Restaurant Hansen

Thanks to Ivan for letting us know about this wonderful restaurant called Hansen, which apparently just opened here in Brno. We of course decided to give it a try.

The restaurant is located in the historic building Besední house, which is now used as a concert hall for Brno Philharmonic Orchestra. It was built by the famous architect Theophil Hansen, who also built the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna (1874-1883) and the Academy of Sciences in Athens.

Hansen's menu consists of the Austro-Hungarian traditional cuisine from 1850 to 1900 with a twist of contemporary taste. It was very simple compared to other restaurants here in Brno, which typically have hundreds of items on the menu. I definitely liked the short menu. Simple but very focused.

The interior is very plain with a high ceiling, and you feel like you are dining in a concert hall. In fact, the night we went there, there was a one-man musician playing a very interesting looking string instrument. The diners are rather quiet, so you do feel like you are dining in the middle of concert.

We both tried a soup called Krém z mladého pórku (Cream of young leeks), which was not too creamy or salty and just right. My hubby then tried Vepřová panenka (Pork tenderloin) as a main dish. It came with some sort of mashed potato and sauteed cabbage. I had Kachní prsíčko (Duck breast) that came with a wonderful combination of potato pancake and pureed cauliflower, which was just so wonderful.

And, everything was moderately priced. Would I recommend this restaurant?  Oh YES, definitely!