FELIX KITCHEN & BAR

The location is unrivalled, a real gift. A panoramic view of the Danube, the Várkert Bazaar, a beautiful building designed by Miklós Ybl with a wonderful interior architecture, a cosy terrace with a DJ and practically filled only with foreign guests.

As it was a beautiful day in September, I reserved a table outside. It’s been years since we last visited the Felix – once we were seated within the building, once on the terrace. Both occasions have left equally positive memories, so I had been looking forward to sacrificing happily at the altar of gastronomy again. I was wishing to taste light dishes, because I knew that I would have to try the ‘Aranygaluska’ (Golden baked pastry) again.

The staff are unprofessional; the problems arising from this and the imperfections in the food are only compounded with a total lack of effort and kindness. The lemonade is under critique, a standard of the Olympos lemon juice. The guinea fowl consommé was as dull as the mood of the waitress, but an unexpected twist did brighten the mood: while being served, some of the soup was poured into my lap. I have a working knowledge of the catering industry, but I don’t think it’s very elegant to use the same serviette to wipe the edge of the plate as you used to soak up the unfit liquid from the table.

I chose octopus + eggplant from among the Felix Signatures. The inside of a grilled eggplant was placed on my plate as it was, á la nature, and the soy aioli didn’t help the disturbingly bitter taste, at all. And the octopus could totally create the so called ‘flavor-texture apocalypse’ for me: ‘aubergine stew with octopus ‘.

The ‘Aranygaluska’ has still been extraordinarily delicious. Warm, soft, nutty, served with a rich vanilla sauce… The Aranygaluska means the real Felix Signature for me! When eaten by two or three people, it would require a lot more ice cream. This dessert can be shared by so many people as it is really a huge portion.

For me, the concept of having a more elegant atmosphere and a more decently sized menu within the building and a more relaxed atmosphere with more casual food outside would be a rather sympathetic one. However, I think this should be emphasized when making a reservation, and the terrace version should also be of a much higher quality in terms of value for money.