Anyone 'New to Town' may wish to note the following local gem of an eatery, reviewed here by The Budapest Sun - "Café Kör has been a part of so many of our lives here...CAFé Kör has been a part of so many of our lives here at The Budapest Sun that it came as something of a surprise to discover that we had not reviewed it for at least three years and quite possibly longer.
During that time it has been a meeting place for leisurely weekend breakfasts, for romantic interludes, for business lunches and family get togethers, even the odd bit of intrigue, and it has hosted them all amiably and expertly.
For the café’s gift is that, somehow without ever changing, it can be a place for all occasions.
The secret lies, I think, it the relaxed atmosphere. Don’t read into that the deadly slow and disinterested waiter service that blights many a Budapest restaurant.
Service here is quick and efficient, but it is not intrusive. Despite its small space and the comparatively high number of tables crammed in, it maintains a relaxed feeling.
Even at peak times, I have never had the feeling the waiters want to hurry me along and get another paying bum on my seat.
Perhaps Kör is blessed. It is in a great spot, sited as it is Sas utca and surrounded by shops and, more importantly, offices.
Try and drop in without booking a table at lunchtime and you are taking a mighty risk. The place is fairly teaming with people. And given its size, it can get quite smokey, although the very high ceiling does its best to hide away the worst of the nicotine clouds. In the summer the large windows are flung wide to get what passes for fresh air in our fair city circulating.
The decor is interesting, although I have never quite worked out what the theme is. The walls are a pastel ochre and are hung, among other things, with old tennis rackets in the frames they used to use to keep the wood from warping.
Along one of the walls there is an old dresser that serves as cutlery and glass keeper and the assortment of tables and chairs is perhaps best described as eccentric.
On paper it doesn’t sound very promising, I know, but somehow it all works.
Perhaps my favorite time to visit is weekend mornings for breakfast. The restaurant is pretty much your own, although there might be the occasional game of chess going on at one of the window tables (the chess board seems to be the café’s).
It makes for perfect people watching. You get to see the waiters arriving, going through their greeting rituals, exchanging the occasional word with any regular patrons who happen to be in at that time. One of the great highlights was watching them write up the specials board, which is less a board and more a roll of paper hanging from the wall, looking like nothing so much as an oversized, super wide toilet roll.
Each menu item is written in three languages (including English), each language having its own color, provided they haven’t run out of marker pens.
The writing invariably starts off immaculate, but quickly tails off as the list gets longer and hands, arms and minds begin to waver. I have even seen a full scale debate launched over the appropriate translation of a dish.
Where Café Kör really scores is its food. The basic menu is kept simple, just a piece of laminated card printed on both sides, because all the creativity goes into the specials.
Don’t be fooled by the name, for Kör is far less a café than it is a restaurant. But again it scores highly here because of the attitude of the waiters.
Complain about a dish at some places I could mention and the waiter gets all sulky at best and at worst argues the point with you. Here it is simply taken away with a quick apology and the problem rectified.
On my last visit I had gone for a pork medallions and lecsó dish from the specials when I spotted, to my delight, an earthenware pot of wholegrain mustard at a neighboring table.
A sucker for whole grain mustard, I I immediately asked for some. The waiter politely pointed out that it didn’t really go with lecsó , but brought me some anyway.
Specials, by their nature, change, but regulars worth trying from the menu include grilled chicken with a delicious roquefort cheese sauce and rice (Ft1,450) or the chicken and potato salad (Ft1,290).
A korsó of beer costs Ft580, as does a bottle of Coronita. An espresso is Ft230, a bottle of Evian Ft390 and a fresh orange juice is Ft270.
Café Kör
V. Sas utca 17
Tel: 311-0053
Open: Mon-Sat 10am-10pm.
Closed on Sundays.
Click here for the Source – Budapest Sun Online
25.01.2002