There is a perfect moment in garden restaurants that can last up to an hour if we play our cards right. I last experienced this ‘time manipulation’ at Gundel. The exact recipe presumably varies from person to person; in our case, it occurred after the aperitif, starter and main course, when, following two glasses of beer enjoyed with the meal, a small glass of green walnut liqueur arrived with the dessert. The feeling could perhaps best be described, in short, as contentment with everything, when hunger, thirst and, generally speaking, all desires have faded from view.

NEITHER OUR BODIES NOR OUR SENSES CRAVE ANYTHING MORE, AND WHAT WE EAT FOR DESSERT, AS WELL AS THE LIQUID FLAVOUR BOMB WITH WHICH WE SIMPLY MOISTEN OUR PALATES, IS NOW ALL JUST A BONUS, A TREAT, A SOURCE OF JOY.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’d experienced this feeling – and hopefully it won’t be the last – but it was lovely to see, in the revamped Gundel garden, that everything seemed to have been organised around this experience, so it would be difficult to set ourselves apart from this and give an objective account of the garden. It is therefore worth noting this at the outset. On the one hand, because anyone seeking this experience can have it here; on the other, to acknowledge our bias.

And this bias can be extended to other areas as well, as what’s been happening with Gundel of late is also very appealing. This could be described as a sort of demystification, a sweeping away of the mystique, in the course of which the pomp of the tailcoat-clad waiters, the cloche (shiny metal plate cover), the prestige ingredients, and the main courses.

And if we strip away all these excesses, what remains is a restaurant that could best be described as a continuation of the original Gundel, which once conquered Budapest, and later the world as well – one need only think of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, to which, incidentally, Károly Gundel had sent paprika seeds to the growers a year earlier, so that he would have the right ingredients at his disposal by the time the event took place.

Our real memories of this famous About Gundel Of course, there can’t be many left, because after the World War, nationalisation and the socialist system thoroughly ran them down; but, for example, the museum curator Imre Gundel, we can find information and anecdotes on this subject in the book by Károly Gundel’s son (On Gastronomy and the Gundels).

The fact that Gundel became something of a venue for special occasions was probably only to be expected, given that there was no other venue of such high prestige at the time, and, of course, both Kálmán Kalla and Zsolt Litauszki achieved great things here as chefs. Nowadays, however, with the revival of haute cuisine, the situation has changed. If you’re looking for fine dining in Budapest, you’ll have no trouble finding it.

Chairs and dining tables

Meanwhile, it also transpired that Gundel isn’t really the right venue for a gala dinner, as it’s too big. Back in the day, they were able to organise events for as many as a thousand people here, but you simply cannot attract that many people to expensive haute cuisine. Although the garden is now somewhat smaller, it is still capable of accommodating several hundred people in total. As Imre Gundel’s book reveals, in its original form the venue was a magnet for both soldiers and their maids’ sweethearts, with the fairground performers later taking to the garden

THEY COULD HAVE A BEER, AND COULD EAT AS LITTLE AS A BOILED EGG WITH SAUCE AND POTATOES, OR A SAUSAGE IN ITS BROTH. MEANWHILE, THE WEALTHIER AND THE ARISTOCRACY ALSO FREQUENTED THE SAME PLACE, WHERE THEY ENJOYED CRAB STEW AND CHAMPAGNE, AND, OF COURSE, ARTISANS, MERCHANTS AND SOLICITORS TOO. AND IF A WAITER TRIED TO FOIST EXPENSIVE FOOD ON A „POOR SOUL”, KÁROLY GUNDEL HIMSELF WOULD SACK HIM.

This kind of social stratification has, of course, now disappeared, and the era’s regulars’ tables have also become community forums; however, the guiding principle behind the company that recently took over the venue was conceived in line with the original philosophy:

Let Gundel belong to everyone once again

– Zoltán Kőrössy, one of the founding owners of the new operator, Eventrend Group, told us during the trial run of the garden. Just as not everyone could afford to eat or drink whatever they wanted whenever they wanted back then, the same is true today; but it’s fair to say that almost anyone can treat themselves to the occasional beer, a simple snack or just a coffee with a slice of Somlói cake every now and then. For this to happen, it would also be important for a particular place to

WE SHOULD NOT ONLY START TO APPRECIATE IT WHEN IT APPEARS ON A RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL TOURIST LIST, BUT IT SHOULD TRULY BE IMPORTANT TO US, as Hungarians, we should regard places of gastronomic and cultural significance, such as Gundel, which have been part of our lives for over a hundred years, as our own.

This is also an important venue because almost all of Hungarian cuisine’s key dishes were created here. They refer to this as the ‘National 11’, as it comprises eleven iconic Hungarian dishes associated with Gundel. And if the world’s cuisines were to compete in a world championship, we could enter this team.

Of course, one could argue that this might only be a club team, but in that case it would be much like Fradi, which is a matter of national pride for many people. In any case, we’re now convinced that if we want to show a foreign visitor what authentic Hungarian cuisine looks like with a modern twist, we needn’t worry thanks to the work of corporate chef András Wolf and executive chef Viktor Moldován – the ingredients, the techniques and the flavour combinations are all spot on.

THE NATIONAL TEAM IN THEIR 11 SUMMER KIT:

• Grilled goose liver aged in Tokaji Aszú, served with spiced sour cherries and kalács
• Goulash soup with homemade noodles
• “Újházi” chicken soup with homemade noodles
• “Palóc” soup with lamb
• "Kárpáti" pike perch fillet with mushrooms in butter sauce
• Paprika chicken, “nokedli” with cucumber salad and sour cream
• Matured sirloin „300 g”, Budapest-style, with confit potatoes
• Lecsó with Mangalica sausage and eggs
• The original Gundel pancake
• Somlói sponge cake
• Rákóczi cottage cheese

Every element has been designed to contribute to that sense of completeness we mentioned at the beginning.

The house gin and tonic whets the appetite, offering the alluring anticipation of what is to come with its tart juniper notes, fruitiness and citrus flavours. Next comes the starter: trout marinated using the gravadlax method and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, which continues to whet the appetite as the few mouthfuls of fish arrive with a green apple and cucumber salad. Next, I’d rank the Palóc soup amongst the very best I’ve ever tasted: the broth is just a touch tangy, the lamb retains its bite and its distinctive flavour, and, in general, all the soup’s ingredients have been prepared separately, ensuring just the right texture. The thinly sliced, pickled purple potatoes were quite surprising with their tangy, raw character. Then came the main course, for which I chose the Mangalica pork shoulder, served butcher-style with parsley rice.

Meditation beer garden

Although, unfortunately for me, I had the opportunity to taste a great many dreadful pork stews during my conscript service in Tapolca, I could at least be confident that here I wouldn’t have to put up with gristle and greasy, watery gravy. At most, I might have to worry that they wouldn’t do justice to the mangalica’s full potential.

However, this oversight was not made, and the connective tissues in the shoulder have loosened nicely, whilst the fat melted just enough to tenderise and add juiciness to the final result; it also took on a nicely browned, roasted character, with none of that overcooked flavour found in many places where sous-vide technology isn’t used properly. The thinly sliced ham and cucumber, thoroughly seared, added a concentrated flavour to the whole dish.

And with that, we’ve now reached the moment with which we began our article: the Central European beer garden meditation experience.

FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, THIS IS PROVIDED BY A BEACH BAR, WHILE FOR THOSE IN THE ALPS IT IS THE MOUNTAIN HUT; WE, HOWEVER, CAN EXPERIENCE SOMETHING SIMILAR IN THE PLANE TREE GROVE – IN OUR CASE, WITH A UNIQUE HUNGARIAN TWIST.

This is further enhanced by the fact that the string ensemble and the bar pianist, taking turns, play bar music – based on accessible international and Hungarian hits – at just the right volume. Disturbing factors have also been kept to a minimum; in the garden area, for example, smoking is only permitted outside, by the entrance, so the smell does not spoil the atmosphere.

The children don’t get bored either, and they can keep themselves well occupied in the playground – even by throwing balls at the hippo heads – as back in the day the little Gundel children could also run about here whilst Zoltán Latinovits, István Freinresz (later Bujtor) or Károly Freinreisz, so a family-friendly atmosphere is an important tradition here. What’s more, even the dogs aren’t forced to beg, as they too can choose from a separate menu.

And through the shady trees, the sunlight filters through with just the right intensity, so everything is in place for us to slow time down as much as possible, and tuck into the tangy-sweet quark pancakes with plenty of fresh fruit and vanilla sauce, then drizzle in the house’s richly flavoured walnut liqueur drop by drop, and let ourselves drift away from the world for a little while.