great, but there were no places where you could at least have coffee. Then came the family restaurant “Šilo kopa”, later – our summer patio, then – the restaurant “Dzūkynė”. There could be twenty-seven restaurants and cafes in Merkinė that would not be short of visitors. The most important thing is that they are not cloned and have their own pattern and idea. Merkinė was the center and capital of this region. I’d say there is. And there are no worse opportunities to implement ideas than in big cities.

It was fun to see you standing behind the wheel of the bar. Can restaurant guests see you at Merkinė every day? Why did you decide to serve customers yourself?

I’m in Merkinė as long as I can. I think a restaurant without a host is like a marriage without a bed. Everything is as it is, but it doesn’t happen. I’m not at Merkinė alone when I’m filming the “World Pots” or working on long-promised events. I can’t break the promise, and a lot of work was planned before opening the summer yard “World Pots” in Merkinė. But I always keep the pulse and follow the situation. In addition, we have an incredible team that we have built since invited. The partners help a lot. We would hardly have been successful if my family and that of my cousin Tomas Radzevičius had not contributed to the idea. Don’t be indifferent to this business and don’t worry about it. As the Chinese say, opening a store is easy, and the hardest to maintain. Therefore, I myself attend to the guests and talk to them, so I receive feedback and learn what needs to be improved, corrected or changed. Live experience is the best teacher. I was also convinced of this when I was filming with various restaurants around the world.

We visited the family on Saturday, the influx of people was huge. Obviously, everyone wants to communicate, taste and get to know each other, and eating at your restaurant puts their health at risk. How do you evaluate the abundance of visitors?

When we open, we experience both shock and fall. We consume two-day products for half a day. I had to carry the topping more than once and cook it continuously. The amount of people was incredible. She didn’t even raise her head from the pots. We were not prepared for such a large flow. However, after the quarantine, it was and is impossible to stop them. People longed for freedom.

For our part, we comply with all security requirements and ask our guests to do the same.

What kind of dish do people like the most?

The three clear leaders are Thai tom yum soup, beef stew with chili with beans and barbecue sausages. On demand, we translate and bake them to the maximum. And we do it only with live fire and embers.

Maybe give a recipe for your favorite dish this summer?

I brought a very good recipe from Sri Lanka. It was introduced to me by the legendary Sri Lankan chief, dr. Publis Silva. Coming from a poor family, he began working as a creator at the Mount Lavinia restaurant in Colombo, then gradually rose to the position of head chef. To the best chef in Sri Lanka. He showed me this recipe for chicken curry, whose name, devil’s chicken, means spicy.

It is advisable to place everything next to the fire before making the curry, place it on plates, the ingredients have already been cut and the quantities have been determined. Then it remains to throw everything into the pan in time.

5 people will need: 250 g of chicken fillet; 40 g of chopped sweet bell pepper; 40 g of sliced ​​onion; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 40 g of tomato cut into quarters; 30 g of the white part of the sliced ​​leek; 1 chili pepper cut diagonally; 2-4 tablespoons of coconut oil; 1 teaspoon of black pepper peas; 1 teaspoon minced ginger; ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; you go out to taste.

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces, mix with the turmeric, salt and fry for about 5 minutes with a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan. 2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the onions with cinnamon until golden brown. 3. Add ginger, garlic, black pepper, chicken to the skillet and mix well. 4. Add leeks, chili, tomatoes and simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes. 5. Serve with cooked rice.

The most unique dish that visitors can taste in your kitchen?

Every weekend we change the menu, trying to serve a variety of dishes. I also invite other chefs in the country to help: the Italian weekend was organized by Gian Luca Demarco, the huge pilaf was made by Pavel Kolesnik, the Argentine roast fillets are prepared by Kristupas Krivickas.

Of these, perhaps the most exotic was (and will continue to be) the Vietnamese beef noodle soup beef tails soup.

The summer season is over. When do you promise to close an outdoor restaurant? What are the plans for the cold season? Maybe you plan to open a cozy place indoors?

We will work as long as time permits; however, we are an open-air inn and we depend on hydrometeorological decisions (laughs). But if it’s winter like last year … We’ll close when it’s cold. In addition, the buildings are being repaired; we will invite everyone to enter as soon as we can.

We have ambitious goals: to revive the mansion, turn it into a hill for Merkini, travelers and gastronomy and thus contribute to the rebirth of the city of kings.