Having spent the last couple of years unable to travel overseas due to both Covid and work, I was gifted a small window of opportunity of a few days as one dear employer departed and another prepared to arrive.
Scanning the Continental map of where we have and haven’t been through the technicolored lens of the officially reported Covid infection levels, we settled on Hungary. The yellow destinations were a million miles away in the Southern Hemisphere and everything else is apparently orange, mostly I imagine for reciprocal diplomatic reasons (everything is political).
Inoculated twice + booster and armed with internationally recognised green passes and 100 disposable face masks, my mate Merav and I set off in hope of a ferry ride on the Danube, a soak in a hot pool in sub-freezing weather and a very reasonable and relaxing 5 day 5 star getaway at the Budapest Hilton atop Castle Hill just up the road from where the last Emperor of Hungary, Charles the 1st, hung his Christmas sock over the mantle.
Entrance foyer to Hot mineral baths in Buda next to the Szabadsag bridge spanning the Danube connecting Buda to pest. Photo credit The BFD.
Buda, Pest and Obuda were three separate Cities on the Danube which were merged to become one larger metropolis in 1873. Its culinary fare, we had been told, stretches well beyond the traditional Hungarian goulash and sweet kurtosh chimney bread. I am hoping I will be able to share places of interest that you can visit the next time you happen to be in Hungary.
Much of the world has already created smooth and workable systems of travel. The Corona passport allows the intrepid traveller to access most countries and their special sights both indoors and out, new strains permitting. I know it doesn’t sound fair to those conscientious objectors amongst us, but there is always a price to pay for sticking by your principles and in this case, the big price is no international travel. None at all.
That Budapest was once the heart of a great empire is immediately evident in the abundance of opulent grand houses, castles, cathedrals and beautifully manicured public squares and gardens. Unfortunately, like much of Europe, what we see are mostly renovated or rebuilt copies of the originals that were either damaged or destroyed by World War Two or the communist ideologues who came after. Only with the collapse of communism and the opening of the Iron Curtain was Eastern Europe allowed to rebuild and shine like it once did.
From a culinary point of view, Budapest like most major cities offers food from every corner of the planet, a lot of it pretty grim fare. Strolling the fancy pedestrian Vaci Corso parallel to the Danube River in downtown Pest, the pimping by enthusiastic “Restaurant” staff trying to hook a table of tourists can become quite irritating, their menus combining goulash, the wok and sushi, something for everyone or in my view nothing for anyone.
New York cafe Budapest. Photo credit The BFD.
The New York Cafe at Erzsebest Krt 9-11 is one stop you must make. No one goes there for the food, but to wash one’s eyes with the opulence, splendour and elegance of an ornate cafe/restaurant that opened in 1894 and was known from then on as the most beautiful cafe in the world. Badly damaged in WW2 and left to decay under communism the building was sold to an Italian hotel chain who painstakingly restored it to its former glory. The decor is simply stunning, replete with a three-string quartet playing chamber music on the grand staircase going up to the mezzanine floor.
Service was perky and prompt; the menu itself was pretty unimaginative. We shared an ice cream sundae along with a “Gold Cappuccino” and a “Gold Hot Chocolate”. Both drinks arrived with gold dust sprinkled on top, good for both a laugh and a selfie. Everything was great and very pricey, but this was one of those Mount Everest moments, not to be missed.
Moving along, the standard fare of the traditional Budapest eateries is meaty and heavy: hamburgers, goulash, schnitzel and steak. Vegetables are limited to some form of potato, and the salad on everyone’s menu is the Caesar salad. There are of course some twenty restaurants carrying one Michelin star, but only on the Pest side of town. As we were staying on Castle Hill in the heart of Buda and with November evening temperatures sinking to zero, to head back into Pest with swollen feet and fork out a couple of hundred euros on a Michelin tasting menu was a big ask.
Jamie Oliver Caesar salad with grilled chicken, fresh pasta production, Hungarian goulash, Jamie Oliver Budapest Photo credit The BFD.
Luckily for us we had a Jamie Oliver Restaurant around the corner, so while in Hungary we dined on Italian most evenings. Jamie Oliver’s establishment offered a more significant salad menu, was busy, tasty and well priced. A boon for the tired traveller who just wants to get his shoes off, have a hot bath and lounge on his king-sized bed.
