Here’s the story behind one of the most endearing wine taverns in Budapest. Imre Balázs Molnár is a Hungarian Canadian, born in Montreal, lived in the same Laval suburb that I grew up in, and ended up in Ottawa much like me. As it happens, he was born at Montreal’s St. Mary’s Hospital, and probably around the same year as […]
The Trófea Grill restaurant, centrally located at the foot of Margaret Bridge in Budapest, is a popular, fairly upscale buffet, using the all-you-can-eat-and-drink business model. It seems to attract lots of tourists, expatriates and also Hungarians who often go there to celebrate special family occasions. Whenever I’m in Budapest, I’ll invariably visit Trófea on at least a couple of occasions–it […]
We’ve just returned from a wonderful vacation in Hungary and, among other places, my wife and I visited Debrecen, my birthplace. Every year we see relatives there. I love this large, sleepy Eastern-Hungarian town – the “Calvinist Rome.” When I was a child the city’s open-air market was located on Rákóczi Street, always a colorful cavalcade of local sellers, called […]
Before Coca Cola was introduced to Hungarian consumers in 1968, and prior to Pepsi’s 1970 debut in socialist Hungary, the young and the old alike drank and presumably enjoyed an orange soda called Bambi. Earlier today, being in Budapest, I decided to stop by one of my favourite retro-themed cafés–Ibolya Presszó, located in Ferenciek tere–and give Bambi a try, alongside […]
The American Institute of Cancer Research suggests we limit the consumption of red meats and avoid processed meats. “In order to reduce cancer risk, eat no more than 18 ounces (cooked weight) per week of red meats, like beef, pork and lamb, and avoid ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs and sausages. Red meat includes hamburgers, steak, pork chops and roast […]
“Don’t just take pictures, actually try some of our food!”–said a smiling representative of the Embassy of Moldova at the Ottawa Embassy Chef Challenge on November 5th, 2015. The Moldovan chef, Nata Albot, offered a traditional take on a classic meal in the region, namely: stuffed peppers. The Embassy of Moldova’s table was adorned with local wines–this small Eastern European […]
This is a lighter, although I think still meaningful, story for a Sunday. The Canadian capital is getting ready to hold its second Embassy Chef Challenge on November 5th, 2015 at Victoria Hall, where each year a handful of chefs employed by foreign missions in Ottawa compete and showcase their culinary art. All proceeds from the event go to the […]
Amidst all the kitsch, the tacky souvenir shops, the tourist traps and the overpriced “traditional Hungarian” restaurants along Váci utca, Budapest’s main pedestrian mall, there’s a little haunt called the Jégbüfé (Ice buffet), located just a block away, right near the foot of Elisabeth Bridge. When you go to the Jégbüfé, think more communist era retro, rather than old world […]
One of the culinary high-points of our vacation in Hungary this summer was the hamburger we had in Debrecen at Buri Buri, a hole-in-the-wall burger place which serves extraordinary “street food”. My wife and I were tired and hungry. It was an unusually hot June evening and we wanted to eat outside. “How about a hamburger?” – suggested my wife. […]
If you haven’t tried it yet, you must taste the Hungarian Kashkaval cheese. This delicacy is fabulous! Those of you who don’t know, Kashkaval is a yellowish cheese made of cow or sheep milk, and it is popular in Romania and in the Balkan countries. Also, a favorite treat in the Arab world. Growing up in Hungary, I never heard […]
