Upon entering Sphinx, it feels like you’re about to take part in an outdoor Middle Eastern feast, complete with belly dancers and hookahs. At least, that’s how we felt as we entered the eclectic adorned atmosphere. As we sat down under the colorfully-jeweled, hanging lamp, we admired the once-alive, flower-covered trees that were dispersed throughout the restaurant.
Later, we learned that they get a facelift every few months and the artificial flowers and leaves are replaced according to the season.
Sphinx bridges the gap between fast food and gourmet (read: expensive) restaurants. The prices are fair and moderate for the copious amounts of food that are set in front of you. There are times when you want a tasty meal, quickly and at a reasonable price. That is what Sphinx promises, and that is what it delivers.
Let’s face it, we all eat in shopping malls, perhaps more often than we’d like to admit. Here’s an alternative to noisy food courts reminiscent of rush hour on the rakpart. Seated, table service, in a cozy but lively atmosphere, at a price similar to what you pay next door for your plastic tray of food.
Sphinx began in Poland in 1995, and a rapid expansion followed, for a current inventory of 105 restaurants in Poland, three in Prague, one in Romania and two here in Budapest. More are planned, and the new Sphinx may appear on the streets rather than the malls, for it can certainly hold its own with the cafes and bistros of downtown.
Sphinx, true to its exotic name, offers dishes with the flavors of the East. Shoarma, a spicy, curry-scented dish made with pork or chicken and served with pita bread and salad, is a mainstay of the menu, which also includes Italian dishes for those who prefer to stay on this continent.
Before we got ahead of ourselves (we were rather excited to try the shoarma), our host recommended the beet soup, a specialty from Eastern Europe rather than the Middle East. This Polish version was subtly spiced with pepper and thankfully free of the sour cream that often weighs down the Russian one. It was served with a soft pasty of ground meat, which would have been the highlight of the meal, until we got to the shoarma.
My dining companion and I chose the Super Sphinx, a huge plate for two with an array of exotic meat dishes, from pork shoarma to kebab and chicken shashlik. All were succulently grilled and spiced and the kebab, made of ground meat, had a surprising zing that had us fighting for the last crumb. Not that there wasn’t enough to go around – in fact, we took some Super Sphinx home for dinner.
Our host insisted we also try the chicken shoarma with cheese, which was the best of all, since the cheese lent an extra, juicy dimension to the dish. This will be my choice for my next visit, since it is a smaller portion, served with a pita and salad.
Most dishes are served with three special sauces – spicy, garlic and sweet ‘n sour – a generous extra that made the meaty meal even more appealing. The shoarma dishes come with a tangy carrot salad with raisins and a crisp, cool cole slaw sans mayo.
It being lunchtime, we had to regretfully refrain from sampling Sphinx’s unique cocktail concoction: the Passionmint Źubrówka, the Polish vodka mixed with apple juice, peppermint liqueur, mint and lime. Źubrówka vodka, imported from Poland only for the past year, is infused with bison grass (a slim blade even floats vertically inside each bottle), giving it a much more aromatic character than other vodkas. Those who have been to Poland have probably tried it, or it’s possible that you don’t remember.
Finally, we moved on to dessert – the mysterious magic raspberry pudding. I must give away the secret in order to sing its praises – it turned out to be a mound of mousse made of túró (like ricotta cheese) dotted with raisins, in a tart and sweet raspberry sauce. Its lightness made it the perfect finish to a hearty meal.
Adri Bruckner
From the menu
Starters
Beet soup with meat pasty
Beef sirloin carpaccio
Main course
Super Sphinx: Grilled pork shoarma, kebab, chicken shashlik and chicken fillet, with salad and fries or rice
Black Steak: Juicy beef steak in spicy herbs, with fries, „Ale Feta” salad and green pepper dip
Dessert
Magic raspberry pudding
Sphinx Restaurants
1024 Budapest, Lövőház utca 2-6.
Mammut II
Tel.: +36.1.505.5912
1087 Budapest, Kerepesi út 9.
Arena Plaza
Tel.: +36.1.505.5278
