The “kaiserlich und königlich“ cuisine, also known as K&K, is related to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It represents the connection of both kingdoms where the first K symbolizes the Austrian Emperor (Kaiser von Österriech) and the second belongs to the Hungarian King (König von Ungarn).
The delicacies from their table inspired the chefs at Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras and in this style they serve delicious „royal-imperial Dirloin a la Esterhazy“ with black roasted pudding and potatoes or the already mentioned desert of Empress Elisabeth, the „Kaiserschmarren“. This desert was actually created by accident.
The Empress Elisabeth was craving pancakes but the royal chef torn them apart. The creative chef didn’t loose his head and caramelized the pancake pieces and then served them to the royal couple. At first the noble couple was surprised by the look of the meal. The Emperor Franz Josef was outraged by the „nonsense“ he was served. It ended up all well as the desert tasted so good that it became a permanent item on the menu. There was no need to look for an adequate name. After this funny incident it was named „Kaiserschmarren“, which means „imperial nonsense“.
This desert is also one of the most favorite meals of Gerald Vorreiter, the executive Chef at Kempinski in Strbske Pleso. The Austrian-born has a natural culinary feel for all the traditional “nonsense”. This is the reason why you can be sure that the specialties from his kitchen in combination with the breath-taking views on the Tatra Mountains and the sound of the fireplace will take you to a food-lover heaven.