Who doesn't know Kali Fülepi, aka Kami? ...at least in the domestic gastronomic circles. A great guy, an enthusiastic fan, a dedicated chef and a devoted family man. Full of soul, with romantic chef dreams.
It's been a long time since I met him. A few years ago, when he took the first steps towards realising his dream. And now I'm sitting in his homely and immaculately clean little restaurant, at a choice time when we have a chance to chat in the lounge.
I start by asking why it is a small restaurant, why it is not a restaurant or bistro, because since it opened, at least three years ago, there hasn't been a week when guests haven't had the chance to try a new dish. Kami thinks that the definition of a small restaurant could well include a bistro approach and a permanent menu of ’eternal' dishes, such as the famous confit duck leg, instead of a chalkboard. The term 'diner' is more about style and atmosphere, the homeliness, family atmosphere and reliability that you can actually feel in Kami's Diner.
Before we talk about how the public in Újpest's last street received the exotic and oriental spices of Hungarian cuisine, I'm „confused” by the guests. They come up to Kami and rapturously praise the delicious stew served with salmon in the small restaurant - that's what I mean by family. Kami is delighted to share the secret of what makes the delicacy so delicious, a fine dining-style stew of separately handled vegetables and separately cooked, sauce-quality, oriental flavours, poured from a jug over a colourful vegetable composition. I decide to have a taste. In the meantime, Kami's little son arrives and jumps into his father's neck to keep us from getting to the point, more guests arrive, they too exchange a few words with the chef, obviously happy to have an insider offering them something.
The main course arrives on the table, and I didn't ask for salmon, because I need to leave some room for the crispy confit duck legs. Before we talk about the Hungarian or non-Hungarian nature of the food, let's move on to the problems of everyday catering. The use of good quality ingredients is now generally accepted in the catering industry (duck legs are from Matus) and not only good quality poultry and red meat, but also game and seafood is now available quickly and with delivery through domestic wholesale networks. Now it is the affordability of the expertise that takes a lot of time and effort to produce premium quality food that is more of a challenge. Currently, the catering labour market is not only short of skilled waiters, but is made more difficult by the fact that chefs with less knowledge are only taking on higher wages...
The duck leg arrives at our table, served with a streak of sheep's cheese, a generous sprinkling of toasted bacon bits and plenty of refreshment (Kami's trademark). I'm not really hungry after the deliciously delicious main course, but the sight of it makes room in my stomach. A generous glass of red wine to go with the dish certainly helps. The wine selection is expert and sumptuous. The meat is flavoursome and crumbly, the specially prepared garlic is palatable but not pungent, subtle clove nuances emerge in the pâté-like delicacy of the meat, made vibrant by the texture of the crispy savoury skin. It's time to move on to the seemingly controversial Kami's Hungarian cuisine, which some have found difficult to accept. It was never a „problem” with taste, quantity or quality when, say, goulash soup is presented in an oriental and Asian atmosphere. „Some people expected the usual, but my dishes go beyond the Hungarian cuisine of the 80s, which was stifled in patterns and became unpretentious, while at the same time preserving the elements that make our Hungarian cuisine taste like our Hungarian cuisine.” Kami's food is worth „understanding” because it is able to offer more than just the enjoyment of the flavours of the food, it is able to offer a real catharsis.
In the end, the future won out and what was left was quality and innovation. More and more people understand and come from far and wide to enjoy the small restaurant in Vasrózsa Street, District IV, with Kami's dishes.
