The luxury canteen MoszkvaTéR on the upper floor of the District V market hall and serves sophisticated Russian streetfood from pelmeni to soljanka to borschtsch to ice-cold vodka. A little bit hidden and full of wonders – this is how you could describe the building in Hold utca (Moon Street), which was fully renovated only a few years ago.

After its reconstruction the market developed into a hotspot for exquisite streetfood, and the top floor houses a new generation of fast-food establishments, where numerous restaurateurs spoil their customers with creative dishes from around the world.

And one of them is MoszkvaTéR, which is in fact a subsidiary of the District I fine-dining restaurant Arany Kaviár, which is only a short hop and a jump from the former Moszkva tér.

Traditional dishes, large portions

The owners, Attila Molnár and Szása Nyíri, regard MoszkvaTéR as their chance to prove their talent in those sections of the Russian cuisine that are somewhat “quaint” for the fine-dining sector. What they mean is the solid, hearty dishes such as the sour-spicy soljanka, a one-pot dish made of meat, sour cucumbers, olives, capers and many other ingredients resulting in a one-off taste experience.

The soljanka at MoszkvaTéR hardly has anything in common with the infamous canteen food from the Eastern bloc restaurants. They only use the best ingredients here. The same goes for the Russian pastry pockets filled with meat or shrimps and called pelmeni. Like all the portions at MoszkvaTéR, these are also significantly larger than in their fine-dining version at Arany Kaviár, and they swim in a thick, buttery sauce.

However, gourmets won’t be disappointed either, since the pelmeni can be ordered with caviar coming from the very own caviar workshop of the noble restaurant back over in Buda.

The internationally popular chicken Kiev is also on the menu. The breaded fillet piece is made special through a surprising filling of garlic butter. When you are doing it right, the hot sauce will flow right on top of the mashed potato when cutting the fillet.

The dancing bear

However, if you are doing it wrong, it can get in your eyes too – at least this is the warning the restaurant’s mascot, the Russian bear, is trying to give visitors in one of the numerous illustrations on the walls of the canteen, which are papered with Russian newspapers for a certain retro charm.

Molnár and Nyíri have managed to find a harmony between a cosy nostalgic atmosphere, such as an old transistor radio, and an elegant, high-value interior in their luxury canteen.

This is the perfect backdrop for regular thematic events. The restaurant organises Russian Brunch on Saturdays from 9am to noon. You can enjoy blinis, caviar and a glass of champagne for the convincing package price of HUF 2500.

Each month there is one Friday when the canteen awaits diners with live music: alcohol flows a little more abundantly on these occasions and the bear begins to dance. Besides vodka and champagne from outstanding French producer Pierre Gimonnet et Fils House, they offer traditional Russian drinks such as kwas and that country’s beer.

In future MoszkvaTéR plans longer opening times, because until now these have been restricted to the hours of the market hall itself. Then guests would be able to enjoy an ice-cold vodka with pelmeni even on a weekend evening. And the famous beef stroganoff has just been added to the menu.

Our evaluation: if you like Russian food, large portions and fast service, and you don’t think that a ceremonial fine-dining experience is always essential but prefer a more relaxed atmosphere, you will be at just the right place in MoszkvaTéR.

MoszkvaTéR

Address: 13 Hold utca, District V

Open Mondays 11am-4pm,
Tuesdays to Thursdays 11am-5pm,
Fridays 11am-9pm,
Saturdays 9am-3pm

Reservations at (+36) 30 185-1103 or
www.facebook.com/moszkvaterholdutca

Prices:
Dishes: HUF 800-2400
Drinks: HUF 360-790
Champagne (bottle): HUF 6000-14,900

Source: The Budapest Times

Republished with permission