Bonanza Ranč

The restaurant & setting. Bonanza Ranch sits in the village of Skýcov near Zlaté Moravce: a former stable converted into a restaurant on the grounds of a sawmill, surrounded by countryside, hills and horses.

The people. The operations manager is Katarína „Katka" Benčová (47, hotel-academy graduate who worked as a vocational-training instructor for waiters), the owner is Jožo Čmíkov (a wood-packaging entrepreneur and passionate foodie with no restaurant experience), the head chef is Michal „Mišo" Pavlík (43, trained, 15 years in the trade), plus kitchen helper Darinka, head waiter Kristián „Kiko" (22) and part-timers Sofia and Pálko (19).

Why they called Martin. The kitchen can't cope when a crowd arrives, the menu is huge and scattered, and the trio of Katka, Mišo and the owner can't agree on direction. They needed a „fourth person" to settle the dispute.

The first visit. At the tasting Martin finds menu chaos: „Slovak sushi" (prosciutto, mozzarella, rocket, sun-dried tomatoes), a „cowboy triathlon", Italian risotto, pasta… a „Bermuda triangle" between Japanese, Slovak and Italian food. The soups are good, but the rest is a disaster: falling-apart unsalted sushi, beef stroganoff with no mushrooms (zucchini and pepper instead), salmon crushed under a pile of herbs, dry deep-fryer chicken, risotto made with ordinary side-dish rice, and long waits even for the set lunch. His verdict: this isn't cooking, it's „banging it out", no culinary craft.

The diagnosis. The root problem: Mišo cooks without energy or spark („I come in, cook, slam the door, go home") and subordinates everything to the owner's wishes (mandatory pasta, risotto, fish) that don't suit a ranch. The owner subsidizes the loss-making restaurant, and guests only ever come once. Martin sets Mišo straight: the chef is the master of the kitchen, not the manager or the owner. He has to find his confidence and lead it himself.

The reset. Martin first brings in guests from Zlaté Moravce as a test with people off the street. The result is total chaos: both Katka and the owner interfering, the wrong rice for risotto, a „chutney" that's actually cherry compote, and waits of 1.5 to 2.5 hours for food; the guests leave saying they won't be back. The next day, cooking together, Martin teaches Mišo proper risotto technique (a base prepared each morning, a topping-up stock from leftover vegetables, finished with dried porcini and thyme, no cream), charging Mišo a euro for every „defeatist" remark. Mišo produces an excellent risotto, and Martin publicly gives him his full trust in front of the whole team, asking Katka and the owner to stay out of the kitchen.

New concept & menu. No building work needed, just a new fireplace and, above all, a menu that fits a ranch: a western/cowboy style (Bud Spencer & Terence Hill, Mexico/Arizona): chicken cream soup with purple carrot, cheese-and-chili dumplings with salsa, picadillo with beans, shredded beef with roasted pepper and cornbread, chicken thighs marinated in soured milk, pork cutlet with roasted potatoes. Tesco chips in €2,000 in vouchers for ingredients.

The big night. During the evening service it stumbles again: Darinka forgets the baking paper, the dumplings and soup run short, and instead of offering a welcome drink Katka simply tells guests they'll have to wait. But Mišo takes command, throws the manager and the stress out of the kitchen, „tightens it down", and the guests ultimately praise the food as perfect.

One month later. Martin returns to a completely different restaurant. The menu is shorter, seasonal game has been added, and Mišo has started creating his own dishes. His only criticism: Mišo „played it safe" and could create more boldly, but a good steak at a ranch is a highlight.

Verdict: satisfied, the restaurant is on the right track, 4 knives.