In the eighties it was one of the hippest dining spots in town, its rich Magyar fare and top Hungarian wine drawing a local and international crowd eager to be seen.
Built by Dreher Brewhouse, it was opened in 1904 under the management of Mátyás Baldauf, a star bar tender of his day, and attracted middle-class crowds, public servants and university students. More recently, it’s been a top spot for tour buses to filter large groups into for a traditional chow down. Now, though, under new management, the aim is to transform Mátyas Pince into a hip eatery, reminiscent of its former heydays. And how do they plan to do this? No, they won’t be replacing the carved wooden furniture, lead framed windows and fresco-feel paintings (the work of artist Jenő Haranghy and Gyula Bozó in 1937) with chrome surfaces and frosted glass. Instead, some elements of the interior have been re-designed and the air of Mátyás Rex’s court retained, not least because the cellar was declared protected in 1973.
So, what will be changing, then? Well, the street level bar and café will be re-vamped, and the stairs leading down to the cellar restaurant widened, but perhaps the biggest change will be the menu, which has had somewhat of an overhaul. While remaining staunchly traditional, the huge selection features essential Hungarian classics and an added number of lesser-known, deeply rooted traditional fare, the likes of which require hard-to-find, long-forgotten ingredients. A key development, though, is the fact that the menu now nods to the contemporary, as well as the past, inflected by examples of modern ingredients and unusual combinations, dominated by contemporary twists on old classics. The kitchen’s equipment and technology has also had an ultra modern upgrade, allowing the committed chefs to bring their creations up to culinary date.
Renaissance Mátyás Pince pays tribute to the most enlightened king of the Hungarians, and now, it seems, as well as keeping Hungarian culinary-hospitality traditions alive, it’s beginning to, most interestingly, look to the future.
Mátyás Pince Tel.: +36.1.266.8008 Open: every day from noon till midnight www.matyaspince.hu
FUNZINE Picks:
Starters
Goose liver parfait with green walnuts, Tokaj style goose liver pâté filled with figs, alongside cold goose liver confit
Mains
Breast of spring chicken cured in honey and apply brandy stuffed with smoked cheese served with green apple and buckwheat risotto
Desserts
Curd cheese and sour cream strudel with pálinka flambéed apricots