The chef behind ARTIS, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Graz, crafted an 8-course menu, blending Austrian flavours, Japanese omakase, and modern European cuisine at The Lalit New Delhi’s pan-Asian restaurant OKO
Chef Philipp Dyczek of Graz’s ARTIS, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Austria’s second-largest city, was in Delhi recently to give food lovers a taste of an eight-course tasting menu at The LaLiT New Delhi’s pan-Asian restaurant OKO. Dyczek, joined by his colleague Chef Markus Neuhold, presented a refined dialogue between modern European cuisine, Japanese omakase, and the subtle Austrian palette, all filtered through the diverse produce and generous spirit of India. The pop-up gave foodies a chance to see what dining could become when borders dissolve on the plate.
At 35, Dyczek earned his restaurant’s first Michelin star in 2025, along with three Toques from Gault & Millau, three forks from Falstaff, and recognition among Austria’s top 50 chefs. Dyczek’s passion for food traces itself to the vineyards and pumpkin fields of Styria; it got a direction in French kitchens. Graz, with its population of around 306,000, is Austria’s culinary capital; it’s also on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. Here, “green gold” (Styrian pumpkin seed oil) threads through everything from Grazer Krauthäuptel salad to breaded chicken, scarlet runner bean preparations, and even desserts.
The pumpkin seed’s delicate, nutty character is as essential to Styrian identity as olive oil is to the Mediterranean. Dyczek’s path, however, wasn’t glamorous from the start. The early years were brutal: the opening of ARTIS coincided with COVID’s arrival in Austria, forcing closures. From those challenges emerged a non-fixed menu or carte blanche where the chef dictates the evening based on what arrives fresh each day. It offered guests a bespoke, seasonal and spontaneous dining experience.
‘Michelin star brings responsibility’
This no-fixed-menu philosophy is central to Dyczek’s identity. “You don’t have a menu. You can’t choose from a card,” he tells The Federal. Every evening, Dyczek and his small team of four or five in the kitchen select fresh seasonal ingredients. If items remain after two or three days, they are not wasted; staff take them home. “If they are not empty, the employees are allowed to take them with them home because you don’t want to waste anything.” It’s sustainability born of necessity and conviction. The no-fixed menu is like the Japanese omakase, the tradition in which the chef curates an intimate counter-side journey.
Dyczek first encountered omakase during travels and stagings abroad. “What first attracted you to Japanese minimalism?” I ask. The answer, he says, lies in its respect for ingredients, its economy of gesture, and its demand for absolute focus. He blends this with European (particularly French) technique: the brightness and fattiness of sauces, the classical foundations, while grounding it in Austrian produce.
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What does a Michelin star really mean for him as a chef? Does it change the way he cooks every day, or mostly the expectations people bring? The star, he says, doesn’t alter his daily craft: he still obsesses over the same pillars: quality of ingredients, mastery of flavour and technique, the chef’s personality shining through, and value for money, and consistency across visits. But it shifts the room’s energy. “International guests walk in only once,” he explains. Guests arrive with greater trust: “They feel a bit safer about what he’s doing... people feel that you are comfortable with the things you do.” It’s not added pressure to cook differently but a validation that brings responsibility, especially when serving 20 guests an eight- or nine-course menu can mean over 400 plates a night.
Seasonality anchors everything. Dyczek sources globally but insists on peak freshness: “The borders are just for poor people,” he laughs, quoting his philosophy. Products fly in overnight from across Europe and beyond. In Styria, this means celebrating the rhythm of pumpkin harvests, vineyard cycles, and forest forages. India, too, has its own seasonal favourites: if we relish mangoes in summers, we gorge on sarson ka saag in winters and monsoon-specific delicacies like pakodas and samosas when it rains. When he looks at Indian markets or ingredients, what excites him the most as a chef? Dyczek’s exposure to Indian food has been limited before this trip, but the visit has “opened his eyes” to the subcontinent’s staggering regional diversity. He singles out butter chicken with garlic naan as his most favourite. “That’s something I have got to try during this visit.”
A perfect East-meets-Alps moment
The eight-course tasting menu at OKO was the evening’s highlight. Diners embarked on a chef-led and ingredient-driven journey. In course one, there was the rich and buttery Bluefin Tuna O-Toro Tartlet, paired with Grüner Veltliner Sekt from Szigeti, the Austrian sparkling wine from Burgenland, produced using the traditional method (bottle fermentation) with 100% Grüner Veltliner grapes. Crisp tartlet shell cradled layered white bean, basil, and fresh wasabi, Dyczek’s beloved ingredient. Next up was King Crab Beignet, the savoury fritters with pickled dill and parsley, its light crust yielding to sweet, fresh crab meat alongside Grüner Veltliner Rothenpüllen 2023, a characterful white wine from the Weinviertel region in Austria, produced primarily by the wineries Hahn (as a reserve) and Hess and distinguished by a bouquet of yellow tropical fruits, mango, pineapple, and a peppery spice.
Hamachi Ceviche, a Japanese-inspired dish using sushi-grade yellowtail followed, dressed in tomato-pineapple vinaigrette with tarragon, daikon, and lime caviar; bright, citrus-kissed acidity was balanced by Gebrüder Nittnaus Selection, a high-quality, varietal-typical wines from the Burgenland region of Austria. The fourth course stole the conversation: Austrian Chicken Chawanmushi, a savoury egg custard infused with root vegetables, banana, cocoa, and miso. Paired with Blanc de Blancs Sekt, a premium German/Austrian sparkling wine made exclusively from white grapes, most commonly 100% Chardonnay, it married umami earthiness with unexpected sweetness, and felt like a perfect East-meets-Alps moment to me.
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Seafood continued with Skrei and Red Snapper poached in brown butter, finished with dashi beurre blanc, a Japanese-French fusion sauce combining dashi broth with the creamy, emulsified texture of a French beurre blanc (white butter), smoked pea, kombu oil, and shiso, paired with another Grüner Veltliner from Weingut Nastl. Duck arrived with water spinach, green asparagus, lemongrass, and ginger for a bit of balance, paired with the full-bodied Blaufränkisch. The finale, a feather-light Topfen Soufflé of Austrian curd cheese with Riesling sabayon and vanilla ice cream, offered ethereal closure. Each plate was portioned precisely, which is fine dining’s hallmark, but felt generous in flavour and story. No single course overwhelmed; together they formed a narrative of layering and cross-cultural harmony. Talking about wines, he says: “Nowadays, you don’t need to perfect wine... Just drink whatever you like because you like it.”
On experimenting with Indian ingredients
Fine dining in India, Dyczek observes, is changing rapidly in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Indian meals are traditionally generous and communal; large sharing plates for family and friends. His style, however, is precise and portioned. Does he think fine dining is really about eating less, or is it about tasting more carefully and experiencing food in a different way?. He says it’s about heightened attention, where fewer bites reveal more depth. India’s vegetarian culture, among the world’s largest, fascinates him. As a chef trained in European fine dining, does working with vegetarian ingredients challenge him creatively? Vegetables, he believes, can be even more interesting than meat or fish when technique elevates them. At ARTIS, they already shine; in India, local produce like fresh greens, spices, and grains offer endless possibilities. He’d love to experiment back home with an Indian ingredient, he adds.
Sustainability at ARTIS is non-negotiable. The no-waste policy is practical gospel. Globally seasonal sourcing minimises environmental cost while maximising flavour. Refinement doesn’t mean excess; it means respect for the ingredient, the farmer, the planet. “You don’t want to waste anything,” rings through every decision. When asked about differences between Europe’s and India’s luxury dining scenes, Dyczek notes Europe’s longer tradition of starred tables versus India’s dynamic, youthful energy. Indian diners bring warmth and curiosity; European ones often arrive with preconceptions. Both, however, respond to authenticity. He admires Indian chefs abroad carving a distinct space for themselves in New York, Paris, and London, and hopes more cross-pollination occurs.
On a personal note, travel for Dyczek is dual-natured. With chef friends, he’s analytical (“We like to talk about food... everything”) but with his girlfriend, he switches off to enjoy the countryside and life beyond the plate. He says he tries not to see negative points, but always focuses on the good things. While he plans to treat himself with butter chicken, back in Graz, ARTIS awaits visitors expecting dishes that highlight Styrian bounty, perhaps pumpkin-seed-infused elements, fish treated with Japanese finesse, or French sauces brightened by local herbs. Two standouts are often praised: his seafood preparations and the vegetable-forward creations that prove plant-based food can rival any protein. Dyczek’s recommended global restaurants (Noma and Alchemist in Denmark) reflect his own values: fewer ingredients but food that you’d want to try again.
