Food and Travel – ¡Comemos!

The city where you’ll never go Hungary

19th Nov 2019Leave a comment

Another food-travel post has landed. Less of the other-side-of-the-world Indian adventure this time, and instead, a jam-packed city break a little closer to home.

If you haven’t already guessed from the puntastic title (it’s terrible but I’d be a fool to let it slip by), I spent a few days in Budapest, which seems to be becoming one of the most popular city break destinations in Europe.

My previous travel posts have taken quite different forms; Brazil was more of a guide, India was grouped into categories, and Bologna had a more story-telling feel to it. This time I’m going to go through my foodie experiences dish by dish, giving a mini insight into each one.

I ate a lot. A lot a lot a lot. The gym will be seeing a lot of me this week to compensate. But it was entirely worth it, so here we go…

So, our first dinner took place at Aurum Bistro, and had been recommended by my parents who had a great meal there. I’d studied the menu on multiple occasions so had a pretty good idea of what I was going to have.

Dish number 1: Traditional Goulash Soup

I love that my very first taste of Hungary was of their most famous dish. You’ll often find this in two forms on restaurant menus – firstly as a lighter, less meat-heavy soup in the Starter section, and then again as a thicker, more hearty stew as a Main.

The paprika had a spicier kick to it than we’re used to at home, and overall I thought the soup was delicious, with soft, creamy veg, and not too much beef.

I rate it: 9/10

Dish Number 2: Duck Breast with Porcini Risotto

This particular dish was recommended by my parents and so was basically the whole reason I wanted to try out this restaurant.

The duck had been cooked beautifully, was super tender with lots of flavour and the creamy risotto was the perfect accompaniment.

I rate it: 9/10

Dish number 3: Somlói Sponge Cake

Dessert-wise we shared a couple of things between us so that we could try more. Somlói ended up popping up on literally every menu we came across, and I’m a sucker for the word ‘traditional’ – I will always (sometimes naively) buy into anything that claims to be a staple ‘must-try’.

This one was odd though, it looked great, but I wasn’t mad on it. Maybe because of the marzipan and nutty flavours, and the sponge felt damp, as opposed to moist (get over it).

I’m glad I tried it but I don’t need to order it again..

I rate it: 4/10

Dish number 4: Gundel Pancake

Another traditional dessert, I preferred this second one, but it still wasn’t quite to my taste. It looked very striking, with the almost black chocolate sauce and bright pink mini meringue, but the nutty pancake filling, again, didn’t do it for me. It’s quite a bitter dessert, with a subtle orangey flavour, but so far, the savoury is still outperforming the sweet.

I rate it: 6/10

Dish number 5: Meat Lover’s Langos

A brand new day, and after spending a while at the thermal baths, we were super hungry by the time we got to the Great Market Hall. All the food hubs are upstairs, and you have to push your way through the long queues and narrow walkways. For me, there was no doubt that I was going to get a Langos – I’d heard a lot about them before arriving in Budapest.

The base is so much tastier than it looks. The dough is soft, warm, with a lightly-fried flavour and you can pile toppings as high as you like. I went for the meatiest option, with chicken, salami, lots of grated cheese and of course sour cream, which the Hungarians seem to be obsessed with. I would’ve loved it if the cheese had been melted but it was still good.

You kind of have to ignore the fact that all the toppings are pre-prepared and have been sitting around for ages in Subway-style plastic boxes, but this is not a gourmet dish, it’s a typical fast, street food and so if this is what you expect, you won’t be disappointed at all.

I rate it: 8/10

Dish number 6: Duck Liver Paté

It’s not the first time I’ve gone away, not thought to pre-book restaurants at the weekend, and found myself struggling through the city desperately hoping somewhere will take us. That’s exactly what happened to us on the Friday night, and not willing to compromise on Hungarian food in favour of generic bbq and burger places, we eventually found somewhere with the capacity to take us in (Cupákos restaurant).

I tried some of this starter that my flatmate ordered, as duck and goose liver are another thing that can be found on every menu in Budapest. This was lovely and creamy, and a great sized starter that’s not too filling.

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 7: Bone Marrow

This restaurant didn’t have any appealing desserts so we went all out on the starters. I was super excited to order mine as I’ve never had bone marrow before, and I was already slightly disappointed that we hadn’t been able to get a table in the restaurant that had rooster testicle stew on the menu (lol), so this was a decent, slightly unconventional alternative.

I didn’t realise the texture would be so sort of mushy, not that that’s a bad thing. To be honest I’m not really sure what it actually tastes like because all I could taste was garlic and butter but I would never complain about such a thing. I really, really enjoyed it and would defo order again.

I rate it: 9/10

Dish number 8: Pork Neck with Potatoes and Parsnip Purée

This was one dish that didn’t look the most exciting (especially with those awful cheap-looking red plates) but actually was delicious. The pork was beautiful, and the puréed parsnip delicious. Normally I’m put off by the concept of purées because they’re too fussy and often you’re just given a tiny blob, but this was enough to make it worthwhile and really highlighted the flavour of the parsnip. I didn’t even mind the potatoes, which I always complain are normally a waste of carbs!

I rate it: 9/10

Dish number 9: Chimney Cake

I had sussed out Street Cakes on Instagram before arriving, as their Chimney Cakes looked incredible – full of colour and with every topping you can imagine.

The little café was cute with friendly ladies serving, and I chose to build my own, but using a picture of one I’d found on Instagram as my inspiration. There was cinnamon sugar on the outside, a thin layer of jam in the middle, and then the hollow dough was filled with banana ice cream and topped with marshmallows, sprinkles and caramel sauce.

It looks beautiful and it tasted good. The dough was actually crunchier than I’d expected, and the banana ice cream did taste very artificial but I suppose that’s what you have to expect of anything that describes itself as ‘banana-flavoured’.

To be honest though, his isn’t something you order for the flavour – it’s all about the aesthetic, the indulgence and the fun, so I’d recommend this place for those reasons.

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 10: Goosey Gustav Burger

What’s a trip abroad without trying out their exclusive Mcdonald’s menu items? After my Chimney Cake, I couldn’t stomach a whole meal so just went for the intriguing-sounding Goosey Gustav burger.

What could be more Hungarian in Mcdonald’s than beef patties topped with goose liver?? Honestly, other than a standard Big Mac, this was the best burger I’ve ever eaten in Mcdonald’s, from the textures to the flavour. Not sure exactly what the mayo was but it wasn’t just plain and it tasted amazing with the liver. It is a double burger but I took out one patty, as for me, having multiple patties never enhances the flavour or eating experience and I wasn’t particularly hungry.

So buzzed from this still.

I rate it: 10/10

Dish number 11: Curried Apple and Celeriac Soup with Toasted Almonds and Pesto

Our final dinner took place at Alma and Körte, which was another place I had seen good reviews of on Instagram. This soup just sounded so interesting to me, and it was probably the best thing I ate all trip. It was delicious, from the celeriac flavour with the sweetness of the apple, to the crunch of the slivered almonds and oiliness of the pesto, with a beautifully creamy finish overall. You must try this.

I rate it: 10/10

Dish number 12: Lamb Shank with Dried Fig Cous Cous

I’ve never actually had lamb shank before so Budapest was amazing for encouraging me to try types of meat yet undiscovered to me.

Although the meat had been cooked really well, I’m not sure the heavy, rich sauce worked so well with lamb. I feel like it would’ve been better suited to a meat with a less distinctive flavour like beef or ox. I still enjoyed it but it wasn’t the best combination. The cous cous was very nice though, and made a change from all the root veg side dishes I’d had so far.

I rate it: 7.5/10

Dish number 13: Cottage Cheese Fritters with Forest Fruit Compote

This sounds weird. And a bit scary. Cottage cheese. As a dessert. Fried. But omg I loved it. The fried exterior wasn’t oily or heavy or too thick, it was just enough of a crunch to work amazingly with the soft cheesy centre. Most of the flavour came from the deep, sharp compote and so there was no issue with the cheese tasting odd.

I rate it: 8.5.10

Dish number 14: Mulled Wine

May as well throw a drink review in here, especially as weirdly I’d never tried mulled wine before because I never used to like spices in sweet foods and drinks. We got this from the small Christmas market in Deák Ferenc Square where the Budapest Eye is. We got to keep the cute mug, and although it was very sweet, it was ideal for a cold winter’s day.

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 15: Pork with Potato Rosti

I was amazed by the food on offer at the market, and wanted to try everything, but with eyes bigger than my belly, I had to try and be at least a little bit sensible. I didn’t actually know that the pork came with the potato rosti when I first ordered it. I got drawn in by the whole pig head sitting on the display and had to try the meat. I have to admit that it was very salty, and so was more hammy than porky with that slightly rubbery texture. Having said that, for some reason I absolutely loved the rosti. It was very oily having obviously just been deep fried but god it tasted good.

I rate it: 6/10 for the pork, 9.5/10 for the rosti

Dish number 16: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Paprika Sausage

Cabbage rolls were another thing that I felt I couldn’t leave without trying. These ones were stuffed with pork, came with more cabbage on the side and a big paprika sausage and of course, drowned in sour cream. The sausage was great, really flavoursome, and the cabbage was also really nice, although it’s briney flavour can be divisive, as to my flatmate, the sourness of it tasted a bit ‘gone off’. Again though, this whole dish was super salty, so I left a huge amount which is not like me – not necessarily because I was full but just because I couldn’t take anymore of the salt!

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 17: Marzipan Ball

My final few ‘dishes’ are all sweet treats that I bought from the market to take home. I’d always said I didn’t like marzipan, but as I’m so much less fussy now than I was years ago, I decided to retry it. I can still understand why I hated it so much when I was little, as the aftertaste does tend to linger, but actually this was pretty nice, what with the soft, spongey centre.

The stall where I got these treats had so much on offer so there’s definitely something to satisfy everyone.

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 18: Don’t have a fucking clue what this was

Very helpful. Kinda biscuity. Biscuit-sandwich-like. Sticky, nutty filling. Bit of a chocolate glaze. Tastes good. Why not try?

I rate it: 7/10

Dish number 19: Chocolate Bark with Dried Cranberries

This didn’t seem as traditional, i.e. I’m sure I could find something like this at home, but it looked so appetising and tasted equally as good. The chocolate was slightly crunchy and then the sweet cranberries on top added a sharp spike of flavour. Don’t know how I only managed to take one bite, but then again, it is sitting in my room now, waiting for me to devour it when I’m craving a snack.

I rate it: 8/10

Dish number 20: Cherry Rétes (Strudel)

It’s so satisfying that without trying, I’ve finished on such a clean number of dishes. Number 20, and the last thing I ate was this lovely, and very filling strudel. They had options with cottage cheese, and also apple versions but I went for the pure cherry.

The pastry is thin but not very flaky which was good, and there is a generous amount of filling inside. Again, I only had one bite but can’t wait to finish this off at some point.

I rate it: 8/10

Budapest really did surprise me in terms of how much of a foodie destination it is. And so that’s everything!

Almost…

Have to give a shoutout to the Cardamom Chocolate Plum Jam that I took a risk in buying at the market because it sounded incredible, but I didn’t manage to get it through airport security RIP 😦

Just a few little notes before I leave:

We suffered numerous dramas along the way which ultimately just added to our experience but here are my words of warning for anyone venturing to Budapest.

Don’t be fooled (by the rocks that I got..). You do not need slippers to go in the outdoor thermal baths, you only need them for the indoor ones. So if you’re not going in the indoor ones, do not let the misleading sign above (or the snake of a lady at the slipper stall) trick you into thinking you need to buy them. We bought them, realised our mistake, had a go at a few people, and eventually got a refund after standing our ground. If in doubt just take some flip flops with you.
If you head to where the famous ruin bars are (which you should), do not go into this bar which I unfortunately don’t know the name of but has this ridiculous sticker outside (see image below) which they must’ve stolen or forged. We ordered drinks separately and as I was about to pay, my flatmate questioned why she was being charged much more for her wine then mine. The old bald man behind the bar started making up a load of bullshit and just plucking prices out of thin air, and upon being questioned he then had a tantrum and aggressively told us he suddenly didn’t have any white wine and took the glasses back from us. If you don’t want to be treated poorly by a sexist loser then do not visit this bar which is next to Szimpla Kert.
Beware of old 500 Forint notes. We were given one in change without realising it was old and then nowhere would accept it so then couldn’t spend that at all and had basically been shortchanged. The old note is darker in its red colour than the new one which is brighter but safer to google it if you’re not sure.

Beware of the bar behind this door and it’s ginormous bellend of a barman

Once again, if you’ve read all of this, thanks a million, plz like and subscribe via email to hear about more adventures of mine.

Rants over. Beware of the above. Visit Budapest.

See ya…

¡Comemos!

Delhi to Goa: A Culinary Trail

22nd Aug 201922nd Aug 2019Leave a comment

Those of you who follow my Instagram page (foodtravelsldn) will know that I recently got back from an amazing 2 week trip to India.

There are so many things that India is famous for, but one of the most significant is its food. I knew I was heading to an absolute foodie heaven.

HOTEL FOOD

I ate so much over the two weeks that I couldn’t possibly cover everything. I’ve broken it down into 10 of the most interesting things that I came across, so here’s my best attempt at a round-up of those delicacies…I’ll start with hotel food. Often when eating abroad, hotel food is a bit of a cop-out. Generally they offer less authentic dishes and a wider range of international cuisine. One of the first striking things about food in India though is you can get great food from anywhere. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the streets, in a small hotel or from a 5 star restaurant – the quality is still there, and you can be sure that nothing is coming from a packet. I’m not saying that each one of the meals below was a 10/10 but food in low-budget UK hotels doesn’t begin to compare.

STREET FOOD

One of the most exciting things for me was the prospect of trying street food. Not one to be scared off by talk of Delhi belly, I was fearless when it came to trying everything. My first day in Delhi was one of my favourite meals. I paid 20 rupees (25p ish) for a delicious potato curry with fried I-don’t-know-whats. It was probably the spiciest thing I ate there as it hadn’t been toned down for the foreigners but that’s exactly how I liked it. No cutlery, just hands. A delicious meal on the capital’s busy streets.

MASALA CHAI

I can’t even recall the number of times I’ve found myself saying ‘I don’t drink tea’ in my life. Yet despite that, something quite extradinary happened to me in India. I developed an OBSESSION for Masala Chai. It is exquisite. And yes it may well be because it’s so sweet and sugary and milky that it just tastes like a dessert but that’s not the point. I gave in to tea, with all its gingery, cinnamony flavours. The best chai by far is the tiny cups you get in the street, on the go. I’m not sure I’m quite fully converted to tea, but it’s a step in the right direction.

SPICE MARKETS AND FRESH PRODUCE

Arriving in Delhi, I’d read that one of the main attractions was the city’s spice market, and so being such a keen cook I had to check it out. To be completely honest, it wasn’t what I’d imagined. In my head I’d conjured up images of bustling streets and market stalls full of every colour and tone of spice you could imagine. The reality is all the little shops are nestled below buildings running along the side of each street and the takeaway images aren’t as striking. Having said that I still bought away an exciting haul of turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and some unknown substance that I’ll just shove in a curry and hope for the best.

Big chain supermarkets aren’t really a thing in India so local people buy all their fresh groceries from people selling on the street. In Jaipur the side pavements were awash with every kind of veg you could imagine, and for me it was a whole lot more interesting than what Delhi had to offer.

RESTAURANT FOOD

So we come to one of the biggest areas of intrigue for me – the restaurant food. I was really interested to see how it compared to the kind of Indian food we would eat at home. I had really mixed experiences – some absolutely delicious meals, some pretty good and some just ok. One of my highlights was having breakfast at Kyani & Co. in Mumbai, which is one of the Iranian café style restaurants that the London-based chain Dishoom is based on. In all the two weeks there were of course occasions where I strayed from Indian food because 2 weeks of curry for lunch and dinner can become a bit too much…

I’ve also taken away the fact that India is the best place in the world to eat vegetarian. There are almost more options on one menu than you’d find in most of London’s restaurants combined. Whether it’s curried okra, aubergine, daal or a selection of 3849595 paneer (cheese) dishes, it really is veggie paradise. I tried to mix it up a bit, sometimes avoiding meat and sometimes embracing it.

FLATBREADS

An absolute staple of Indian cuisine is the humble flatbread. From rotis to chapatis, naan to paratha, again, there are so many combinations to choose from. What struck me straight away was that our idea of Naan bread here in the UK, doesn’t actually exist in India. Indian naan is a thin flatbread rather than a bready doughy teardrop shaped creation like we eat here. I’m not saying one is better than the other but it was just interesting to see how things differed. For me, chapatis were the most disappointing as they tended to be the driest and were plain without a selection of exciting flavours and toppings, whereas the naan and paratha were endlessly pleasing. Cheese, garlic, chilli, butter –whatever your topping, they’re the perfect way to scoop up your curry when there’s no cutlery in sight. Peshwari Naan is also a delicious sweet alternative with dried fruits and nuts.

GLOBAL BRANDS

So I’m a complete sucker for trying new menu items, limited edition products, or just things that I know I won’t be able to get my hands on elsewhere. So for that reason I did venture to Pizza Hut (Agra), Mcdonalds (Ahmedabad) and KFC (Mumbai). I’m all about embracing every aspect of Indian cuisine – but for me, this includes eating at these places and trying menu items that I will never be able to get in the UK.

Pizza Hut was a great experience – not only was my Tandoori Paneer Pizza delicious, but the whole staff insisted on performing a very well-choreographed and rehearsed dance routine before we left.

Mcdonalds and KFC weren’t quite as exciting, and were more quick meals on the go before travelling from one city to the next. The McSpicy Paneer was a highlight but I’d give KFC a miss next time.

SWEET TREATS

This section is basically dedicated to the God of desserts – Gulab Jamun. I’d tried these sweet, sticky, syrupy balls at Dishoom here in London, and at the time had had no idea what I was actually ordering. They really are beautiful though – like a slightly less heavy small syrupy doughnut ball. And the ones in India are even smaller than the ones I had here, so you don’t have to feel as guilty! I’d also really wanted to try Rasgulla Balls which are similar but it seemed that every time I asked for them, the restaurant didn’t have them. I guess I’ll have to make it my mission to find some here.

Just a quickie before moving on – best hot chocolate I’ve ever had @Oludar Village Café in Udaipur (They also did an amazing chicken burger). Not where I was expecting to find the most delicious hot chocolate in the world but there you have it – and I made sure to sample 2 so I knew it wasn’t a fluke…

HOME COOKING

The group I was travelling with were lucky enough to visit a local family’s house in Udaipur where we were given a cooking demonstration of some classic dishes. A year ago, the lady giving the demo spoke no English whatsoever, so it was crazy how now, she was able to speak freely and spontaneously about technical elements of cooking and answer any questions we had. She made some delicious pakora, okra, chickpea curries and chapatis. It was a lovely afternoon, despite the power cutting out multiple times (meaning we were in darkness and with no air con) and I’ll definitely be trying to recreate these dishes at home.

TOP MEALS

I’ll finish with a couple of highlights. Where were my best meals and what were they? Our group ‘leader’ was fantastic with his solid recommendations and letting us know where the best places were to eat each dish.

Hunter’s Delight @ Dagla, Jaipur

This mutton curry was delicious. Incredibly tender meat, a lovely curry sauce that wasn’t too runny like some of the others I’d had, and lots of chillis and heat! I never asked for the spices in my dishes toned down like they often do for westerners because I love the firey kick!

Keema Baati @ The Courtyard Café and Bar, Udaipur

This was a really interesting-looking dish and I didn’t really know what I’d ordered until it arrived. They’re basically big bread balls (the bread is quite tough, definitely not soft and airy, but it’s supposed to be like this) and the centre is stuffed with minced mutton. On the side you get a mutton curry and melted ghee so my tactic was just to smother them with the curry and ghee making it as indulgent as possible. So much flavour.

Paneer Kathi Rolls @ Hotel Royal Dezire, Udaipur

So I can’t say this was the most impressive dish, skill or flavour-wise but in terms of setting yourself up for the day with a solid breakfast, this was it. Basically tasty, stodgy wraps filled with cheese, chilli and other veg. A beautiful start to the day.

Keema with Fried Egg @ Kyani & Co., Mumbai

One that I have mentioned already, but probably my favourite meal in my favourite city. The keema (minced mutton) almost felt like a spiced Bolognese, and topped with a fried egg was delicious when scooped up with the bread rolls. I could eat this every single day.

So that’s about it! It’s tricky to condense 2 weeks of foodie adventures into one post, especially when you have a tendency to waffle like me, but there are my highlights, observations and general thoughts. India was a massive adventure, and I loved every minute of it.

I wonder how long it will take me to save for my next adventure in China – I might need a few years but watch this space…

¡Comemos!