ARAZ

Nestled in the heart of the bustling city centre, ARAZ restaurant’s courtyard terrace serves as a green oasis for those thirsting for a relaxing break filled with gastronomic pleasures. Chef de cuisine Áron Barka and his team prepare an exciting new menu every week, allowing guests to choose from two tantalizing soups, four divine main courses, and three heavenly desserts for lunch or dinner. In addition, you can also opt for the á la carte dishes, which range from duck liver paté to stuffed cabbage with smoked pork neck. Moreover, they host wine dinners on a monthly basis, and plans for reading evenings and other cultural programs are also on their agenda.

1074 Budapest, Dohány utca 42-44. | Website

Arioso

Tucked away on Király utca, Arioso is a flower shop first, and a coffee shop second, whose cozy inner courtyard is one of the hidden gems of the Pest downtown, offering refreshing drinks, tasty coffee and light dishes to match whatever mood you’re in. The terrace reopens in April, and they’re gearing up for the spring-summer season with a revamped menu and special offers. We highly recommend dropping by to sample their exciting new dishes. From grilled peach-prosciutto salad and avocado-shrimp toast to a uniquely delightful citrus pancake with mango, there’s a whole host of mouth-watering treats waiting for you!

1075 Budapest, Király utca 9. | Website

Este11

Nestled under shade-giving chestnut trees near Lake Feneketlen, enchanting Este11 is set to open its season on 19 April. This means the garden will once again be filled with the tantalizing aroma of delicious dishes smoking in the smoker, and the buzz of Újbuda’s lively social scene. At the bar, you can choose from a vast selection of both Hungarian and international wines, or if you prefer, indulge in a cocktail crafted from premium ingredients. But the appeal of Este11 extends beyond just gastronomy. This season, it will continue to serve as a cultural hub for Buda, hosting an array of events including DJ sets, live music concerts, and various cultural programs.

1113 Budapest, Villányi út 14. | Website

MOST Kortárs Bisztró

April showers bring May flowers, but at MOST Kortárs Bisztró, 1 April has brought a blooming terrace! Whether you’re craving classic or unique dishes, or perhaps indulging in one of their countless cocktails, this is the place to be! Are you planning a romantic date night, or a big birthday bash for 50? At MOST, there’s room for everyone – indoors and outdoors. Got a hankering for an extra juicy burger, some soul-warming Asian comfort food, or a gin-tonic that hits just the right note? MOST has got you covered with all the culinary and cultural delights your heart desires!

1066 Budapest, Zichy Jenő utca 17. | Facebook

Bálna Terasz

Housed inside the iconic glass-and-bricks building of the Pest riverside, Bálna Terasz provides guests with front row seats for a truly unmatched panorama, serving as an ideal venue for friendly get-togethers, romantic dinners and laid-back relaxation. Open seven days a week, located along a quaint promenade, it’s the perfect place to soak up the sights of the Buda embankment. But Bálna Terasz offers more than just breathtaking views. With an array of refreshing beverages to cool you down and a delicious selection of food to satisfy your hunger, it’s a haven of indulgence – all just a stone’s throw from the beautiful Danube.

1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 11-12. | Facebook

We’ve had the opportunity not only to taste, but also to make this extraordinary delicacy with the helping instructions of Chef de Cuisine Áron Barka.

Now let us describe you what it feels like to be in ARAZ’s kitchen. Imagine, that the beautiful restaurant’s staff moves around like hardworking ants, fast and easy, while insanely delicious smells fill the air. The hotness created by the cooking surfaces heats us the space in a rather homely way, making this professional environment friendly. Or at least that was our experience, but we did not have the weight of serving hundreds of people on our shoulders.

After Áron was kind enough to offer us his newest apron, we got down to business quickly. Of course, he carried out most of the job as a pro, it was delightful to watch him move around comfortably in the kitchen. First, we prepared the ingredients. In a metal bowl we seasoned the liver with salt, pepper, cinnamon and clove, then poured Calvados into the bowl.

The next step was to put the liver in small moulds which we later had to cover with plastic wrap. The more times we whip the foil around, the better, because you want to avoid the liver picking up the smell or flavour of other food while in the fridge. Then we (would) have to leave it in the fridge for 8 hours.

Time to prepare the nut coat, because that’s what makes a foie gras Magnum. To do so, we heated brown sugar with water and then added the crushed almond and hazelnut. To spice things up a little bit, we also added the peel of an orange.

On a silicone baking mat, we spread the mix evenly, and put it into the over for a few minutes. We let it chill and then broke into pieces so that we could garnish (= fully cover) our ice-cream shaped foie gras with it.

When the garnish was on spot, all there left to do was to put a wooden ice-cream stick into each and every moulded foie gras, which then looked exactly as if we bought it at a Magnum ice-cream stand. Tips for serving: at ARAZ, they serve this delicacy on sweet loaf toasted on butter, with roast beetroot on a salty bed, and blueberry sauce. Now that’s what we call a mouthwatering gastronomical experience! It was undescribably delicious.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients (for 4)

Foie gras recipe

• 160 g fat goose liver
• 2,5 ml Calvados
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground clove
• Maldon salt
• freshly ground pepper

1. After 8 hours of marinating, put it in moulds, and bake at 55 degrees for 35 minutes.
2. After baking, leave it to rest for 12 hours.
3. Using a hand mixer, mix until creamy and put it back to the fridge.

Nut coat

• 16 ml water
• 40 g brown sugar
• 1 orange’s peel
• 20 g sliced almond
• 60 g crushed hazelnut

1. Cook brown sugar with water and add all other ingredients. Slow-cook for 2 minutes.
2. Spread the (cold) mixture on a silicone baking mat, and bake it the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Crush it when cold.

Assembling

Using your hands, form the foie gras, bath it in the nut coat, and put it on a stick.

Photos by: Krisztina Németh