Badhanna is a new-wave Asian bar-restaurant in the heart of the city centre that bids farewell to convention in every respect. If you want to travel across Asia without leaving the city, this is the place for you!
Badhanna, which opened on the site of the late Trafiq and Zeller, is a true love project, the basic ideas of which were already formulated during COVID in the minds of Marci Vajda, co-owner of several iconic Budapest restaurants, and the team of Socially. A place inspired by travels and experiences in Asia had long been in the works, and the main aspect was to materialise these feelings and thoughts, and this has now come together. As with its previous projects (Mazel Tov, Tereza), this time too, it had in mind to create an honest, quality and lovable place that could add and create new value to the gastronomic and cultural space of Budapest. What makes it special? «Our aim is to go beyond what a restaurant and gastronomic space usually carries. We are still at the beginning of this journey, but our long-term vision is to become a cult element of the Hungarian cultural and hospitality space that is defining, leading and trend-setting.» - say.
Now is the time for Badhanna
Considering the current prices of raw materials and energy, now seems the least ideal time for a new opening, but they didn't want to wait any longer. «You're always looking for the best time, but there's never really a perfect time. We had the determination to do it, and thanks to all the work we'd been doing, everything was in place to open, so we went for it.» Success is partly about being “cool” enough for the audience you are targeting, and whether you can maintain that in the long term and credibly.
As far as the design is concerned, the Socially gastromarketing team has once again managed to create something that we have never seen before. They are also the designers behind Home of Solinfo, Madame Pho and Meraki, among others. While Badhanna was clearly a team effort, the all-encompassing, immersive look was the brainchild of art director Eszter Csontos. Unfortunately, there is no sign of it from the outside, but inside there is a veritable oasis with an open roof that can seat 80 people comfortably. The space is both cozy and spacious, making it a perfect hideaway for any occasion.
Restaurant, bistro and bar
And by every occasion, I mean that Badhanna has really managed to create a place where you can come in for a drink and/or a few bites on your own at any time. And speaking of drinks... Fortunately, the cocktail culture in Hungary has evolved a lot in recent years, and a proper place is unthinkable without a consciously crafted drinks list and signature cocktails. Of course, on this front too, the flavours of the Far East are back. They use a lot of spices and exotic ingredients. They use yuzu, sake, Japanese vodka and gin, as well as a very wide range of teas. My favourite was definitely the Sunset Addict signature, which, along with the gin, has a touch of rum, wild peach, smoky pineapple and a touch of blood orange (pictured left).
Sharing is caring
The menu was created by Dániel Varga, who is well known from AUM, and who has been famous for his extravagant solutions and creative serving from the very beginning. Having lived in Asia for several years, his challenge was not what to put on the menu, but what not to. Because he didn't want to squeeze himself or the restaurant into any particular box, the result was a rather eclectic menu - in a good way.
Served Asian!
There are Thai-inspired dishes as well as Japanese or even Chinese-inspired dishes. But one thing is common to it all, and that is that it serves everyone. No lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant or vegan will leave hungry! The dishes are highly variable, so no one is guaranteed to be looking at the other person's plate with regret. The red meats are equally at home with poultry and fish, and the side dishes are a perfect complement to each meal, with free flow between them. Special attention has also been paid to the spiciness-sweetness-savouriness ratio, so nothing is left to chance!
Another important part of the concept was to keep the dishes small and medium in size, in the spirit of sharing is caring, which is so popular in Mediterranean cuisine.
CAULIFLOWER POP
I tried two of the starters, because I couldn't choose between the potato churros and the roasted cauliflower. True, at the time I didn't know about the arrival of the guest appetizer, a soft little donut made on the spot, originally called bao. This is accompanied by kimchi coconut butter, the perfect accompaniment to the relatively neutral flavour of the bao. Very cleverly, everyone gets a piece each, which is cool because you'd probably spill any amount. They do a lot of things on site, by the way, from fermentation to lyophilisation to the obligatory kimchi, which further raises the standard of the place.
YAO TIAO
Yao Tiao is a potato churro served with avocado mash. The term "foam" is not an exaggeration, it is really light as a dream, with a soft flavour that compensates well for the slightly stronger spice of the churros. Overall, a very tasty, crunchy treat.
The cauliflower pop is also a crunchy story fried in oil, with the freshness coming from the green of the spring onion. Of the two, I preferred the churros, but that's for you to decide, and don't be put off by the fact that they're fried, because they're really just a taste, but they're very good, so they won't fill you up.
HOI
My absolute and undisputed favourite was this dish. It starts with the fact that they use homemade udon noodles. The pasta screams fresh, so springy, just genius. It's topped with a super creamy, at once pleasantly soft yet slightly spicy yellow curry sauce. The coconut milk is quite dominant in this, but it's not overbearing, and the other spices come through well. Then all this thick meat they head it with black mussels. I could have eaten until the next day, so I highly recommend this, especially for those who like spicy flavours but are still getting to know Asian cuisine.
Sesame balls, passion fruit and smoked bird's milk
Since I don't have a sweet tooth at all, I would never have asked for dessert myself, but there are sad duties in life... Jokes aside, I was really glad I did because it was brutally delicious! The dressing is indeed reminiscent of bird's milk, although it's thicker than that, with slightly vanilla flavour notes. The complexity I mentioned earlier is very much in evidence here, with the cream being sweet, the sesame a little salty and the pomegranate tart, making it the perfect summer dessert.
Overall, Badhanna is a very extravagant, but also a very affordable, spot in the Asian restaurant scene. For those who are not satisfied with convention over creativity, this is a must stop!
Address: 1051 Budapest, Hercegprímás utca 18.
