The capital's iconic restaurant, Bestia, has long been a popular, well-visited spot in the downtown. Next to the basilica, in a specially designated area, it is a very popular destination for both the national public and tourists. Popular. One of the downtown restaurants that survived the hardships of Covid, and to this day as a favourite are published in Budapest gastronomypalette. We talked to Norbert Krizmanics, Bestia's head chef.
Photo by Bestia
- What are your experiences from the last difficult period?
- Bestia has the good fortune to be located in a very prominent area. Even though we are going through a really difficult period, we are able to build back up nicely. I think we can now almost bring in at least 2019's traffic. This is a very good result compared to the situation we are in now.
Photo by Bestia
- Have the tourists returned to your country? Are you back to the pre-COVID state?
- I dare say that it is. There are a lot of tourists. Weekend visitor numbers are in the region of 500-800. I'll give you a very interesting figure for October, which is typical of our group: we hosted 35,000 people. Of course, we are talking about the most popular places in the city centre, but basically it shows that there are guests and there are tourists. This is also shown by the fact that there was a kitchen staff, which has now had to be amply supplemented. I would add that in Europe now, because of the circumstances, there are very few Christmas markets, for example. We have a lot of tourists around the basilica. Of course, unfortunately, this also means that we are talking about a narrow region. The situation is much more difficult a few streets away.
Photo by Bestia
- This includes the fact that Bestia did not start on the market today.
- Indeed, it does make a difference. It's a well-known place that has been in the gastronomic scene for 6 years now. Not to mention that we really do our best to be a cool, trendy and functional restaurant. If I'm just adding my bit, I've been running Bestia for three years now, so it's a very stable place. Of course, a lot has changed here too, but the people who „write the play” are the same cuisine. In fact, I can safely say that, thank God, it's a very tight-knit crew - and anyone in the business knows how much that means.
Photo by Bestia
- What are the trendy, hip, in-demand foods these days?
- I noticed that it's a little bit wintery, but it has that American coolness to it. Right now, for example, I have a venison tenderloin with celery puree, thickened with mizo, cut into small slices and marinated in sweet mizo, with bacon nuts. And the venison sirloin steak is made into a croquette with chicken liver and onion, and fried with it. The venison tenderloin is naturally souvidéed, sautéed in josper and drizzled with cress. It's a very serious dish, though, and still brings a casualness. But we also have a Middle Eastern line and a classic line. Because a lot of places have closed, we have a more diverse clientele and a more diverse range of needs. We have to cater to that. Basically, we go with a wide range and it works for everyone because they can find what they want. So we've got the gourmet line, and we've got the right offerings for everyday dining, like burgers or BBq sides.
Photo by Pixabay
- How does Bestia work after Covid?
- We have abolished the lunch menu and instead we are creating monthly menus, which are basically a la carte dishes. This is a special menu to complement the existing menu. The reason I think this is important is because I don't think it's economically feasible right now, at least in our region, to go with a cheaper lunch menu. However, it is important to have variety and newness in the menu all the time. It is important to be able to offer alternatives to the domestic public, which is why a varied and constantly interesting range of offers is the essence of today's catering. This is why we ordered venison from MATUSZ and added an extra venison dish to the menu. We also ordered beyond burgers, which really are the best in their class. We put it in two dishes, the Veggie Burger and the SKINNY BEYOND BURGER. This one has the added bonus of a salad mix from an organic farm, a vinegary mustard dressing, fresh crunchy raw veggies, toasted on a josper, and topped with a little spicy cilantro pesto. These items go extremely well!
Photo by Pixabay
- What about the fundamental problem, the workforce?
- What I have noticed is that the situation has led to freelancers becoming professionals who were previously impossible to get. Another is that many people have become disillusioned with the places where they used to work. We were able to give many of them an opportunity. Of course, we were also very lucky to be one of the first to reopen. In the summer, of course, everyone went to Lake Balaton, it was harder then, but in my opinion, they didn't go there as much as is usually said. Let's admit it, you can't build a big business in 3-4 months. The other problem: the cooks who come out of school with minimal knowledge also go abroad. Simply because they can earn three times as much as they can at home by „peeling potatoes”. This is a very sad situation. Now, if you are interested and work in a good place, you might become a good professional.
Photo by Bestia
- How are you preparing for the end of the year, because we hear that there are a lot of cancellations.
- This is true. Everyone got all excited, then reconsidered that they'd better be careful - so say it back. But we still have a nice event. Of course we have takeaway boxes and lots of orders, thankfully. We are preparing a special New Year's Eve menu. The main thing we experience is that there is a reservation, someone on the team becomes a Covid and they cancel. But that's only for Hungarians! Thankfully, the tourist bookings are much more stable and we can fill the cancelled orders.
Photo by Bestia
- Now you said an interesting thing. Is the fact that the forint is down so much good for tourism?
- Actually - and unfortunately - yes. There are two things a tourist can do. Pay in euros, or pay in forints. But if you cash in your euros, you buy at least twice as many burgers as you would at home. So the enjoyment value of tourists' money is much higher here than if they spent it at home. However, it is also important to bear in mind, when thinking economically, that the raw materials bought from abroad are much more expensive. It's an exciting situation in catering now, but we have to live with it. A lot of people have dropped out, a lot of people have given up, but I think the ones who are left now love what they do and it has made hospitality a better quality service.#
Author: Tamás Budafoki
Photo by Bestia, Norbert Krizmanics, Pixabay
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