On a night when time dissolved into the aromas of fermentation and memory, THE MENU told its most intimate story yet.
We were joined by guest chefs Anton Vasev and Vladislav Penov from COSMOS restaurant. Two alchemists of flavor who transform Bulgarian tradition into contemporary culinary art.
Anton, founder of SO Ferments, infused the menu with the depth of koji culture and the philosophy of fermentation. Vladislav, with finesse and deep reverence for the roots, brought every dish to life, turning each plate into a story about land, time, and the human experience.
The menu unfolded as a meditation in nine steps, each with its own frequency, rhythm, and memory.
We began with sourdough bread and BredSO butter – warm, living bread carrying the scent of natural leavening, served with a miso butter that looked like liquid chocolate but tasted like something from another world. A flavor that melts the boundaries between the familiar and the unknown.
Next came a green salad with sheep’s milk and nettle porridge, a gentle reminder of how beautiful simplicity can be when prepared with respect for time.
And then… Sinderme with mushrooms. Silence.
A dish not eaten but experienced. This traditional Rhodope recipe was transformed into a signature interpretation, where forest mushrooms brought the scent of autumn woods and a deep bow to the ancestors. Sinderme didn’t just blend flavors, it brought together entire worlds.
The journey continued with trout à la Lopushanski and SmilyanSO, the breath of river, greenery, and living culture.
Then we tasted aged veal with koji – deep, umami-rich, and lingering like a long-forgotten truth. A curious fact: thanks to enzymes from the koji culture, the meat developed flavor characteristics of 45-day dry-aging in just… 48 hours.
Here, fermentation wasn’t just technique. It was a kind of magic that turned time into sensation and flavor into memory.
The finale was soft and tender: koji milk with rice, followed by koji coffee, the first of its kind in Bulgaria, perhaps even in the world. A new chapter in the art of fermented coffee.
The dinner was accompanied by a curated wine selection from Dragomir Estate Winery. Bottles awarded multiple times in the DiVino rankings and listed among the Top 100 wineries and vineyards in the world for 2022.
The wines carried the maturity of Bulgarian soil, the passion of the makers, and the power of sunlit slopes.
THE MENU X was not just a dinner.
It was a journey through taste and aroma – an experience that lingers and cannot be forgotten.
