Gastronomic experiences in Onyx Restaurant, Budapest - Part 1

I was in Budapest with a friend for three days in mid-December, and this post (as well as the next) is a review of the dinner we had at Onyx Restaurant in Budapest on the 14th. Situated round the corner from the central Vörösmarty square, it is one of two restaurants in Hungary to have been awarded a Michelin star (and one of only three such restaurants in Eastern Europe, the third being in Prague). Naturally, we arrived with rather high expectations. The restaurant is fully owned and helmed by Hungarian chefs Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll, and promises an authentic dining experience, especially with the creation of its Hungarian Evolution Menu (sounds tacky, I know, but no harm trying!).

Opulent interiors

Table setting

Bread trolley - quite an impression!

Impressive selection of breads and pastries to start - everything was delicious and we just had to finish them!

3 different spreads for the bread - Hungarian pork terrine, natural butter and crème fraîche. I found the first to be the most appealing - extremely creamy and savoury with just the right proportion of lean meat and fat.

We wanted to try some authentic Hungarian cuisine so we went with their 'Hungarian Evolution' tasting menu.

Amuse-bouche: breaded margarita pork cheek with potato salad and vinaigrette. Delicious and comforting - a crispy thin layer concealing a substantial filling of tender pork cheek (a severely underused but succulent part of the pork if done right) with indulgent slithers of smooth fat.

Accompaniment for the amuse-bouche: potato soup with sausage foam. Posh take on a savoury winter classic.

First starter: goose liver torte with coffee-orange gelée and goose liver royal with brioche.

This made an amazing impression with the most unusual ways of treating foie gras. In the background, a generous ballotine of rich and creamy foie gras was encapsulated by a translucent layer of orange jelly that balanced the former with sharp citrusy tones. The subtle coffee infusion in the jelly provided additional frangrance and a hint of bitterness. In the foreground, a heavenly parfait - salted butter caramel top layer which worked perfectly with the main body of foie gras, then finished by a layer of light sponge at the bottom. In the middle is a juicy apricot compote with a violet petal. Absolutely divine.

The accompanying toasted brioches looked huge, but they were so light and fluffy, with an intense buttery fragrance, that we finished them in no time.


Second starter: lamb soup with cutlet, diced tongue, green bean purée (hidden beneath the soup) and tarragon foam. Very rich and intense soup balanced by the refreshing presence of tarragon (both the foam and the real stuff underneath). 

Third starter: suckling pig shoulder with sour cabbage foam and quail egg. 

A posh twist on the typical roast-and-sauerkraut, this version came extremely well-cooked and tender. The runny quail egg with a perfectly-maintained yolk provided a further touch of richness, sprinklings of fried shallots were crispy and fragrant, and a small apple-and-red-cabbage mixture (Apfelrotkohl in Germany) in the centre of the pork (hidden) provided a healthy balance to this rather indulgent dish. 


First main course: filet of rabbit served with creamed corn and sage. 

The creamed corn really stood out in its taste - sweet, thick and consistent without any fibrous hint; amazing. Equally outstanding in terms of presentation was the violet potato sliced so thin you could see through to the rest of the dish! The rabbit itself was nice too, a rather thick slice yet remaining tender and juicy - but it couldn't have existed alone without the excellent accompaniments!


Second main course: tenderloin of beef and ravioli stuffed with confit shoulder of beef, served with goulash jus.

Extremely juicy and tender slab of beef served simply with black pepper and sea salt. The ravioli with goulash jus was nice too, but not particularly outstanding. Vegetable accompaniments were very good - a small piece of fresh and slightly spicy paprika with a mushroom reduction, a baby carrot in the middle, and a braised garlic clove in the right foreground provided additional aromas and sweetness to this heavy dish.


Pre-dessert: chestnut purée with vanilla cream and morello sour cherry soup - a very popular winter dessert. 

This was somewhat disappointing compared to the one I had at Gerbeaud coffeehouse (next door) that very afternoon - chestnut was a tad bland and the sour cherry soup was a bit too watery (and I wonder what those patches on the surface of the soup were due to!). The vanilla cream was nicely rich and fragrant though.


Cheese course: a trio of goat's cheese - brûlée with plum jam, fresh cream cheese presented like spaghetti with tomato confit and basil oil, blackened natural goat's cheese with walnut praline. 

The brûlée was rich and well balanced with plum jam. I am somehow reminded of the dessert version served in Ramsay's flagship restaurant.

This was for me the best part of the trio - excellent taste and presentation. Very thick and creamy, garnished with refreshing basil oil and a sweet and juicy tomato confit, almost like what one might do with an actual spaghetti dish. Surprisingly light.

A slice of natural goat's cheese, complemented by a thick praline with tiny bits of walnut within to provide an additional bite.

Dessert: 21st-century Somló sponge cake - a traditional Hungarian dessert with layers of dark & milk chocolate and walnut cream, over dark chocolate sponge laced with rum (hidden) and topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of walnut streusel. Utterly rich and decadent, as a dessert should be. I haven't figured out what was so '21st-century' about it though! (maybe just the presentation?)

It's very difficult to photograph anything through glass - hope this gives an adequate impression of the rich layering!


This Hungarian Evolution menu was a real eye-opener, though most of the dishes were on the heavy side (as the cuisine of this region normally is) and we were extremely stuffed by the end of the dinner.


I should also add that the two tasting menus they offer are incredibly good value - you won't be getting food of similar portions and quality anywhere else in the world for only £50!

Lunch at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

I wasn't expecting to go back to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay this soon, but a friend of mine was visiting in early December and I thought it would be a nice experience for both of us. I put myself on the waiting list for lunch, hoping for the best - and I got a callback for today!

Front of the restaurant, as seen from across the road

Entrance hallway

Table setting - exactly the same spot where I was
the first time! With black olive and potato &
rosemary bread - both excellent.

Very pretty flowers

Amuse bouche: the same as what I had the first time - smoked duck confit ball (less salty now) on ricotta cheese with a sweet, intense and smoky chestnut velouté; nice!

Since I already had had the tasting menu on my first visit, we both went for the standard à la carte menu to cover the other signature dishes, and simply swopped plates halfway through each course, so that we could try each other's choices - nobody bats an eyelid if you do that. 

(In fact RGR is the only fine restaurant in London I know of so far to not enforce the rule of ordering the tasting menu for the entire table - so small eaters can just go for the à la carte menu, while their partners carry on with the tasting menu if they wish; surely a challenge in terms of service and pacing of individual courses!)

Starter: pressed duck foie gras with peppered Madeira jelly, smoked duck, peach and almond crumble.

Incredibly smooth and creamy foie gras, balanced and glazed over with a thin spicy layer of jelly and complemented with small pieces of rolled smoked duck. Additional textures and flavours were provided by the juicy fruit and crisp crumble accompaniments, and the refreshing and subtle taste of radicchio tardivo.

Starter: pan-fried sea scallops from the Isle of Skye with lardo di colonnata, heritage apples, fresh walnuts, celery and cider emulsion.

The scallops were done just right - preserving all their natural juices and maintaining a springy texture - excellent! Their natural sweetness was further complemented by the apple and walnut accompaniments (both the fresh, crunchy bed below each scallop and the cream & emulsion versions) and a savoury touch was provided by the piece of lardo di colonnata (a traditional Tuscan delicacy) atop each scallop - divine!

Close up of the lardo di colonnata - very high-quality and velvety cured pork fat that complements the juicy scallops perfectly. A traditional Italian delicacy, it is still produced in the Apuan Alps in Northern Tuscany today.

Main course: best end of Cotswold lamb with confit breast and braised shank, navarin of autumn vegetables and vitelotte (violet) potatoes. A rich and comforting dish with tender slices of lamb in a savoury roasting jus, balanced by an assortment of sweet and refreshing vegetables.

Main course: fillets of lemon sole with butter poached Scottish langoustines, caviar, mushroom duxelle and watercress sauce.

A masterpiece to behold

The presentation of this dish was utterly amazing and out of my expectations. The rectangular bed beneath the fish consisted of mushrooms sliced incredibly thin and held together by a somewhat gelatinous film. The fish itself (more a roll than a fillet, really!) contained a delicious duxelle (chopped mushroom and shallot) filling that gave real body to its naturally subtle nature. A slightly spicy watercress sauce lifted the whole dish and the langoustine and oscietra caviar accompaniments in the background provided a touch of luxury.

Close-up of the accompaniments - no detail is spared with sweet and crunchy langoustines, slightly salty and gelatinous caviar with fresh watercress, potato and mushroom - perfect harmony of textures and flavours.

Not a particularly big fan of cheese but the trolley (for the next table) looked really enticing!

Accompaniments for the cheeses - grapes,
various dried fruits & nuts and chutneys

Dessert: blackcurrant fennel and yoghurt génoise with violet sorbet - as good as the first time!

Dessert: bitter chocolate cylinder with coffee granité and ginger mousse, and a scoop of milk ice-cream.

Another work of art

A signature Ramsay dessert, this was much more rich and indulgent than it looks! A hollow dark chocolate cylinder is filled with layers of butterscotch, caramel, milk chocolate & hazelnut cream (hidden), balanced with a top of spicy ginger mousse and slightly bitter coffee granité. This was accompanied by a scoop of surprisingly light milk ice-cream that felt almost like a sorbet!

The usual petit fours to end another excellent meal there:

If I had any gripes about this meal, it would be that the portions were extremely small even by fine-dining standards - tasting-sized, in fact (especially for the lamb dish - how much smaller could that get?!). We were definitely expecting more since we were ordering from the standard à la carte menu (not the £45 'budget' set lunch). Leaving the restaurant half-full, we were ready to have a substantial dinner barely 4 hours later.

Having said that, the morsels of food were exquisite and delicious while they lasted, and it's definitely a place a return to for that sporadic treat or special occasion - just not on an empty stomach!

First visit to The Square

I visited The Square for the first time today to try its tasting menu. This restaurant in London's fashionable Mayfair district, run by head chef Phillip Howard, has garnered a loyal following for excellent cooking and warm, friendly service. Official honours include two Michelin stars since 1998, and Zagat has praised it as 'simply the best all-rounder in London'. 

The tasting menu (admittedly not cheap, as with most establishments of this rank, but extremely promising!):

The colourful and somewhat quirky table setting reflects the fashionable vibes of this area, yet never loses its fundamental elegance as part of a fine-dining establishment.

The attractive bread tray - I'd highly recommend going straight for the walnut and raisin bread which is so crisp and light, and full of wholesome chunks of walnuts and raisins! 

Amuse-bouche: tartare of smoked venison with pickled mushrooms, baked celeriac, radish and truffle.

The savoury and earthy flavours of this dish emerged (literally) with a brief but spectacular puff of smoke when the top half of the cocotte was lifted. Tender morsels of smoked venison were marinated in a delicious combination of the aforementioned condiments and topped with gelatinous bits of pickled enoki mushrooms. 

First starter: lasagne of Dorset crab with a cappuccino of shellfish and champagne foam.

Where do I begin? This dish is much more substantial than it looks - a thin circular casing of homemade parsley pasta is stuffed entirely with fresh shredded crab, then topped with a champagne emulsion (the white part) and surrounded by an intense crab and shellfish foam made from the cooking stock. Pure delight. 

Second starter: sauté of Scottish langoustine tails with parmesan gnocchi, trompettes de la mort (the black mushrooms), an emulsion of potato and truffle, and a dollop of truffle butter (background).

Another amazing dish - lobsters and langoustines always go well with truffle-infused accompaniments and this was no exception. The flavours of this dish were further enhanced by the fragrant shallot rings and the earthy trumpet mushrooms (not the most inviting name in French I must say!). 

Third starter: ballotine of salt-cured foie gras with rhubarb and Sauternes (a French dessert wine) jelly, semi dried fruits (from top to bottom: apricot, rhubarb & pear) and raisin purée. 

An excellently balanced dish: the very rich, creamy and slightly salty foie gras was complemented by a range of sweet and sour accompaniments including the jelly and dried fruit. The raisin purée was slightly spicy (as was the sprinkling of paprika powder) which lifted the dish. A heavenly smorgasbord of flavours and textures.

First main course: fillet of cod with a ragout of glazed trotter, Savoy cabbage, lentils and red wine.

The fish was perfectly cooked - in my opinion the best of all the restaurants I've visited so far - despite being a rather substantial chunk, it was fork-tender, flaking effortlessly and seared at the top to a nice crispiness. The underlying savoury ragout was pure comfort food and the perfect complement to this oily fish - it could be on the slightly salty side (depending on one's taste) but I wasn't going to complain! 

Second main course: breast of Mallard with pumpkin & chestnut and turnip mash, a croustillant of the leg, garnished with trompettes de la mort, a quince and cranberry reduction, and a piece of caramelised quince.

The duck was very well roasted and tender, especially delicious with its roasting jus and further enhanced by the woody flavour of the mushrooms. The croustillant pastry, containing a good amount of shredded duck, was extremely light and flaky. The fruit reduction and the accompanying vegetable mashes cut through the overall richness of this dish very appropriately. Full marks for presentation too, I should add! 

Cheese course:

In the glass pot, chunks of Barkham Blue (a light blue cheese from Barkhamshire - very good, intense but not overwhelmingly pungent) on top of damson jelly (a very tart plum flavour - good balance for the cheese), then covered in its own melt and some crumbs.

On the skewer, another light blue cheese Fourme d'Ambert (one of the oldest surviving fromageries in France dating from the 1700s according to our server), coated in light breadcrumbs and fried (fragrant, crispy and chewy - yummy!), paired with a piece of dried pear.

On the plate, a slice of aged Beaufort (very similar to the common Emmental but slightly sharper in taste), served simply with a sprinkling of sea salt.

I am no cheese connoiseur but this trio was really quite something!

The maitre d' noticed me staring at the cheese trolley and offered me a complimentary tasting of the previous 3 cheeses in their original form, plus a new and rather interesting cheese.

Clockwise from left: Barkham Blue, Beaufort, Fourme d'Ambert and the new cheese Sara de Estrela (the two creamy dollops on spoons). Served with grapes and plum chutney. 

The last cheese is interesting not only because of its naturally creamy texture, but also the fact that it is produced from cows grazing in a thistle-filled region in Portugal, which gives the cheese a slightly spicy edge (first time I've had cheese that tastes like that!).

First dessert: Brillat-Savarin (a famous Normandian cheese) cheesecake with lime ice-cream and passionfruit reduction.

Very fresh and jaw-droppingly rich (almost like having another huge slab of cheese) - thankfully balanced by the equally excellent ice cream! 

Last dessert: banana soufflé with rum and raisin ice cream. 

The ice-cream was of course excellent, but the highlight was the exquisite soufflé, which was so creamy and intensely flavoured, yet looked extremely light and fluffy.

Also, unlike many inferior examples which collapse inwards upon piercing any holes, due to the delicate nature of its contents, this kept its form perfectly even as the waiter made a cavity on its surface on which to place the ice cream. This dessert is much harder to execute than it looks!

Clementines to end the meal, which was just about right as I was really stuffed by then!

Interior

Front of the restaurant

Bar/lounge area

Views of the restaurant as I was leaving - I was the last to leave the lunch sitting, as the whole tasting menu had taken a leisurely 3.5 hours!

This tasting menu was one the best I've ever had in London - every course was well-executed and satisfying, if not particularly fanciful. Service was generally attentive and warm, particularly from the maitre d' Cesar, who had offered me the complimentary cheese course (which normally comes at a £15 supplement for fine restaurants such as this) even though I was a new customer. Compared to the tasting menus of their 3-star counterparts Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, I would even say it is every bit as good as the former (or at least, better value for money), and certainly better than the latter. Perhaps The Square does lack the sophistication that seems to come through in their 3-starred competitors but that is being extremely picky, and in any case there is nothing wrong with sticking to tried-and-tested recipes and fundamentally solid cooking.

One sore point though - I found bits of shell and bone in 3 of the courses, which really shouldn't be happening in a kitchen of this rank, but at least our servers and Cesar were sincere and apologetic when we gave our feedback.

Overall, it was a lovely first experience at this restaurant and I know I'll be returning!