Pussy Pussy

Fun Fact:  The Hungarian word for ‘kiss‘ is ‘pussy‘.   I will always remember my Hungarian friend who would end phone conversations with her mother saying “pussy pussy“.

Yesterday, I tried the lunch buffet at Budapest, Beijing’s first ‘authentic’ Hungarian restaurant. The interior reminded me of Morel’s with tables covered  with red and white checkered table cloths and that same “old Beijing Western-style restaurant that’s trying too hard to be authentic.”   Even though there were two other tables of people in the restaurant, it was so uncomfortably quiet, I felt like I needed to whisper. And the music?  Instead of playing some good ‘authentic’ Hungarian music, they were playing top 40 hits for background music – some hip-hop, Christina Aguilera, etc. And they were even selling Hungarian CD’s on a shelf by the door.

After looking at the menu and not really knowing what to order, my friend and I decided to just go for the lunch buffet.

Budapest Restaurant's interior shot

For RMB 48, the lunch buffet served:

• Green Salad
• Corn & mayonnaise – literally corn soaked in mayonnaise
• Goulash Soup – tasty, but would be better thicker
• Pork Ragout – diced up pork in red sauce
• Gnocchi & bread dumplings  – dry and cold
• Hunter-style beef – dry beef slices sitting in a bright yellow mustard sauce
• Marinated Chicken Breast and leg
• Crunch Duck leg
• Curdy Pasta with bacon – tasty shell pasta with cheese & bacon
• Sponge cake with chocolate sauce & lemon sponge cake – disappointing
  

  I wouldn't mind having a hearty, authentic Hungarian meal here

• Selection of fruit – watermelon, grapes, melon

I only know the name of these dishes because I asked the waitress to go through the menu and point out each dish that was served at the buffet. No name tags were provided for any of the dishes.  Food was just sitting there and up for grabs.

I think restaurant buffets are such a gamble.

From a restaurant’s point of view:  You want to give customers good value (which we got) considering you are providing customers the opportunity to try a variety of the restaurant’s top dishes off their regular menu for dirt cheap hoping that customers will come back for dishes they remember from the buffet.

From a customer’s point of view: You go for the buffet option instead of ordering a la carte off the regular menu b/c you want to try a

...or maybe here in this castle

variety of dishes, especially if it is your first time. Once you have tried the selection provided and if you find that the buffet is not up to par, if you don’t find something you love, a reason to come back, you will not return.

That is the case with Budapest. It’s a shame because maybe the food was not good because it had been sitting out?  Or made in bulk?  Maybe ordering a la carte off the menu would have been the better bet?  I liked the idea of trying some truly authentic Hungarian cuisine, but based on this experience, I just don’t think this restaurant reaches that standard.

Budapest’s website welcome message pretty much sums it up:

welcome

Dear customers,

We apologize for any inconvenience you might have at us. Apparently we cannot guarantee quality. We are working on that the restaurant would run under Hungarian management again.

Review of Budapest: 2nd Floor of China View (same complex as Danger Doyle’s, Hooters, 2nd Purple Haze, etc.) 朝阳区中国红街大厦六号楼二层202室 工体东门对面, Tel: 8587-1028/ 8587-1058

Best Part:

This would work too.

• Lunch buffet was pretty cheap and lots of food if you’re all about quantity
• Best part of buffet was Goulash Soup & Shell Pasta with Bacon
• Service was polite and made the effort to be helpful when I asked questions about what the dishes were

Comments:

• Quantity over Quality, food was very mediocre at the buffet, which they should just discontinue.  Food was not hot, dry, and just not up to par
• Big Buffet No-No: Not providing name cards for the dishes provided (we had no idea what we were eating)
• No picture menu, making ordering a la carte difficult if you are not familiar with Hungarian cuisine
• Dishes were all very hearty – mostly meat and pasta/breaded dishes
• Food and Service mediocre
• Design is tacky and reminds me of Morel’s Belgium Restaurant

Lacking restaurant “buzz” and vibes – uncomfortably silent, empty feeling, and listening to hip-hop and Christina Aguilera is not how I would imagine an ‘authentic Hungarian’ restaurant to feel

One of Beijing’s Old-Timers: Morel’s Restaurant

Morel’s is one of Beijing’s oldest Western restaurants, established in 2000, long before Beijing’s dining scene blew up with the high standards of the Legation Quarter and the populated, trendy Sanlitun restaurant selection.

And you’ve got to give credit to the old-timers still standing.  I’ve driven by both Morel’s outlets thousands of times, seeing the bright green “Morel’s” sign bordered with white Christmas lights, I’ve always been curious to try out the goods, considering they have a reputation for good steaks and Belgium beer.

With the great value of CW Gourmet Month menus, I took this opportunity to hit up Morel’s for the first time. Morel’s Gourmet Month menu looked pretty enticing with 4 courses (soup, appetizer, entree and dessert) for a reasonable RMB 150 per person.

I’ve never been to Belgium before, so I’m not sure the standards for a typical Belgium-style restaurant, but the inside interior of Morel’s is pretty old-fashioned and honestly, quite lame with the green and white checkered table cloths and all their staff wearing bright orange uniforms.

We were greeted and served by one of the most impressive waiters I have ever encountered in a Beijing restaurant.  He spoke fantastic English, he was incredibly polite and extremely knowledgeable and informative of the menu and answered all of our questions (such a rare find).

The quantity of the food was plenty, quality mediocre. The bisque of crayfish soup was too salty, but it was served piping hot and was good to dip the toasty, warm bread. The foie gras was good, but served on standard salad greens (they were out of endives) and the two grilled beef medallions were ok, served with Belgium Frites (typical fries). For dessert, the chocolate fondant was firm throughout (no oozing chocolate coming out of the center) with vanilla ice cream on top.

Overall, it was good value for RMB 150, but considering the tacky atmosphere and average food taste, I most likely will not be returning. For a quaint restaurant serving European cuisine and good steaks, I’d recommend Chef Too, Alameda or SALT.

Review of Morel’s Restaurant: Gongti Bei Lu, opposite Workers’ Gymnasium North Gate, northwest corner of Chunxiu Lu 工体北路 朝阳区工体北路春秀路西北角工人体育馆北门对面 Tel: 6416-8802

Best Part:

• Our waiter spoke amazing English, was incredibly polite and extremely knowledgeable and informative of the menu
• Easy to find location, across from Gongti North Gate
• One of Beijing’s oldest standing Western restaurants (respect for old-timers)
• Good Belgium beer & Belgium waffles
• Decent food for a reasonable price

Comments:

• Tacky interior design and mediocre food quality (reminded me of Brasserie Flo in terms of overall dining experience)
• The place would be a million times better if they redesigned their outside sign, updated their menu, fixed up their interior design and had more promotions of their Belgium beer.
• It’s a decent place, but just nothing to write home about. I probably won’t return considering the vast selection of amazing restaurants available in Beijing, but I would not be against giving them another try.

Best for First

I’ve always been the type of person who likes to save the best for last.

Maybe it’s just me, but I always like knowing that the best is yet to come and when that moment arrives, I like to savor it and make it last as long as possible.

Back in April, I managed to gorge myself with about 20 gourmet month meals in 30 days.  And out of those 20 meals, the general consensus agreed the best value and our overall favorite meal was at Kagen.

Some of the other restaurants may have been newer, trendier, fancier, better customer service, etc., but when it came down to the food quality, quantity and overall dining experience, Kagen blew our expectations.

With the start of November, I was pumped for Gourmet Month all over again.

Initially, I wanted to try out a new restaurant: perhaps Olas Tapas Cafe as it is conveniently located in Sanlitun (my home away from home) but my foodies crew was all about Kagen again.  Normally I would want to save Kagen for last, but with 30 days and about 15 restaurants I’m set to dine at this time around, I’ve got room for Kagen at least twice this month (one BBQ set & one hot pot set).

For only 150RMB, the deal is ridiculous! (I honestly recommend that two girls can share one meal, it’s that much food!)  But if you are someone like me, with a healthy appetite, then you will leave stuffed…and your stomach expanded to its brink.

Here’s the breakdown:

Assorted Appetizer Platter – Seared Beef Carpaccio, Roasted Bacon and Asparagus Roll, Stir-fry gobo, Tobiko Salad, Calamari

Assorted BBQ Combo Course – Short Ribs, Rib Eye, Yakitori, Jumbo Butter Prawns

Or

Assorted Hot Pot Combo Course – Sliced Rib-eye, Fish & Shrimp Balls, Sliced Salmon, Sea Conch, and Assorted Mushrooms

Stone Rice Bowl with Vegetables

Miso Soup

Mousse and Ice Cream Dessert

**I recommend the BBQ combo if you had to choose one, but both are bomb. And most likely you will go with more than one person, so have someone else get the hot pot and share. 

And Oh my goodness, the ice cream dessert is heaven.  I would advise to go for the chocolate as it’s creamy and rich (the strawberry was more like a sorbet than ice cream).

With all of us foodies just sticking to the BBQ this time, we’ll be back at least once more for the Hot Pot and then again to keep our taste buds happy.

Next Stop:

Tuesday, Nov. 3rd: All-Star Sports Bar & Grill (to introduce a few foodies to the best burger in town)

Wednesday, Nov. 4th:  Gourmet Month Break – Black Sesame Kitchen’s Wine ‘n Dine Special (10 course meal & all-you-can-drink wine for only RMB 150)

Thursday, Nov. 5th: Olas Tapas Cafe - new restaurant I have yet to try.

For the rest of the month, here are my top 10 picks:

• Bei – Most amazing looking menu
• Mare’s - I want to check out the new location
• Hatsune – The Q Roll alone is worth going for
• SALT – I want to try both their lunch & dinner menu
• Oden – Perfect remedy to the bitter cold winter weather
• Enoteca – Great meal WITH a glass of wine
• Meat & Wine Co. – One of my favorites from last April’s Gourmet Month
• Za’atar – Very unique menu in comparison to the rest (but in Shunyi)
• Morel’s - One of Beijing’s oldest restaurants that I have yet to try
• Haiku – Menu is totally different from Hatsune and it’s just next door to my home

Comments:

• From my experiences last April, I try to avoid most hotel restaurants, which have all been very, very empty.  It’s creepy to be the only people dining in a restaurant.  Exception may be to try Tamarind, who’s menu is pretty impressive (not to mention extensive) and reviews have been well received.  Plus, I love good Indian food.
• Brasserie Flo offers a generous menu (I tried last April), but the decor was pretty tacky and the food wasn’t enough to bring me back a second time around.
• I automatically boycott any restaurant that charges RMB 250 for chicken as the main entree.  *Ahem* Astor Grill.  Weak Sauce.
• I’m disappointed Mosto upped their price from 150 to 250 and the selection is quite minimal compared to last time around. Isn’t the point of Gourmet Month to provide good value and impress first-timers to return? Bummer.

*Originally I had planned to create a calendar with designated Gourmet Month Menu days, but I can’t seem to plan more than 4 days ahead.  From reading this entry, you know my top targets, so just shoot me an e-mail if you want me to include you/notify you when I decide to go to the restaurant you want to try too.  As always, the more the merrier.   kristen@lumdimsum.com