A true barbecue paradise has opened at the foot of the Buda Castle, showing a completely new approach to what professional grilled food, all intertwined with the cocktail experience. Together they create a journey that is a perfect harmony for all the senses. How? We'll tell you!
At the UMO Grill Restaurant I talked to Attila Molnár, the owner of the Golden Caviar Restaurant, who has been part of the Hungarian top gastronomy and the gastronomy innovation. For him, hospitality is not just a job, it is a vocation. The recently opened UMO is a completely new concept that will be followed up, but that's a secret for now. We asked Attila Molnár what the UMO feeling is all about.
- How did you get the idea to open a new restaurant?
- We were originally looking for a new location for the MoscowTéЯ Russian bistro, due to the closure of the market. Hence we stumbled upon the Monastery Boutique Hotel Budapest. At first we were very impressed by the location and the beautiful garden it has. And no coincidence, as the hotel is housed in a 300 year old abbey building, in a quiet, peaceful setting, a few minutes walk from the Danube bank. We immediately realised that it was not exactly ideal for MoscowTerra, so we started to develop a completely new concept for it.
It's important to point out that UMO is not fine-dining, as many people associate it with my name. It's a casual, no frills place where you just sit down, have a good meal and a quality cocktail.
- Let's talk about the concept, because what they represented is quite specific.
- We thought about it until we finally decided to create a grill ether. We wanted the name to reflect this, so we chose UMO. You should know that in Spanish it is spelt with an h, so Humo- means smoke! In this theme we have created a completely unique gastronomic concept. A big part of this was played by Golden Caviar's research and development chef, José Guerrero-who we have been working with for almost a year and a half. He is a Colombian-born chef who lived in San Sebastián and studied at the Culinary University of the Basque Country. Thanks to this, he met the master who made our special barbecue, known there as Parrilla. Specifically, he works in Getári, in the Basque Country, designing and building these top-quality ovens; it was from him that we ordered the completely custom-made grill that we put into service at UMO.
- If I understand correctly, it's not really just about meat, as you can make many fantastic dishes on the barbecue.
- Of course! UMO opens a window on the world, where the interplay of ingredients and gastronomic techniques creates an uplifting experience inspired by multiculturalism. Fire as the main element, smoke as the main effect - intertwined with the experience of cocktailing and in perfect harmony, they together create this journey that affects all the senses. It's no secret: fish, strong on vegetables and, of course, meat are the key ingredients. For example, the new menu features a dish of cauliflower cooked on charcoal with a real Catalan romesco sauce. We don't really want to label the character, I would rather say that we are bringing a kind of multicultural gastronomy. We want our food to take you around the world.
- The uniqueness of the UMO grill restaurant doesn't stop there, you've also created something interesting in the drinks department
- The grill line, which is the basis of the concept, presents the world's diverse gastronomy in a completely unique form. Alongside the smoky delicacies, we wanted to show the audience something special in drinks. Of course we have a wine list and other drinks, but we thought we'd offer cocktails to match the food. And UMO's cocktails were created by no less a name than Zoltán Nagy, Owner of Boutiq Bar: „We make the syrups for our cocktails using different gastronomic techniques, smoke is very important to us. We offer them specifically to accompany particular dishes.” As a result, the cocktails are also completely unique developments, specifically designed to showcase the world of UMO. These drinks can only be found here.
- It's inevitable to ask the question: given that we're going through a pretty crummy time gastronomically, were you afraid to take on a new project?
- All I can say is that today hospitality is for the totally dedicated. Those who believe like crazy. Of course, I've got years of experience behind me and we're building with a lot of thought. I'm of the opinion that this place and the whole idea - we somehow found each other. I didn't hesitate much. I thought we'd build this up nicely. It couldn't have happened without the support of my wife, my daughters and José. They are a great source of strength and help in my daily life, as they are also very involved in this project. UMO was created with the help of my family! I am optimistic that there will be no major closures and that spring will come and people will start going to restaurants again, hungry for experiences. I am absolutely sure that the UMO garden is the ideal place to finally get away from the drabness of confinement and experience freedom and the beauty of gastronomy again. That is why we are planning a grand opening in the garden in the spring, where everyone is welcome with great enthusiasm and love.
- You mentioned the Russian Bistro MoscowTéЯ at the beginning of the interview. Is there any information about what will happen with that?
- I don't want to run that far ahead yet, but of course we have plans and ideas. What I can tell you is that in this place, where UMO is now open, we are going to surprise you. It's no secret that we have been working with Sasha Nyíri for a long time to revive the Russian Bistro MoscowTéЯ, to bring back the flavours of Russian cuisine.
Photo: UMO Restaurant
