Life in the ‘hood is certainly taking a turn for the better. Despite repeated warnings by all and sundry when I first moved to Budapest, I bought a flat in what’s known as the ghetto – the VIIIth district.
The few blocks behind my flat are unrecognisable from what they were five years ago. The developers moved in and the place has boomed. It amuses me no end to think that right smack in the middle of it all is a kert (garden) bar called Grund. The boys are holding out and it, and the community garden next to it, are a sharp reminder that some things are better left untouched by progress.
But with developments like Corvin Sétány come new businesses – new restaurants, new wine bars, new shops. And while the shopping centre itself is nothing much to write home about (but then I’m not a fan of malls anyway) – I’m quite pleased to see that the culinary offer has improved dramatically.
I’ve been to Kompót Bisztró a couple of times for lunch. Simple Hungarian fare, served hot. There’s always a crowd. But until recently I’d never been there for dinner. And now that I have, I’ll be back.
That someone decided to do a new take on the traditional is obvious. Re-interpretation is the name of the game. The rather typical, if bland, furniture is broken by a round antique dining table with matching chairs always set with gleaming cutlery and sparkling glasses. This sets the tone and whispers that something in this restaurant isn’t quite as it seems.
Csaba took our order and humoured me; he let me speak what little Hungarian I have. This is a rare enough occurrence; most I’ve encountered in the Hungarian hospitality industry, when hearing my pathetic attempts at mastering their language, revert to English – either to practice theirs or to relieve the pain of listening to mine. So before ever looking at the menu, I was predisposed to liking the place.
On special that evening was the hortobágyi húsos palacsinta – a typical Hungarian pancake stuffed with meat. I’ve eaten this before but my dining companions had yet to savour the experience so I ordered for four. I was expecting the traditional flat crepe-like pancake rolled and stuffed like a carpet. Instead, we got a two-inch high square of layered meat, for all the world like a slice of cake. All the ingredients were there – but the presentation was totally different.
And other impressive thing – one that tickled the protocol princess in me – none of our plates were removed until all of us had finished. The staggered removal of place settings is a major irritant for me when I’m eating out and in the spirit of etiquette, I’ve been known to ask the waiter to leave my plate until my dining companion is finished. Waiting on tables is an art, one that is all too often underrated or ignored. I know. I’ve sat through enough protocol training dinners and am well-versed in what is acceptable and what is not. The waiters at Kompót are well trained. There was no reaching across the table – everyone was served from the right inasmuch as the seating allowed it. Very telling in my book.
Although struggling a little after the hortobágyi, we’d already ordered our mains so had little choice but to continue. Next up, we had two orders of salmon filets with cornbread, an order of boned pork knuckle, and the best schnitzel I’ve had since coming to Budapest, served with Bavarian potato salad in a hinged jam-jar. Again, all the ingredients were there – but the presentation was far from traditional.
Dessert wasn’t looking like an option – we’d already had plenty to eat – but when I saw that they had somlói galuska (the Hungarian version of trifle) on the menu… well, that was a different story. Mind you, Csaba warned me that it wasn’t traditional. It was a new take on an old recipe. I was okay with that, seeing that the new takes so far had all been for the better. But this I didn’t finish. Yes, it was excellent, in and of itself, but it wasn’t somlói. This was taking re-interpretation to a new extreme. A mite disgruntled, I realised that I was facing the fact that my culinary issues had issues. I was just a tad too entrenched in my food thinking to enjoy the bastardisation of an old classic when a simple re-christening would have sufficed. But, in fairness, when I checked the menu again, I saw the disclaimer – it was billed as somlói-style… so what fault there was, was of my own making.
Kompót Bisztró is one to put on your list of places to eat. It’s certainly earned a place on my visitors’ tour and might even become a regular haunt, with or without visitors in tow. Come visit the VIIIth and enjoy the rebirth of the Hungarian kitchen. You won’t be sorry.
Corvin Sétány 1/b | 1082 Budapest VIII. ker.
(Photos courtesy of Ms Charlotte Mercer)
9 Responses
Thanks for the tip – always good to hear about somewhere new to eat (is there anywhere you haven’t tried…?)
On the clearing away plates issue, that took me aback when I first came here but now I rather like it. I suppose I was in the mind-set that it was a signal to those still eating to hurry up (like asking if you want anything else or bringing you the bill) but once I realised that no one is going to hurry you over food here it took on a logic of its own: why would anyone want to sit with an empty plate in front of them?
I think it puts undue pressure on the other person to finish… it really gets my goat. Don’t think I will ever get used to it.
Thanks Mary, I’ve walked by Kompot a few times and dismissed it offhand because “you can’t have a serious restaurant in this location”. I need to rethink my Pest-geography stereotypes 🙂
It’s worth at rethink Peter.