The laziest Sunday lunch is actually a dinner. Why not getting up late, having breakfast in bed (with sparkling wine, of course), and enjoy a relaxed dinner with a special twist? Caviar & Bull offers several degustation menus, one of them features plates from around the world, and they actually take us to the remote places. The first stop is obviously Budapest and foie gras.
Text: Ágnes Németh
Photos: Caviar & Bull (except when marked differently)

Plus: There will be a Bock wine dinner on 25 September with wines from the previous century! More about the wine dinner

The best way to survive: decrease prices

The best way at least for us, restaurant goers. Life is not easy, Hungary has a new government, but after the mindless waste of money of the previous regime, it will take time to recover economy. Several restaurants have closed or reduced the number of opening hours, or in more cases, the opening days. Caviar & Bull is open every day for dinner (from 5 pm to 11 pm), and their recent news is that they have lowered the prices.

Caviar & Bull, sea & steak

The name of the restaurant may be familiar for world travellers, because there is a sister restaurant in Malta with the same name. The founder chef is Marvin Gauci, a multi-award winner chef, and he brought his concept to Budapest as well: the highest quality treasures from the seas of the world along with premium meats for meat lovers. Guests can enjoy a sea food menu (called Caviar tasting menu) and a meat menu (called Bull tasting menu), both for less than 30 000 HUF / 82 EUR. It may still sound high enough, but remember, you are in the heart of a capital, and all the ingredients are of high quality.
More about Caviar & Bull Budapest

Travel through five countries with sounds and visuals

Uncensored is a restaurant within the restaurant, a special room where guests can enjoy a unique experience. The courses are:
– Hungary: duck liver, apricot, mangalica ham, roasted onion, sourdough bread
– Russia: oyster, caviar, vodka granita, dill, fermented cucumber, pickled shallot
– China: tea-smoked seabass, spring onion, ginger, soy sauce, fermented pear, rice bread, crispy prawn
– USA: rib eye, spiced popcorn, BBQ sauce, corn, potato-bacon-cheddar croquette
– Brasil: banana mousse, banana jam, passion fruit, coconut cream, hazelnut
This concept is also imported by Marvin Gauci, but now it is Hungarian hands, chef Dávid Borbély is in charge. The seating is at 7.30 pm, available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The price of the menu is 25 900 HUF / approximately 70 EUR, so it costs even less than the Caviar or the Bull menus. (Though 15% service charge is added to the final bill.)
More about the Uncensored room and the “The Journey Degustation” menu

When a “diet woman” can’t resist the temptation of a dessert

I have had the chance to try one of the degustation menus of Caviar & Bull. It was a Wednesday, therefore The Journey Degustation was not available, so I went for the Kaviar menu, since I adore sea food. It was a magnificent series of dishes, for me the two highlights were the fresh bluefin tuna (with avocado, lemon gel, mint and pickled chili) served in crispy cones, and the basil poached meagre with champagne velouté (and gnocchi, black olive crumble and caponata). I try to skip desserts, but I could not resist the temptation this time: the “Citrus Harmony” was so refreshing, featherlight, layered and sophisticated, I loved it! According to menu it had puff pastry, orange & star anise white chocolate namelaka, vanilla orange gel, citrus ragout, white chocolate & citrus espuma, lime crumble and Moroccan citrus ice cream. (Telling the truth, I had no idea what namelaka is, but here is what I have found: “The term Namelaka comes from Japan and it’s literal meaning is ultra creamy / extremely creamy. The namelaka is very delicate, and surprises those who have the pleasure of tasting it. It is similar to a white chocolate ganache, but also a white chocolate mousse, and is a very special cream that contains no eggs or flour!”

A dedicated sommelier

When talking about Caviar & Bull, I must mention the smooth and casual service. We met several waiters during our dinner, and all of them were doing their job perfectly, plus they were really friendly. The sommelier is a seasoned professional, and I was happy to spot him serving Holdvölgy Expression, one of the most beautiful Tokaji Hárslevelű wines I have ever tasted. He served the wine to a table of foreigners and he commented to us proudly: “I have recommended this wine to them, and they accepted my recommendation!”. The wine list features many stunning Hungarian wines, like the above mentioned Holdvölgy wine, and several full bodied, Hungarian icon red wines, that can rival the international stars. NJK is the flagship wine of Kovács Nimród Winery from Eger, a Kékfrankos and Syrahblend from the high altitude, prestigious Nagy-Eged vineyard.

More about Holdvölgy
More about Kovács Nimród Winery