{"id":17985,"date":"2024-06-06T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T08:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/?post_type=sajto&p=17985"},"modified":"2024-07-16T10:08:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T08:08:21","slug":"we-sampled-the-meal-that-erzsebet-and-her-husband-used-to-eat-at-gundel-back-in-the-day","status":"publish","type":"sajto","link":"https:\/\/gundel.hu\/en\/sajtoszoba\/megkostoltuk-azt-a-menut-amit-ii-erzsebet-es-ferje-annak-idejen-a-gundelben-evett\/","title":{"rendered":"We sampled the menu that Queen Elizabeth II and her husband used to enjoy at Gundel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gundel<\/a> It is famous for so many things. To mention just a few: its recipes, which have shaped Hungarian cuisine; its centuries-old tradition of hospitality; its social awareness \u2013 and its famous guests. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visits by members of the royal and ecclesiastical dignitaries, princes, politicians and international celebrities have enriched the 130-year history of the Gundel Palace. These distinguished guests enjoyed special menus that were not available to others \u2013 until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To mark this anniversary, the restaurant is now making the Gundel experiences of well-known guests who have dined there available to everyone, in keeping with the restaurant\u2019s long-standing motto: Gundel belongs to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201eCelebrity Menus\u201d<\/a> A series whose first instalment will be the \u2018Four Crowns\u2019 menu from the reception held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, which anyone can sample from 8 July in the form of a dinner, simply by booking a table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 4 May 1993, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband, Prince Philip, arrived in Hungary at the invitation of President \u00c1rp\u00e1d G\u00f6ncz. During their four-day stay in Hungary \u2013 alongside the customary political engagements \u2013 the royal couple visited the Sleeping Beauty<\/em> She went to see a ballet at the Opera House, went on day trips to Kecskem\u00e9t and Bugac, and had lunch at the Gundel restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 5 May, Prime Minister J\u00f3zsef Antall and his wife hosted a luncheon in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband. The lunch, attended by thirty-two guests, began with a reception for the royal couple in the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The choice of Gundel and the lunch held there were particularly significant because, reportedly, this was the only formal occasion during their four days in Hungary on which the royal couple did not eat a meal prepared by the court chef they had brought with them from home.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Gundel is ready<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before the gala lunch, the kitchen prepared ten trial menus to ensure they could definitely be served within the exact time limit of one hour and forty minutes. Alongside speed, quality was of course a priority too: the menu was handwritten, and the waiters were taught a special choreographed routine. The Kur\u00edr reported on the preparations as follows: \u201eTwelve impeccable English waiters \u2013 eight food servers in black tuxedos and white gloves, and four barmen in waistcoats, also wearing white gloves \u2013 will be on hand to attend to the guests\u201d every wish and whim.\u201d.<\/em> The section of road in front of the building was completely closed off, and onlookers lined both sides of the road, waiting for the car carrying the Queen and her husband. The guests were escorted up to the upper floor via the Palace\u2019s red marble staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The welcome drink and the gala lunch<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The venue for the lunch was the Queen Elizabeth Ballroom, located on the upper floor of the Gundel Palace; however, upon arrival, the guests enjoyed their welcome drinks on the upstairs terrace. The staff had prepared a selection of exquisite drinks, but Her Royal Highness suddenly said: \u201eGin and tonic, please\u201d. According to one account from the Gundel Palace, no one had anticipated this, so K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kozma, the managing director, took the stairs three at a time down to the bar on the ground floor to fulfil the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dishes for the dinner were conceived by K\u00e1lm\u00e1n Kalla, Gundel\u2019s executive chef at the time, with the aim of incorporating the royal headdress \u2013 the royal crown \u2013 into the presentation of every dish. The pigeon essence proved the greatest challenge; here, the vegetables were ultimately shaped into tiny crowns. For the main course, the sirloin, arranged in braids, was grilled on a custom-made mould, whilst the dessert was a sumptuous strawberry parfait piled high on a giant pasta crown brought in on a trolley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it will be available from the start of next month too; we were in the privileged position of being able to sample the menu \u2013 adapted for the modern day \u2013 on a lovely early summer morning on Gundel\u2019s legendary terrace, even before its official launch. Putting the menu together was no easy task, as Executive Chef Viktor Moldov\u00e1n revealed: it is difficult to live up to the Gundel legacy, given that it has been regarded as outstanding in Hungary across several eras. When redefining the \u2018Celebrities\u2019 menu, it was necessary to cater both to the tastes of the past and the expectations of today\u2019s diners, in such a way that it combines familiar traditions and values whilst remaining marketable, whilst at the same time avoiding the trap of \u2018reimagining\u2019 that is fashionable in many places but can sometimes seem forced. There were quite a few things they could not \u2013 or were not allowed to \u2013 carry over exactly as they were \u2013 the portions are not as large as they used to be \u2013 and they attempted to recreate some elements from the few surviving sources. The presentation has remained entirely authentic, with the elegant Herend silverware, and there have been no changes to the names of the dishes either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do not know how much the royal couple enjoyed the salmon served thirty-one years ago, but we\u2019re certain that if they\u2019re served Viktor Moldov\u00e1n\u2019s version \u2013 which has been left to rest in his own juniper-infused brine, with firm, supple flesh that\u2019s almost refreshingly fresh and \u201ecrisp\u201d \u2013 having spent fifteen years living in Japan and drawing inspiration from there, they\u2019ll have another portion packed up, or sign the chef on a loan deal, because this pink-smoked salmon with white asparagus and sage sauce could single-handedly carry off any high-class banquet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drizzled with parsley oil and with a slightly caramelised flavour, it was served as the second course \u2013 <\/em>spiced up with a crown-shaped gaggel \u2013<\/em> The essence of pigeon, which provides the harmony we\u2019d like to find in a meat soup at home, whilst the serving of the hearty braided veal fillet was something quite special, with a side of wild rice hidden in the centre. The dessert was soft and delicately creamy, providing a flawless finale to the experience.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 8 and 17 July, the set menu is available in two-, three- and four-course versions, exclusively for dinner. The price of the menu includes a welcome glass of sparkling wine (a Nyetimber Classic Cuv\u00e9e). As part of the Gundel Mission, five per cent of the proceeds from the \u201eCelebrities\u201d Menus\u2019 series will be donated to the National Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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