A little escape from Budapest: Villány

Luckily Hungary is not equal to Budapest, there are many other places to explore in the country. In this article I will introduce one of the nicest regions of the south of Hungary. The easiest way to get there is by train or by car. I would strongly recommend to go by car,so you can discover the Villány wine region.

Villány is one of the top wine regions of Hungary with its sub-Mediterranean climate. The majority of Hungary's award-winning wines are produced in this area. The towns which definitely worth a visit are Villány and Villánykövesd. Villánykövesd is famous from its picturesque cellars which are situated in three different levels.Unfortunately most of these little cellars are not open during the weekends, even though there are always some family-owned cellars who are glad to introduce their honored wine.

We stopped for a longer time in Villány, where you can find most of the fashionable wineries of Hungary, like: Gere Tamás, Csányi pincészet, Sauska, Bock.Apart from them, there are many other ambitious wineries, who have also decided to represent the high-quality Hungarian wines.

One of them is the enterprise of the Maczkó winery, which was founded in 1996 by a son and his father. However, the tradition of wine growing goes back several decades in the family.They are committed to produce high quality wine both for the local and the foreign wine admirers. And the base of all is grown on 15,6 hectares in Villány area.

Like most of the wineries in Villány they also prepare the well-known red Hungarian wines, like: Portugieser, Pinot noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zweigelt and Blue Frankish. Their white ones are the Riesling Italico and the Chardonnay.

We tried the Kis Medve Cuvée from 2012 which was a medium-bodied wine, with a lower content of tannin. The fruity aroma with the elegance of the wine made it truly pleasurable to drink it. Just in the perfect way it has to happen in a Hungarian winery, the wine was accompanied by a "Zsíros kenyér", which means a slice of bread with duck fat, red onion and paprika on the top. Maybe it's not a 21st century's gourmet food, but still it's one of the best Hungarian dishes, which can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, anyhow but greatest with a glass of Hungarian red wine.

I recommend to everyone who makes a little trip to the area of Pécs, visit Villány, and also to stop by the Maczkó winery for a glass of wine and a perfect "Zsíros kenyér" in their relaxing and quiet garden.

Gourmet Festival - desserts

A gourmet festival is not appetizing just because of the extraordinary ingredients, seafood, caviar, or exquisite wines and drinks; but also because of the delicious desserts you can find.

Today I will briefly introduce three of the the newest pastry shops of Budapest that were part of the dessert section in the festival:

The Dolcissima just opened after the festival near to the Margit híd, in Frankel Leó utca (Buda). For this event they prepared traditional, Sicilian cannoli. The cannoli are fried pastry dough filled with an extremely delicious cream, made from ricotta.

Some months ago I had the pleasure of trying some real cannoli in Sicily, and since that I've fallen in love with them. They are not the lightest desserts ever, that’s true, but the well adjusted combination of crispy dough with smooth cream makes it so perfect… that you cannot stop eating it! .

Cannoli from Dolcissima

Thanks to the Dolcissima, now it's enough just to cross the Danube until the very begining of Buda hills, for finding some traditional italian cannoli. But not only that, because you will also find a nice selection of cakes, ice creams, mini pizzas and focaccia sandwiches.

The DesszertNeked (dessert for you) permanent shop is originally located next to Deak Ferenc Tért, in Paulay Ede utca. To the festival they mainly brought tarts and macarons. The tarts are amazing. I tried the one with passion fruit and this little delicacy for sure will bring me to the store to see what else they are preparing there. I think it will deserve a separate article..

The tarts of DesszertNeked

 The festival was prepared also for the chocolate lovers. The Zangio chocolate store was offering a wide selection of exquisite bonbons. My favorite was the salty caramel, but you can find some more unusual ones also, like: ginger, onion and caramel, spicy tomato or juniper. Even if they sound out of the ordinary, they are well-balanced, tasty chocolates of which all of them are having their own quality.

Zangio chocolate

As a conclusion, it can be stated, that luckily not only the street food and the bistros are improving in Budapest, but also the desserts are having more and more important role in today’s gastronomy.

Gourmet festival 2015

The dirty weather of the last weekend almost could frighten me away from going to the Gourmet festival, but luckily I stayed strong and took my courage to confront the rain. Bringing the umbrella and leaving at home the sunglasses made the rain stop, and the sun to shine.

As it was my third time on the Gourmet festival, it was obvious where I had to go first and start my little, gastronomical lunch trip. It was the Aranykaviár restaurant, which represent the highest quality among the Russian restaurants in Budapest. I couldn't skip the opportunity of trying their delicious meal. 

Pelmeni from the Aranykaviár

The pelmeni, which is a Russian dumpling made from unleavened dough, was stuffed with shrimps, served with sour cream and caviar. I definitely wouldn't mind eating it every week, it's excellent.

In the price of the entrance ticket a small street food was included which you could get at the Electrolux, who were the sponsors of the event. For this reason I was not expecting anything special. But at the end it turned out they were also supporting the high level of quality.

My other favorite meal was the duck burger, prepared by the Chianti restaurant from Veszprém. It was a perfect combination of many ingredients, of which all of them were making an essential part of the dish. After it, I've decided I have to go to Veszprém and see their restaurant.

Duck burger from the Chianti restaurant

From a gourmet festival, some fish or mussel can't be missing, so I decided to check what the Sarki Fűszeres was offering. Originally you can find their idyllic store on the Pozsonyi út. The place is a little heaven for the gourmands: you can find the best cheese, ham product, spices and many other delicacies. On the festival they were preparing bouchot mussels with onions, white wine, parsley and a little pepper. It definitely made me feel like I was on a seashore, smelling the sea in the air.

Bouchet mussels

After all these delicacies only some desserts were missing for having a complete lunch. But about them, let me tell in other article. ;)

Bontxo, the Basque bistro

This article is not based on one visit at a restaurant. It is about one of my favorite restaurant in Budapest, which I still trust and visit after more than a year.

This little bistro, the Bontxo, is located next to the Jászai square, in the calm and peaceful Falk Miksa utca. As the restaurant is representing the Basque gastronomy, I think it deserves a little introduction.

The Basque Country is an autonomous community in Northern Spain with a climate similar to the north of France or England.Therefore we can't expect from it having the same gastronomy as Andalusia, in the south of Spain. Its cuisine is influenced by the freshest fishes from the sea and by the mountainous nature's treasures, like vegetables, freshwater fishes and an endless assortment of fresh and cured meats.

Also the tapas has a Basque adaptation, which name is Pintxo. It's even smaller than a tapa, served with a small slice of bread spiked with a toothpick (pincho=spike).

For trying these pintxos, there is no need any more to travel to the Basque country. Although it's challenging to give the same quality in a country where there is no sea or the same vegetables, the Bontxo is definitely delivering a little Spain in the Falk Miksa utca. I would prefer say Spain, not only Basque country, because in my opinion the food they offer has influences of other regions of Spain as well, although their main inspirations come from the Basque cuisine. 

I have tried already almost everything from the menu, and I didn't regret any choice.

Some Basque pintxos and padrón pepper (a must try)

Croquettes with ham or cod fish and some anchovies

Risotto with squid and its ink

Gambas al ajillo (unfortunately this dish became smaller with the time although the quality remains the same) 

An amazing fish soup which was a weekly offer, but I really hope it will be back once

More and more pintxos

My top favorite of the desserts is the chocolate mousse but you won't get disappointed neither with the cheesecake and the crema catalana.

For accompanying the dishes you also can choose from a wide variety of wines and ciders.

I would really recommend the Bontxo bistro if you wish to eat something delicious, light and fast (and Spanish).

Am I going to return? - Definitely, more times

Do they speak English? - Yes and one of the owners speaks Spanish pretty well

M. Restaurant, a little French bistro

The last years I've realized that compared to some other European countries (like Spain, Italy, Finland or Portugal) in Hungary, the restaurant owners use not only the food, the service and the exterior for attracting more guests, but the interior too. They are so well designed that whenever you are eating in an Italian or Greek restaurant, for example, you can almost feel the fresh air and the quietness of Tuscany or Santorini. Most of the restaurant have something special, something what makes you feel comfortable and makes you stay longer (what is - to be honest - is quite useful for a catering establishment).

The M. Restaurant, located in the Kertész utca, wants to stand out with its interior even more than its competitors. From outside looks like a charming, little bistro, the kind one you have seen hundreds of times around Budapest, but once you step inside you will find a cardboared coloured wall with some drawings on it. I wouldn't say it's the most welcoming bistrot design I have ever seen but it has an own delightful character which makes you feel even more curious about the dishes.

The menu is different every week, is always update for the current season, and as we could confirm once we were settled in, that is a real guarantee of fresh dishes.

For a starter we decided to share Squid with aioli and green salad but as you can see on the picture, there wasn’t a lot quantity to share. Though, the dish was excellent: soft baby squids; tasty, real aioli and some fresh salad. I would have loved to continue eating more from it.

For a main course we ordered a Duck breast with some salad and Pig cheek wih new potatoes.

The duck breast could have been a little softer. But still it was a nicely prepared dish with really fresh ingredients.

The pig cheek was ideal: totally soft and melting in the mouth with a perfect taste fusion between meet and red wine.

The icing on the cake were the desserts. I have to say that they couldn’t have been better for finishing the dinner: a yummy chocolate fondant and a refreshing parfet. Unfortunately they sell them as separate dishes, although the combination of them is outstanding. 

The M. Restaurant represents a higher quality, compared to the usual offer of the bistros in Budapest. His charming indoor design, small but delicious starters, soft main courses and perfect desserts make you feel a little bit closer to France even though you are still in the center of Budapest.

Am I going to return? - Yes

Do they speak English? - Yes, and the service is really nice

The last minute suggestion for today - Food Truck Festival

In case you still don't have a plan for today's lunch or dinner and the fridge is empty, I would stronly recommend to visit the Food Truck Festival in Budapest.

In parallel with the appearance of the street food, the food trucks are also becoming something popular and very trendy. The festival's main target is to represent the hungarian mobile food service's main participants.

You can find the event in the Dürer Park, next to the Városliget in a nice, shady, green place. Surpisingly the place is not that crowdy, so you can still enjoy the time without stepping on each other's toes.

Everything is set for having a pleasent lunch: sausages, meat, fish and chips, ice creams, desserts and of course craft beer, wine and pálinka for the thirsty ones.

And now let the photos speak and I hope for some of you the festival could save the lunch or dinner.

The market of Hold utca and the wonderful sea food

In the heart of the 5^th district, next to one of the most amazing squares of Budapest, there is a really beautiful building designed by Győző Cziegler. For long time it was a lonely undervalued market called „Hold utcai piac”, to which been surrounded by offices didn't help at all to make it popular.

But now, seems like a change is taking place. As a result of a farm development support some rural-local producers are selling their goods on the ground floor, where you could find fresh products from all across the country. The most interesting change is taking place on the upper floor though, where you can find the quickly developing Hungarian street food. Or should I say street food “in” Hungary?. Because mostly all times this street food is Italian, Chinese or American.

Upstairs you will find a restaurant called “Séf utcája” (Street of the chef), owned by Bíró Lajos (chef of the renowned Bock Bisztró). They’ve decided to stay close to the traditional Hungarian cuisine, although prepared in high quality, for the taste of 21th century’s gourmet people. Even if the dishes looked quite appetizing, I decided to try the restaurant called Vörös Homár (Red Lobster).

As it can be deduced from the name, they are preparing different kind of delicious shellfishes and fishes. Yes you read it right!, here in Hungary! All the selection of the fishes you can see in the counter of the restaurant.

Our choices fell on a salmon burger and a Branzino (sea bass). The burger was perfect, 100% salmon without additional unknown products and with a delicious dressing and fresh salad on it, served with some crispy chips.

 I cannot say anything worse neither about the Branzino, a fabulous well-sized fish prepared in a perfect way:  soft but with the skin crispy of the grill and perfectly seasoned, presented with fresh, grilled, seasonal vegetables.

To all whom love as much as I do the fresh, good quality fish, I would strongly recommend to give it a try. Both of the options that Vörös Homár give us, the restaurant or the store of downstairs, will make you feel a little bit closer to the sea. And all this without having to the leave the wonderful renovated market of Hold Utca.

Am I going to return? - Definetely!!

Do they speak English? - Yes, even in the store of the Vörös homár