As we have already reported, the highly successful Gastro Festival has been held again after a two-year hiatus, much to everyone's delight. The event was again hosted in Millenáris Park, and this time we have a video report!
Nothing shows better how much demand there is for this kind of event than the huge turnout on the first Friday. The festival opened at 10am, and half an hour later there were long queues at the ticket offices, and by midday the park was almost full. Professional visitors were joined by couples in love and families with young children.
Unusual ingredients, classic recipes
The Gourmet Festival this year's theme was heritage, which everyone could interpret according to their own taste. In light of this, there was no shortage of variety and creative solutions, and I could hardly believe how beautiful the plates were. Some people reinterpreted their mother's recipe, others dressed up their favourite dish from home. It was almost impossible to choose between the dizzying array of offerings and aromas wafting from the various stalls, and I wished I had come with two empty bellies.
Of course, we were among the first to arrive, so we could get a taste of our favourite chefs before the hustle and bustle. Among others, we talked to Ákos Sárközy, who predicts a strong summer and many tourists this season. During the festival his children helped him, so there was a real family atmosphere at stand 93.
EVERYTHING that pleases the eye
Péter Endrődi from Yama and Osama Kutaini from Byblos told us about what heritage means in Japanese and Lebanese cuisine. The former's signature dish is the unmissable tom yum soup, which, fortunately, is available all year round on 6 October Street. We were there for the latter's mezze selection. And Keve Marci, who runs a contemporary Taiwanese bistro, presented the familiar dishes of the Far Eastern street stalls. If you like exotic flavours, be sure to visit his Buda unit, because there's plenty to taste!
According to Norbert Krasznai, who runs the recently opened Fleisher Restobar, vegan food is the future, and some of the dishes he brought to the Gourmet Festival were made exclusively from plant-based ingredients. For me, my favourite was the celeriac served with parsley emulsion and roasted in a bed of salt, which I'll be talking about for a while.
Árpád Győrffi, a member of the Four Seasons team, including Kollázs, told us about the labour shortage, which is a big problem internationally. He also pointed out that although the epidemic hit them hard, they tried to turn the closures to their advantage and managed to innovate in several areas. For them, the concept of heritage was mainly reflected in their choice of raw materials.
If you're curious to see what dishes the top restaurants brought, how the tops chefs are preparing for the season, and of course what we ate, click on the video!
