Amid the bustling Váci utca lies an underground mecca of culinary delight. At first sight, passersby might glance in wonderment at the golden statue of an underwater explorer out front and walk right past the red awning of Verne Restaurant.
Intrigued by the Jules Verne theme, my companion and I opted to sit inside and experience the full underwater effect of the restaurant. The outdoor terrace is also available for those beautiful summer days when you can’t bear to be inside.
Heading towards the subterranean abyss I expected to enter into a dramatically decorated homage to Jules Verne, yet the décor of the restaurant was quite subtle. The essence of a submarine is immediately evoked by the place’s rounded shape. The piping along the ceiling and control panels on the walls give the appearance of an actual submarine without being too kitschy or overdone. The neon lights on the walls and the floor are what you would imagine the inhabitants of these vessels would use to guide them through the chambers in the dark. With a subtle nod to Jules Verne throughout, it was obvious that a lot of thought went into the tasteful interior of the restaurant.
Heading towards the subterranean abyss I expected to enter into a dramatically decorated homage to Jules Verne, yet the décor of the restaurant was quite subtle. The essence of a submarine is immediately evoked by the place’s rounded shape. The piping along the ceiling and control panels on the walls give the appearance of an actual submarine without being too kitschy or overdone. The neon lights on the walls and the floor are what you would imagine the inhabitants of these vessels would use to guide them through the chambers in the dark. With a subtle nod to Jules Verne throughout, it was obvious that a lot of thought went into the tasteful interior of the restaurant.
Our waiter led us to a table and offered us a full drink list along with the robust menu. As we started perusing the menu options, we realized that we would not have a problem satiating our hunger. There were so many different directions we could have taken – Hungarian specialties, seafood, steak, chicken, pasta, they even had a Verne Hungarian platter for two that we contemplated ordering.
Since we were feeling indecisive, we decided to start off with an appetizer. The tomato filled with eggplant-cream was a light option and was easy to split between the two of us. It came with a side of toasts and we each got a sizeable portion with three medium size tomatoes in the dish.
Wanting to experience as many tastes as we could in one sitting, my guest and I decided on our two main dishes together agreeing to share both. I opted for the grilled chicken breast filled with camembert cheese and bacon, served with spinach potatoes and after much consideration, my dining companion chose the barbeque pork cutlet seasoned with mustard and garlic sauce and green pepper, served with red onion potatoes.
When the steaming dishes arrived, we tucked into our meals and were dazzled by the mature flavors of our gigantic feasts. The chicken was moist and flavorful and the sauce from the spinach potatoes blended well with the cheese and bacon filling. The whole potatoes were a thrilling accompaniment to this plate full of comfort food.
The mustard and garlic sauce gave the pork entrée a surprisingly, pungent taste and the wedged potatoes were grilled to perfection – cooked just so to ensure a crispy outside and a warm, soft inside.
The portions were enough to satisfy a large appetite and even though we were thoroughly enjoying our main courses, a dessert fanatic like me knows when to quit and save some space for the finale.
Before we could say twenty thousand leagues under the sea, the waiter was back with the very dessert that we had eyed before even choosing our main dishes. Though we were filled to the brim from our previous courses, we could not resist the cold contrast of vanilla ice cream next to the rich, decadence of a chocolate soufflé. Our mouths watered as we punctured the cake and watched the warm pool of chocolaty goodness flood the plate.
As we rallied to finish the last drop of our cappuccinos, we were almost nervous to see the waiter on his way to our table as we were feeling like two stuffed thanksgiving turkeys. Though we could not even imagine ingesting anything else, we knew that the shot of homemade plum pálinka he dropped off would help the digestive process. I’m not going to lie, it was tough to consume anything else and we needed a few sips to get it all down.
As we waddled out of the restaurant, and rejoined the crowds on Váci, we waved goodbye to the golden statue and the tourists huddled around it for a photo opp.
