June PROMO Dining
Eksporta iela 1A, Andrejosta, Riga, Latvia Open: Mon–Wed 11.00–23.00, Thu–Sat 11.00–01.00, Sun 11.00–23.00 terase@muusu.lv muusu.lv facebook.com/muusuterase instagram.com/muusuterase twitter.com/muusuterase
The newly-opened restaurant
Muusu terase –
an oasis in the centre of Riga
The new restaurant Muusu terase opened in Riga at the end of May, delighting everyone who enjoys the summery atmosphere. It has a fantastic location – the yacht club on the banks of the Daugava River, only a few steps away from the city centre. Photos by EDMUNDS BRENCIS (Picture Agency)
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uusu terase, the little sister of award-winning restaurant Muusu in the heart of Riga’s Old Town, is ready to serve up a pleasant surprise for any guest to our fair city. Not only does it offer the best location for viewing beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but it also has a stylish outdoor terrace, which, in keeping with its surroundings, has been built into a shipping container. There will be pleasant surprises in the kitchen as well, because one of Latvia’s best chefs – Kaspars Jansons – has made the move from Muusu to take the helm here. His ambitions are in line with those of the rest of the Muusu terase team – to become the most popular lifestyle restaurant in Latvia by offering customers meals made only from delicious ingredients of the highest quality. Muusu terase is part of one of the most noteworthy restaurant chains in Riga, which
Chef Kaspars Jansons
also includes such well-known restaurants as Steiku Haoss, Ribs&Rock, KID*, and, of course, Muusu – although each of these places has a very different message and stands out with its unique character. In 2014, Live Riga recognised Muusu as the best new restaurant in Latvia, in 2015 they called it the third-best restaurant in Latvia, while in 2016 Muusu was ranked an honourable fifth. The most distinctive feature of the newly-opened Muusu terase restaurant is its open kitchen with a charcoal grill and bar that has been built into a shipping container – a magical sea atmosphere and proximity to water are woven throughout. The interior was created by Anna Butele, an internationally recognised Latvian designer. She has chosen saturated blues and greens, creating an eclectic atmosphere that merges visually with the near-by Daugava River and the yachts in the harbour.
Chef Jansons imagines the new restaurant as an oasis for a calm meal in the midst of a hurried workday, and a beautiful place to relax and enjoy yourself with the whole family for a weekend breakfast. The restaurant can seat up to 80 people in its two rooms, one of which can be booked for private parties and banquets, and the terrace can seat up to 100 guests who want to enjoy sunshine and good food. The chef has created his menu with four categories in mind: vegetarian and cheese, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, as well as sweet and cold. Each of these categories includes eight different dishes, especially highlighting those that are prepared over the open charcoal grill. Muusu terase has also instituted a new way of ordering – each guest can order the meat they want grilled by weight. This gives diners the chance to taste many different meats at one sitting if they so choose. ‘We didn’t want to do things the same old way, dividing everything into soups, salads, and mains, so I organised my menu based on the four categories of foods everyone loves. You will be able to determine which category a dish belongs to by the colour of the plate it’s served on. Of course, what unites the four categories is my idea of summer flavours. From the vegetarian category
I recommend the cold ginger-carrot soup with marinated feta cheese, almonds, and chilli sauce, and from the seafood category I suggest the shrimp bisque served with shrimp and scallops baked in a shell’, suggests Chef Jansons. The Muusu terase team has also spared a thought for dessertlovers. While, it’s true that you won’t find the usual, boring standards like classic cheese cake or tiramisu, Chef Jansons has included exciting and mouth-watering creations in his dessert menu, such as peppermint-blackberry soup with fresh cream, white chocolate with meringue, or burnt strawberry and basil ice cream with balsamico and honey made over the open grill. The spacious Muusu terase terrace is a fantastic place to spend your warm summer days and breezy evenings – you are right in the city centre, but it feels as if you were far outside the city. Many restaurant guests have already remarked that a delicious cocktail from the restaurant’s extensive drinks menu is lovely to sip while watching the sunset from one of the nicest spots in the city. ‘Every day we create a special “cocktail of the day” made from fresh berries. And you will always find refreshing summer wines and cold coffee drinks’, smiles manager Mārtiņš Bērziņš. BO BALTIC OUTLOOK | JUNE 2017 | 121