In season with chef Teodor Tankov at Spectrum Restaurant

Our next culinary journey is led by chef Teodor Tankov, the creative force behind Spectrum Restaurant.

With more than 20 years of experience, honed particularly in Asian cooking, he now brings Asian and Latin American flavours together in a fusion that engages the senses. His approach to the new seasonal menu rests on balance, the integrity of each ingredient and the meeting point between tradition and modern technique. For Tankov, every dish needs a clear idea and a character you recognise, turning familiar flavours into something memorable.

What is your philosophy when creating a seasonal menu? Which principles guide you?

I like combining traditions with modern techniques. I enjoy taking two familiar flavours, bringing them together and reimagining them.

That is why the integrity of the ingredients and the balance between them matter so much to me.

They provide the framework in which tradition and modernity can work together. I believe every dish should have a clear idea and a distinctive character that you recognise straight away.

Which key ingredients shaped Spectrum Restaurant's new seasonal menu? Are there any surprises or unexpected combinations?

We built the new seasonal menu around the richness of Asian and Latin American cooking. At its heart are high-quality seafood and premium meats, chosen for the clarity of their flavour and texture.

Highlights include dishes with yuzu, miso, tamarind and aji amarillo:

ingredients that might seem far apart at first, but together bring another layer of depth and complexity.

Which cooking techniques or innovations do you use most often to bring out the qualities of your ingredients?

I prefer techniques that preserve an ingredient's natural flavour. That often means carefully controlled low-temperature cooking, a quick sear over an open flame, and methods that draw as much flavour as possible from each ingredient.

Spectrum is known for its bold fusion of Asian and Latin American flavours.

How do you find the right balance between two such rich and vivid culinary traditions?

Balance comes from respecting the traditions. Asia gives me precision and depth, while Latin America brings boldness and warmth. I look for the points where they meet: freshness, heat, sweetness and the richness of aromatic herbs.

You have more than 20 years in the kitchen, particularly in Asian cuisine. How do you keep your curiosity alive and exercise your imagination after all that time?

After more than 20 years in the kitchen, curiosity is what really keeps my imagination alive. I constantly follow what is happening around the world,

study techniques I have not tried yet,

and give myself room to work with ingredients from cultures beyond the one that shaped me. Experience is not a destination for me. It is another reason to keep looking.

Which dish from the new menu would you recommend to our readers?

I recommend every dish on the new seasonal menu, but if I had to choose just one, it would be the Nikkei Osso Buco. It combines depth of flavour with a precise balance of sweetness, acidity and umami, bringing Asia and Latin America together through its own distinctive taste.

Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, 89B Vitosha Boulevard
088 875 5595
www.grandhotelmillenniumsofia.bg

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