Fairy tale, bar and restaurant in one: Kőleves
- 30 Mar 2006 6:34 AM
This week’s review: Kõleves, District VII
"The tale of the stone soup, Kõleves, is just as much a part of Hungarian culture as the cuisine which has been served for just a short time in the eponymous restaurant in the Jewish Quarter.
In the fairy tale a tramp approaches a stingy old woman and asks her to let him cook stone soup in her kitchen. He only needs hot water because he has the necessary stones with him. She readily lets him in and he starts cooking and every now and then asks for a little salt, some onions, potatoes and sausage. In the end the woman is surprised by the wonderful soup her guest has conjured up with stones.
Aside from salt there are no traces of rocks to be found in the food but there are a lot of original Hungarian ingredients. The friendly colourful dining area is decorated with black and white photographs by Géza Ispán on the walls, a futuristic counter, candelabra made of wine glasses and cheese graters serve as the shades on wall lighting.
Kõleves is served as dish of the day on a rotating basis as are strong meat broth with eggs for HUF 380 and Jókai bean soup with smoked turkey for HUF 650. The main courses include bites of chicken with Roquefort and potato fritters for HUF 1,380 and veal goulash with gnocchi for HUF 1,420. The desserts include Somlói galuska for HUF 450, túró gombóc for HUF 450 and pancakes for HUF 420.
The Hungarian food is the real McKovács and done well: the lentil fõzelék, for example, tastes excellent; the lentils are not too soft and not too hard and the basic taste is slightly sweet. It comes with parsley, a hard-boiled egg and fresh white bread. At HUF 580 it is as cheap as many other fõzelék bars in Budapest. But the atmosphere is much more pleasant: diners do not have to sit right on top of each other but can relax at a reasonable distance and there is a pleasant music soaking up background noise.
It is also worth paying a visit in the evening when the restaurant changes into a bar and a small club in the cellar fulfils its own function. Kõleves is one of only very few restaurants or cafés in the capital to offer breakfast: the continental version costs HUF 580 but there are also fried eggs for HUF 420 and fruit muesli with yoghurt for HUF 420."
Kõleves
Open daily from 11am till 4am
District VII, Kazinczy utca 35 / Dob utca 26
Tel.: 322 1011
www.koleves.com
Source: The Budapest Times
Aside from salt there are no traces of rocks to be found in the food but there are a lot of original Hungarian ingredients. The friendly colourful dining area is decorated with black and white photographs by Géza Ispán on the walls, a futuristic counter, candelabra made of wine glasses and cheese graters serve as the shades on wall lighting.
Kõleves is served as dish of the day on a rotating basis as are strong meat broth with eggs for HUF 380 and Jókai bean soup with smoked turkey for HUF 650. The main courses include bites of chicken with Roquefort and potato fritters for HUF 1,380 and veal goulash with gnocchi for HUF 1,420. The desserts include Somlói galuska for HUF 450, túró gombóc for HUF 450 and pancakes for HUF 420.
The Hungarian food is the real McKovács and done well: the lentil fõzelék, for example, tastes excellent; the lentils are not too soft and not too hard and the basic taste is slightly sweet. It comes with parsley, a hard-boiled egg and fresh white bread. At HUF 580 it is as cheap as many other fõzelék bars in Budapest. But the atmosphere is much more pleasant: diners do not have to sit right on top of each other but can relax at a reasonable distance and there is a pleasant music soaking up background noise.
It is also worth paying a visit in the evening when the restaurant changes into a bar and a small club in the cellar fulfils its own function. Kõleves is one of only very few restaurants or cafés in the capital to offer breakfast: the continental version costs HUF 580 but there are also fried eggs for HUF 420 and fruit muesli with yoghurt for HUF 420."
Kõleves
Open daily from 11am till 4am
District VII, Kazinczy utca 35 / Dob utca 26
Tel.: 322 1011
www.koleves.com
Source: The Budapest Times
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