Located near the beautiful Budapest chain bridge lies The Gresham, an elegant restaurant nestled in the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel.
We were quickly greeted as soon as we entered the restaurant by Gergley Blaske, the assistant restaurant and bar manager. He was a very friendly and welcoming host as he quickly led us to our table. You can tell you’re going to experience top notch service when the restaurant provides a small stool so that my purse and camera may have a place to sit.
Style Details
Dress | ASOS
Blazer | CALVIN KLEIN
Bag | GIVENCHY
Boots| FROM HONG KONG
Zsolt, our server provided a selection of fresh breads with cauliflower cream cheese. The breads were very soft. I really like the one with tomatoes on it. The cauliflower cream cheese makes it feel less sinful when comparing it to the traditional butter. I was quick to witness that all the waiters and servers were very attentive to their guests. Even when the restaurant became busy, I did not realize it as my demands were quickly met. It was truly amazing service. Kudos to Gergley!
While we were ordering, Zsolt asked if we would want the dishes to be prepared accordingly for two people to share. I love it when restaurants do this! I wish there were more of them that would actually make it a pleasant experience when sharing dishes. When the dishes came, it was evident that each split dish was carefully decorated. So please be aware that each of the dishes shown on my blog is really just half the normal portion.
We started off with some beef tenderloin tartare which had poached egg yolk, roasted pumpkin, and smoked scarmorza cheese. It was very soft. The flavor and texture goes really well together when you have all those wonderful ingredients melting in your mouth. The egg yolk creates a thick consistency where its natural richness seems to accentuate the softness of the tartare.
The other appetizer we enjoyed was the Foie Gras Trio highlighting three different ways of preparing this exquisite appetizer. The first is a Torchon Clementine Tartare. It was quite crunchy, refreshing, soft and definitely delicious. The consistency hints at it being creamy. The second one is a Curl Plum Coffee Cream Foie Gras. This one was quite sweet. I can almost describe it as chocolate-y. This was served on a brioche.
Lastly was the Panseared Mushroom Chestnut Ragout Foie Gras. This was a crispy, very clean-tasting dish and most definitely delectable foie gras. I enjoyed the outer layer as it provided the crispy experience. This was all served with a MAD white wine. Cleary a wonderful start to an amazing meal.
We also had a soup called the Oxtail Consommé. It had truffle, foie gras pudding, quinoa, and glazed oxtail. This just literally melted in my mouth. A wonderful hot soup that is poured fresh into your bowl that already had the solid ingredients. I think this is a smart way of putting it together as, I’m sure, the foie gras would have quickly disintegrated if it stayed in hot soup during the whole preparation time. It was so good! The truffle mushroom introduces a different impact to the dish. The soup was simple yet sophisticated.
Since our mains consisted of beef and pork, it was recommended for us to pair them with some Hungarian Red Wine Cabernet Sauvignon, which is from the Hungarian city of Szekszard. Apparently it is one of the oldest red wine growing areas in Hungary (http://visitbudapest.travel/wine-regions/szekszard-wine-region/).
Our first main was the Beef Tenderloin with cardoncelli mushrooms, veal cheek, horseradish crust and Jerusalem artichokes. The veal cheek was quite a lean cut. I never had veal cheek before but I certainly have had veal. I was expecting a primarily fatty meat but, to my surprise, it had the rich flavors of veal but without the fatty parts. Pretty darn good! The tenderloin was cooked medium well. Although it was certainly cooked to that level, the steak did not lose any of its natural flavors, like those one would enjoy having a rare steak. It was very delicious. I would say it was the correct amount of food to make me satisfied. They provided some sauce but I don’t think it’s really necessary. The flavors and of the dish clearly consists of high quality meat therefore deserving to be experienced in its natural cooked state.
The second dish was the Iberico Pork, one of their signature dishes, with smoked beetroot, yellow peas, carrot gnocchi, and baked shallot. The beet actually tasted quite refreshing with the pork. I really like the softness of the perfectly baked shallot as it went really well with the pork. Actually, you can pair the pork with each of the sides to experience the pork from different complementary ingredients. I like the way this dish is prepared as there is a way to keep your taste buds from getting used to a certain kind of flavor. I enjoyed the artistic design. Looking like a masterpiece in itself, it is like an abstract painting. I would say the gourmet pork had a modern and innovative facade. It was cooked medium and it tasted quite close to a very good steak. I love how it looks like an ancient ruin like the mysterious Stonehenge, some standing tall, some falling off the ground.
Now it’s time for desserts! The first one was an Italian dessert, the Cassata Siciliana. It is a chocolate bowl with cassata parfait. I must say that it is quite a tarty dessert but it also came with bits of pistachio and crushed chocolate chip cookies around it. I appreciate that as the little bits of garnish balanced the tartiness of the parfait.
Next was one I have never heard of before, the Rakoczi Turos. It is a shortbread breton, cottage cheese mouse and apricot jelly. Accordingly to the server, this is a traditional Hungarian dessert. At first it reminded me of a cheese cake but its freshness is totally coming from the cottage cheese. It is so good, moist and flavorful. It’s hard to believe its cottage cheese. Clearly the Hungarian cottage cheese is completely different. It is also very savory and packed with flavor. The texture is lovely as it has crunchy bits which comes from a little cracker thing on the side. Whatever that is called, I’m glad it’s there!
Naturally, after eating such wonderful meal, I wanted to calm my stomach a bit by enjoying some Chamomile tea with a dash of lemon. It came at a very good temperature as it did not burn my tongue. It was truly soothing yet refreshing. It came with some sides to add, if you want, like cream, honey or chestnut honey.
Thanks to The Gresham Restaurant | Budapest, Széchenyi István tér 5, 1051 Hungary | +36 1 268 6000