In the centre of Győr there is a the building, which now houses the Sailor's restaurant works, s which has been the scene of hospitality for centuries, almost without interruption. There is even a smokehouse above the restaurant, as there was a butcher's shop here in the early days. Any goods that were not sold there went to the tavern and then to the tables of the guests. In the old days, animals were also kept here. In the attic they fattened geese and bred rabbits. This was not strange at the time, as the sound of geese could often be heard from the houses in the centre of Győr.
The staff are loyal, the recipes don't change, the place doesn't expand and where locals and tourists alike come back. In the interview, I asked owner Bálint Kulcsár to reveal the secret of the place.
Many restaurants serve fish soup, but they say yours is the best of all. Can you tell me the recipe?
There is no secret to our recipe, a base of lechon, four types of fish: bream, bream, catfish and mostly carp, that's the secret. We pass it the same way, mix it and use nice peppers. Our chowders are tasty, thick, slightly spicy and have a nice colour, which I think is what we Hungarians particularly like. The locals take a lot of fish soup all year round or eat it here. Often, when I look into the dining area, I see people in working clothes at one table and a wide crowd at the table next to it, wearing suits. Tourists or people passing through on their way from Vienna stop here, or if they are on a trip to Győr, they taste the typical Hungarian soup here. In addition to fish dishes, there are also classic, good old dishes such as cottage cheese with cottage cheese and porridge with pumpkin.
Is it really the women who make the scones and the cottage cheese every morning?
Yes, it's not just a rumour, and we don't want to change that. It's true that it sells out quickly, and many people call to book in advance, but we don't compromise on quality. Our chefs make it by hand, because that's the way it is, that's how it tastes. We also pass the chowders by hand, and already in November we have a full book of who's taking how much for Christmas. We have a limited capacity, but in large quantities it would not sell as well as it does, i.e. it would be so homemade and delicious. Here, the food really does taste and taste like when housewives cook at home. Maybe that's because there are real and genuine housewives working in our kitchens.
There is an interesting story about the restaurant. Will you tell me?
This building has actually been here for 300 years and has always been welcoming. Previously it was just a watering hole, but even then it was given the name "The Sailor", because we are on the Dunakapu Square, where there used to be a harbour and barges with sailors docked. Where the kitchen is now, there was a card room and a lot of trade went on here. This place was taken over in 1919 by László Dátán, who christened it Dátán Restaurant and started serving food. We still make his recipe for chowder, he bought the wine from Pannonhalma, as we did, and we named one of our dishes Dátán szelet after him, in memory of the old days. By the way, Mr Dátán was married to my grandmother's brother, who had no children, so they left the restaurant to my father. That's how he came into our Kulcsar family, and now to me. It's a big and beautiful task, which I hope to pass on to my grandfather.
How badly did the epidemic hit the restaurant?
We lived on takeaway orders and were lucky to keep all our staff. This is also important for us because we have waiters and chefs who started their first job here and will retire from here in a few years. Most of our employees are like that, I think they like it here, it's a family atmosphere and we are fair with them.
Do you eat fish soup at Christmas?
Not anymore. You could say we've been swimming in fish all year, with 3-4 shipments a week, and we don't want it as often, especially after the biggest plant. In the advent season, the girls are cooking the fish leaves from 5am, plucking the fish, making the inter-island pickled fish, so it makes the whole house smell. We had roast duck on Christmas Eve last year, for example, but it varies. We love to eat and cook, but I think a lot of people do. Perhaps I realise how much we humans love our bellies when, in summer, at 50 degrees, our guests eat hot chowder with hot peppers as much as any other time.
