Interview with Head Chef Ivan Hlaváček

How do you develop a menu?

In the menu we take into account both diet eating plans and regular international cuisine demand. In the first place under spa treatment, human organisms are burdened by drinking a local mineral spring. Digestion gets the impulse for self-cleaning. Therefore it is our priority to take care of intestinal microflora.

Can you describe how you achieve this?

Firstly our guests have the possibility to enrich their diet with sour products that have their tradition among others in Russian cuisine. Only a few people are used to drinking kefir milk every day. Our guests can give it a try at Spa Hotel IRIS since it is available daily. We offer as well fermented vegetables that brings back to the body what is being washed out of it due to modern food. It is suitable mainly for the customers that are not used to farm products and eat artificial food instead. Human body doesn't know what to do with it, so it transforms it to fat which has a negative effect on a number of functions. Sticking to the diet eating plan does not cause our guests digestive problems. On the contrary, it promotes cleansing and healing and it introduces new habits that bring various health benefits.

What would you like to highlight in the menu?

We prepare food naturally with steam which is a very simple way of food processing and it does not pose any burden to the body. Dietary meat and steamed vegetables have a permanent place in the daily menu. This is one of the standards on which we insist as a stay in Karlovy Vary should be directly linked to the overall treatment. Dietary eating is part of it. I also regularly order cress, pea shoots or mung bean sprouts for the kitchen. This ensures a constant supply of live and fresh ingredients.

Is your menu suitable for guests with various allergies?

In our kitchen, the general rule is that guests can contact the chef at any time to consult the menu according to their personal needs. We are ready to satisfy allergy sufferers, people with various intolerances or those who are currently on a fruit diet. We are also open to vegan food requirements. Our kitchen has a rich selection of different types of vegetable milk and other alternatives. We have a lot of experience with dietetic food and we are willing to do even small miracles in this respect!

However, our restaurant does not stand out from ordinary international cuisine: dietary options are a supplement to the general menu, but in summary we try to meet wishes of a wide range of clientele who want to eat well, feel good about their meals while enriching their eating habits.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner: can you describe what the guests choose throughout the day?

Breakfast is served in our restaurant in the form of a buffet. Freshly ground high quality Jacobs coffee lures the guests out of their hotel rooms. For lunch and dinner, guests can choose from six main dishes which can be supplemented with salad, vegetables, fresh and compote fruit. Regarding the drinking regime, it consists of drinking the Carlsbad mineral spring and fresh tea during the day.

How do you choose food suppliers?

Meat, fish and pastries come mainly from local suppliers. A fisherman from Karlovy Vary supplies the restaurant with fresh carp and trout. We also get lamb from a local breeder. Carlsbad whole grain bread is a matter of course.

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