Eat in Budapest

In spite of a snobbish name, Bábel is a modestly snobbish place. It’s interior reflects the current modern trend in Budapest gastronomy widely used in places like Donatella’s Kitchen, Tom George and many more.

I went there for a business lunch and stayed there until 18.30 without noticing that the usiness lunch place close at 16.00 for two hours until reopening as a chic trendy restaurant at 18.00. Part of the crew were very polite and attentive but still I’m afraid we were only allowed to stay because we were drinking non stop.

The food was delicious, although the fois gras mousse with baby beetroot salad (EUR 9.8) had such a small portion of mousse that is outrageous even by high-end gastronomy standards. But it was amazingly light and fresh, although not to be compared with Ráspi’s fois gras mousse (I’ll post about it soon).

The filet of trout with cauliflower and pearl barly risotto (EUR 9.6) was not just wonderfully good looking but also very tasty: thin slices of fish perfectly firm (or soft, from another angle) and very well spiced, although many may think it had too much spicy on it (I’m not one of them).

Their wine recommendation (Chateau Kajmád Cabernet Sauvignon 2006) wasn’t the best especially considering that we picked a far more sophisticated St. Andrea Áldás Cuvée (2006) before. But it was alright, we finished off the whole Áldás cuvée and then just ordered glasses of Cabernet wihch they opened in front of our eyes (a major achievement in Hungarian hospitality).

The restaurant is perfectly located ta the end of váci street just 100 meters from FÅ‘vámtér ’s touristic market.

More information: http://www.babeldelicate.hu/

It’s been more than 2 years ago when I read the first acknowledgements about Momotaro Ramen which captured my imagination through its originality and good value aspects, according to the late matula.hu fanzine. 2 years used to be more than sufficient with Budapest standards to experience major degradation in food and service and general quality decrease in any restaurant in Budapest but I have good news: despite some minor faults Momotaro Ramen is still an authentic place to eat relatively quickly.

The interior remained unchanged since the socialist era and the service is a bit old-fashioned too (in Hungary it means harsh).

Portions are huge, the only disappointment was frozen sea-food mix used for the soup.

Due to its quality, location and affordability I’d recommend this place to tourists and locals, those who are looking for authenticity in eastern cuisine. 

 

 

 

 

It’s been so long (a year) since I read the first good review about Klassz that I was concerned that it already may have become  much worse as it usually happens with most restaurants in Budapest: after a lightspeed take-off you don’t have to wait long for a sharp downturn in quality.

Klassz is located on Andrássy street, the trendiest avenue of Pest with new designer stores popping up every month now. It’s so perfectly located that becoming a tourist trap was to be guaranteed. Moreover, Klassz started well and I was surprised that they still don’t take table reservations which indicates that they’re expecting tourist visitors mostly. On this sunny September weekday the restaurant was half empty and to my surprise it only got almost full due to some tourists who just run into the restaurant without any consciousness.

Review

The interior design is tastefully trendy, even funny and the space is surprisingly small. Although it has high ceiling, the  entrance-side wall is a huge window so it’s quite bright and the decoration is nice. The waitresses are polite, responsive and the menu is short enough (and it’s printed on paper) to take fast decisions.

Foie gras is a must on the menu in touristic areas and I happen to like it, and as a starter it was quite worth the HUF 1 800 or so (it came with cabbage with honey dressing), it’s sufficiently big to fill your stomach for even an hour. But the main course arrives relatively fast. I asked the duck breast medium done and my business partner the tuna „pink” and we got them like that. Apart from the lemon risotto which did not taste lemon at all the duck was very good but not reaching the excellence of the starter.

After a light breakfast and the 2 courses above I felt completely full so I couldn’t taste the desserts, but I’ll be back for sure. The coffee was beautifully served (they have nice machine and grinder on a central „stage”). This restaurant is a must for everyone: couples, friends, business partners and tourists alike. Excellent value for money.

 

Many believe that Hungarians are wannabe Mediterraneans. I really doubt it. Except for our passion for summer maybe, there’s little in common with any of the people around the Mediterranean– and this is particularly true as long as food is concerned (Pizza doesn’t count).

To start with, for me Mediterranean food requires fresh, good ingredients. If you’ve ever been to Hungary, you know what I’m talking about. Located 300 meters from the city’s largest market, Pata Negra definitely should have no handicap on this field. Indeed, even seafood is fresh.

After a short downfall following the hype a year after its launch, Pata Negra is back with good food, easy-going but attentive service and great atmosphere. There are few new courses on the menu and weekly/monthly specials on the board.

Nowadays you don’t need to book a table: the 4th underground line’s construction area is just 2 meters from its entrance the no way any tourist would find the place in the surrounding chaos.

After so many poorly run fake mediterranean places Budapest still has its authentic, charming tapas bar with good food, service and last but not least, wines. 

 

 

 

Review

I spent many years in clubs, pubs and rock festivals but I’ve never met such polite punks as I did once and again on A38. Yes, on, because A38 is a boat. Let’s just quote their website about it:

“A38 is the reincarnation of a Ukranian stone-carrier ship. With its inauguration on 30 April 2003, it started a new life on the Danube in Budapest as a cultural venue. Since its opening it has become one of Budapest’s most important venues, and according to artists’ feedback, one of Europe’s coolest clubs.”

It’s cool indeed. And you would not expect such a nice restaurant on this boat which hosts (mostly underground) shows almost 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The restaurant is very bright due to tis huge windows which provides 70% of the walls and a great view to southern Pest and Buda. These days arworks are hanging on these enormous windows. It’s well decorated in a minimalist style with lot of wood and not just the ceiling is very high but there’s also lot of space between the tables.

The waiters used to be the most polite and aloof in the city. That changes but A38 still has one of the best services in town.

The food is made of fresh material but they’re not too original or unique, they wary from medium boring to good. But the whole ambience compensates for it, believe me. The best is going there for a lunch when 80% of the tables are empty, based on my sample of half a dozen visits.

My wife said on our first visit here that it’s like 2-3 interior designers had been working on this restaurant’s interior without seeing each others’ work during its progress. But I believe that if you were brave enough so the building from outside not having scared you away you’ll find everything else either nice or funny. Only one more thing about its appearance: I was much more relieved when I realized that the dozens of kilos of deer horns above each table were made from plastic.

The first restaurant of Italian Michelin-star chef Donatella Zampoli is a wannabe trendy, spacious restaurant still trying to find its target consumers few months after opening.

The service is very polite, sometimes overly, but some waiters are attentive and have a good sense of humor (yes, that’s a dangerous territory, but this time it worked well).

On Sundays it’s a family place with babies and kids, during the week it’s a trendy restaurant and in the evening it’s always full.

They’ve redesigned their menu few weeks ago, prior to that it was an Italian/Mediterranean fusion cuisine. They promised some changes, putting more summer-meals on the menu like salads and we expected price increase. They delivered the latter (10-15% on average) and they even taken some salads out, like the potato salads which my sister really loved. It’s still not expensive, indeed, they have the best value for money pizzas especially on the lower-end segment. And the meals are also well-priced to compete with the Le Roys and alike. At least the design suggests that they aim to conquer some of their customers, whilst also attracting tourist passing by and local residents. Yuppies also discovered the place quickly and I’m very curious what will be the main customer base of Donatella’s.

Their pizzas are simply fantastic; their pastas are good but sometimes disappointing because of the obvious use of frozen material.

The main courses are well seasoned and well created. And well prepared.

More information and details of the meals will follow soon.

I know a lot of people would think it’s pathetic to eat in a shopping mall and I can only agree. But before you judge me, you should know that LeRoy used to be a landmark in the XIIIth district’s gastronomy almost 10 years ago. Now that the original LeRoy no longer exists, they still have some of their classic meals on their menu. As long as their consistency is concerned, these iconic items are like a junk food franchise chain’s flagship products. Their hot chicken wings for instance is the best I’ve ever had in Budapest.

LeRoy is not easy to emotionally connect with (especially since their expansion in the shopping mall world) but they really have a constantly good quality and a funny, though sometimes quite annoying customer base. And it’s accessible, they’re in Buda as well as in Pest in different places but always well located from accessibility point of view. Plus, this particular LeRoy is almost always half-empty.

Review
It was far from love at first sight; I learned liking it though by now. I’m at the peak of my learning curve, to be more precise but I’m not sure about the angle of the next dots. It was triggered initially by a second-hand authentic source’s recommendation. First, the interior did not meet my expectations. Yes, I’m such a shallow person. Then all those rubbishy plastic boxes and plates…Their food must be really exciting, I thought.
I was warned that the service is horrible, which I found very funny instead. I am very sensitive about service quality but I actually enjoy the low-tone speaking of the two waiters and they’re very responsive, polite and sufficiently attentive. Any shy. First you could find this style annoying but you really start enjoying it when you realize that they are not just pretending it.
But their sushi wasn’t really that exceptional. I was always on a budget though, so probably I could have put together a fantastic menu if I wasn’t. Instead, I still tend to go for the bentos. The tempura are usually colder than they should be, but everything else compensate for this. The sashimi is always perfectly fresh, and so are the fishes. The salad is perfectly seasoned and crisp, the mizo soup, well it’s only mizo soup but very tasty. The only degradation is the small piece of fried sausage, served along with the tempura. Or maybe this is just the result of a sophisticated sense of humor?
The funniest thing though is the couple with their child at the table besides us. They’re Asians, dressed smart casual and the lady does not stop chatting on the phone, while the husband does not lose its temper. Suddenly I realize she speaks Hungarian, with a typical eastern accent, trilling. I only notice after her 5th call that she introduces herself “Piroska”. I wish I could bring an British equivalent of this funny name, very rarely used and I haven’t met anyone under 40 named like that. How she became Piroska, I have no clue.
Part of the cuisine staff is Japanese, as proved by the sight of the kitchen separated from the eating hall only by a counter filled with excellent fresh raw material. All other members look equally devoted.

Review

In brief: confusingly stable quality. And if you scroll down a bit you’ll see that this is a good thing. But Arcade is more than a reliable business lunch place. Although it’s predictable to the point of boredom, somehow it’s always nice to be there. The place is well-known in the expat community’s business section and due to its location and profile it will never attract beck-packers and university students, so let’s just say that Arcade Bistro is a good choice for a risk-free business lunch provided that your guest does not insist eating goulash or paprikáscsirke.

I also like the hosting socialist-realist building as well as the similar style neighbor buildings.

Their wine selection is OK for foreign visitor (i.e. not too many, but relatively good selection served at good temperature), somewhat even experimental (Lisicza).