Inside the menu at the Vogue Adria gala dinner
The celebration of the second anniversary of the Vogue Adria platform was special in many ways. That night, the space of Hangar 1 at the Port of Belgrade became a whole conceived as a multisensory experience that brought together gastronomy, art and music in a unique evening inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Through three thematic acts, Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, guests moved through a carefully directed sequence of flavours, cocktails and orchestral performances by a symphony orchestra under the baton of Dragana Jovanović, with each course interpreting one emotion and atmosphere from Dante’s journey.
The menu was creatively conceived by Vladimir Kučera, Marko Đerić and Anđela Risimić, three highly acclaimed young regional chefs and members of JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, a prestigious international association that brings together the most promising talents and innovators on the contemporary fine dining scene. We had the opportunity to discover their gastronomic visions through visually striking Mastercard Priceless stories, while the guests of the Vogue Adria gala dinner were now able to experience their interpretation of culinary art live.
Each course was paired with signature cocktails, while the carefully designed music programme further emphasised the atmosphere and dramaturgy of the evening. An impressive installation of 3,000 candles accompanied every moment of the event, creating an experience that was almost impossible not to feel with all the senses.
Starter: “Stara Planina”
As part of the Inferno section, molecular cuisine chef Vladimir Kučera from the restaurant Delirium Silence created a dish of strong character and deep, earthy aromas that fully evoked the atmosphere of Dante’s underworld. Dark tones, fermented notes and intense flavours merged into an experience that felt at once raw, emotional and elegant, leaving a powerful impression from the very first bite.
“For Inferno, I was guided by natural colours and earthy flavours, so I based the dish on three main ingredients: beetroot, plum and cheese, prepared using different techniques. Young beetroot was treated in three ways: as a jelly, pickled and roasted, while the sauce was made by reducing the juice it released during pickling. My culinary philosophy is based on seasonal and local ingredients, which I always try to source from my immediate surroundings and use to create dishes that spark curiosity and encourage reflection,” Vladimir told us of his inspiration. His starter was served with the Silent Spruce cocktail, while the evening opened with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
Main course: “Veg / raviolo in brodo”
In the part of the evening titled Purgatorio, chef Marko Đerić from the restaurant Langouste served a dish of refined, calm flavours that carried within it the idea of gradual transformation and purification. Delicate textures, vegetal notes and layered flavours created an almost meditative experience, with every element on the plate feeling balanced.
“The idea came from the desire to reinterpret the Italian classic tortellini in brodo exclusively through vegetables. The dish has seven layers, inspired by the seven terraces of Purgatory in Dante’s work, where each sin is gradually purified. With this dish, we also wanted to present the philosophy of our restaurant and our own garden, from which most of the ingredients used come,” Marko said on this occasion.
The course was served with the Langustini cocktail, while the emotional performance of Barber’s Adagio for Strings further emphasised the atmosphere of introspection and quiet tension that marked this part of the evening.
Dessert: “Karfiello”
The final act of the evening, Paradiso, brought a dessert by chef Anđela Risimić from S5 by Angie that fully embodied the lightness, tenderness and refined elegance of Paradise. Airy textures, subtle sweetness and ethereal details created the impression of an almost otherworldly experience, while every element of the dessert felt like a carefully shaped final chord of the entire evening. “My colleagues and I spontaneously divided the sections between us, and Paradise, meaning dessert, went to me. That is how Karfiello came to be, a dessert inspired by a Raffaello ball, but with an unusual main ingredient: cauliflower,” said Anđela, who concluded the evening with a combination of cauliflower purée and white chocolate ganache, serving them as a delicate white sphere with a golden praline caramel filling made from hazelnuts and almonds. “The ball was coated in coconut powder, and the finishing detail was mini candy floss, which gave the dessert a light, ‘heavenly’ appearance,” Anđela said.
Her dessert was served with the Coco 5 cocktail, whose tropical and aromatic notes rounded off the evening in an elegant, almost dreamlike atmosphere, while the musical finale with Intro Medley by composer Vladimir Nikolov left the impression of a quiet, cinematic closing scene.
