Budapest
*Budapest is a hidden treasure chest*
Cozy dining and discovering new delights are our favorite things to do. We love good food! That’s not strange, because our dad is a very good Chef! So we are culinary pampered from the cradle.
Our city trips are often culinary linked. We always look for nice, cozy, rare places to eat delicious. Sometimes we do a little prospection in advance, but just as often we happen to bump in to real surprises.
That our visit to Budapest rather be a culinary city trip instead of a cultural one, we did not expect at all! As you can see on our website, we stayed at the Corinthia Hotel. A must! The hotel was fantastic, so our holiday couldn’t go wrong. But we didn’t count on the weather ... Rain, rain and more rain. So what can you do, when you’re almost flushed away on the streets? We look for cozy and warm places to spend our time. Budapest didn’t disappoint us. (Fun fact: the prices for food and drinks are, in general, cheaper than in Belgium.)
We made the trip to Budapest partly to celebrate Magalies birthday. The day of her birthday we arrived, so a dinner party at that evening was logic! In advance we already collected a lot of information about this fascinating city. Among the wide range of restaurants, we also discovered the New York Café. A wonderful place, "The most beautifull coffeehouse in the world", linked to the majestic Bolosco hotel. Curious as we are, in advance we took a view at the online menu. We were really looking forward to taste one of the delicious pastas. The concierge from our hotel reserved a table for us.
In the evening we left our hotel, well wrapped up, to walk to our destination. The New York Café was a 10 min walk from our hotel, so even with a slightly higher, elegant shoe, it’s absolutely not a difficult task. The interior was quite impressive: golden decorations, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers... To our left we saw cozy red sofas with beautiful tables. On the right there was a foreclosure. Apparently, that was a part of the restaurant that was separated from the rest. We continued to wait for someone who would take us to our table. We were surprised when the maître escorted us to the right side of the restaurant. A girl took our jackets and when we sat down, two waiters put our napkins on our laps ... Magalie wanted to hang her purse on her chair and she immediately got a hanger to hang her purse... We were not just in the New York Café, but our hotel had booked a table in the section that had a mention in the Michelin Guide ... the salon restaurant. Needless to say we ate delicious that evening! The menu was obviously something more spectacular than the pasta we had in mind. As icing on the cake there was a birthday surprise for the birthday girl!
In the following days, Budapest had even more surprises in store for us. The town consists of two parts: Buda and Pest (where we stayed), so there was a lot to discover. Through rain and wind we decided to explore the city. Lots of sights were within walking distance of our hotel.
Our first stop was Terror Haz (= The House of Terror). A museum that was established as a memorial to the victims of two bloody periods of Hungarian history. In this building the Stalinist secret police was active, including torture cellars. Before that, the building was a center of fear and terror of the Nazis. What we think is a downside, is that all information boards and captions to photos and other things are only in Hungarian. Budapest isn’t a big tourist destination, and with little things like this that was very obvious. An English translation of texts would be a great help to better understand the message they like to transfer trough this museum / monument. Fortunately the images speak their own language. The museum was quite impressive and left a big impression. The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00. A ticket costs 6,54 euros (2000 HUF) - with a teacher's card the entrance is free.
After our visit to the museum we decided to walk from Pest to Buda. This is possible via the Danube Promenade and the Chain Bridge. After the bridge we took the cable railway to Buda. There you can spend a whole day because there is so much to see. Unfortunately it was very cold that day and we could not enjoy the many nice terraces. However, we were surprised by the changing of the guards! In London people are waiting hours in advance, in Budapest they do it with no fanfare. Without fences and barriers the changing of the guards takes place. (The drummer who had the lead, was a real delight).
After that long walk from Buda to Pest (and back) we hungered for warmth and tranquility! Luckily we found a beautiful coffee shop with an amazing golden ceiling. The coffee shop is well hidden, so look very good. If Aurélie wasn’t such a book fanatic, we would have never found the coffeehouse. On Andrassy Boulevard we got inside a modern bookstore. At the bottom of a long staircase Aurélie caught a glimpse of a golden ceiling. Intrigued she went up the stairs and she felt as a Disney princess. Once upstairs she discovered the Book Café. A beautiful, impressive, golden hall where we had a delicious coffee and enjoyed a delicious cake. The figurative icing on our cake was the pianist who specifically for Magalie played a happy birthday song! In Budapest they love birthdays! A candle on the cake wasn’t missing.
In the New York Café, you can also enjoy a delicious milkshake with an equally delicious cake. The most beautiful coffeehouse in the world ... and the most delicious too!
The restaurants in our hotel also satisfied our culinary expectations. At the Rickshaw Restaurant we enjoyed delicious oriental dishes and in the Brasserie and the Atrium we enjoyed a delicious breakfast every morning! Also in the evening the restaurant could certainly charm us. The menu offered a wide choice of dishes and we were not disappointed! The risotto we ate was delicious and the dishes of our parents were sublime. The Szamos Marcipan Royal Café serves traditional Hungarian pastries and cakes. If you are a sweetness lover, this is also a must. The restaurants of the Corinthia Hotel also received an entry in the Michelin Guide.
* Budapest is a hidden treasure chest. * We opened the treasury and enjoyed a fantastic city trip. We hope you decide to explore this beauty!
Cozy dining and discovering new delights are our favorite things to do. We love good food! That’s not strange, because our dad is a very good Chef! So we are culinary pampered from the cradle.
Our city trips are often culinary linked. We always look for nice, cozy, rare places to eat delicious. Sometimes we do a little prospection in advance, but just as often we happen to bump in to real surprises.
That our visit to Budapest rather be a culinary city trip instead of a cultural one, we did not expect at all! As you can see on our website, we stayed at the Corinthia Hotel. A must! The hotel was fantastic, so our holiday couldn’t go wrong. But we didn’t count on the weather ... Rain, rain and more rain. So what can you do, when you’re almost flushed away on the streets? We look for cozy and warm places to spend our time. Budapest didn’t disappoint us. (Fun fact: the prices for food and drinks are, in general, cheaper than in Belgium.)
We made the trip to Budapest partly to celebrate Magalies birthday. The day of her birthday we arrived, so a dinner party at that evening was logic! In advance we already collected a lot of information about this fascinating city. Among the wide range of restaurants, we also discovered the New York Café. A wonderful place, "The most beautifull coffeehouse in the world", linked to the majestic Bolosco hotel. Curious as we are, in advance we took a view at the online menu. We were really looking forward to taste one of the delicious pastas. The concierge from our hotel reserved a table for us.
In the evening we left our hotel, well wrapped up, to walk to our destination. The New York Café was a 10 min walk from our hotel, so even with a slightly higher, elegant shoe, it’s absolutely not a difficult task. The interior was quite impressive: golden decorations, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers... To our left we saw cozy red sofas with beautiful tables. On the right there was a foreclosure. Apparently, that was a part of the restaurant that was separated from the rest. We continued to wait for someone who would take us to our table. We were surprised when the maître escorted us to the right side of the restaurant. A girl took our jackets and when we sat down, two waiters put our napkins on our laps ... Magalie wanted to hang her purse on her chair and she immediately got a hanger to hang her purse... We were not just in the New York Café, but our hotel had booked a table in the section that had a mention in the Michelin Guide ... the salon restaurant. Needless to say we ate delicious that evening! The menu was obviously something more spectacular than the pasta we had in mind. As icing on the cake there was a birthday surprise for the birthday girl!
In the following days, Budapest had even more surprises in store for us. The town consists of two parts: Buda and Pest (where we stayed), so there was a lot to discover. Through rain and wind we decided to explore the city. Lots of sights were within walking distance of our hotel.
Our first stop was Terror Haz (= The House of Terror). A museum that was established as a memorial to the victims of two bloody periods of Hungarian history. In this building the Stalinist secret police was active, including torture cellars. Before that, the building was a center of fear and terror of the Nazis. What we think is a downside, is that all information boards and captions to photos and other things are only in Hungarian. Budapest isn’t a big tourist destination, and with little things like this that was very obvious. An English translation of texts would be a great help to better understand the message they like to transfer trough this museum / monument. Fortunately the images speak their own language. The museum was quite impressive and left a big impression. The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00. A ticket costs 6,54 euros (2000 HUF) - with a teacher's card the entrance is free.
After our visit to the museum we decided to walk from Pest to Buda. This is possible via the Danube Promenade and the Chain Bridge. After the bridge we took the cable railway to Buda. There you can spend a whole day because there is so much to see. Unfortunately it was very cold that day and we could not enjoy the many nice terraces. However, we were surprised by the changing of the guards! In London people are waiting hours in advance, in Budapest they do it with no fanfare. Without fences and barriers the changing of the guards takes place. (The drummer who had the lead, was a real delight).
After that long walk from Buda to Pest (and back) we hungered for warmth and tranquility! Luckily we found a beautiful coffee shop with an amazing golden ceiling. The coffee shop is well hidden, so look very good. If Aurélie wasn’t such a book fanatic, we would have never found the coffeehouse. On Andrassy Boulevard we got inside a modern bookstore. At the bottom of a long staircase Aurélie caught a glimpse of a golden ceiling. Intrigued she went up the stairs and she felt as a Disney princess. Once upstairs she discovered the Book Café. A beautiful, impressive, golden hall where we had a delicious coffee and enjoyed a delicious cake. The figurative icing on our cake was the pianist who specifically for Magalie played a happy birthday song! In Budapest they love birthdays! A candle on the cake wasn’t missing.
In the New York Café, you can also enjoy a delicious milkshake with an equally delicious cake. The most beautiful coffeehouse in the world ... and the most delicious too!
The restaurants in our hotel also satisfied our culinary expectations. At the Rickshaw Restaurant we enjoyed delicious oriental dishes and in the Brasserie and the Atrium we enjoyed a delicious breakfast every morning! Also in the evening the restaurant could certainly charm us. The menu offered a wide choice of dishes and we were not disappointed! The risotto we ate was delicious and the dishes of our parents were sublime. The Szamos Marcipan Royal Café serves traditional Hungarian pastries and cakes. If you are a sweetness lover, this is also a must. The restaurants of the Corinthia Hotel also received an entry in the Michelin Guide.
* Budapest is a hidden treasure chest. * We opened the treasury and enjoyed a fantastic city trip. We hope you decide to explore this beauty!