The Wine&Gourmet Festival is back at Lake Balaton between 21-24 September. In addition to the gastronomic flagships of the lake region, with more than 50 restaurants and wineries, this year's event will also offer a taste of France and Argentina. Family activities, tastings, professional workshops and culinary demonstrations by Michelin-starred chefs will welcome visitors to the picturesque setting of Veszprém, where this year's theme is fish and game.
During the four days, in addition to the gastronomic offerings of the lake area, there will be a wide range of activities: outdoor demonstrations, wine tastings, master classes and guided wine dinners. Fans of not only local but also international cuisine will find something for everyone, as two great culinary nations, France and Argentina, will be in the spotlight. Among the restaurants, bistros and other catering establishments that were present, there were a good number of Gourmet Market-They prepared dishes for the public using ingredients that could be ordered. So if you want to prepare some of the most exciting flavours of the festival at home, don't miss the following stands!
Pirate Beach Bistro
Among the domestic exhibitors, the Pirate Beach Bistro is definitely worth a visit. Operating since 2003, the beach bistro in Balatonfövenyesi has not only created the concept of quality beach food in Hungary, but has also received numerous awards over the past 20 years. For this year's festival, they have prepared a very exciting korhely fish soup, featuring a “stuffed cabbage” filled with bulgur and marinated perch cheeks, which is lifted to the sky by lime, coriander, lemon and mustard caviar. A pleasantly acidic, full-flavoured soup, not intrusively fishy, making it an ideal choice for children and moderate fans of fish dishes.
Their main course is a Thai-inspired spicy venison stew, flavoured with star anise, soy, coriander, ginger, lemongrass and then minced. It is served with udon noodles, topped with a refreshingly fresh flavour of shimeji mushroom - ginger - cucumber “spaghetti”, and topped with chilli slices to complete the dish. For those who like the Asian flavour, you won't find a better one! And if you'd like to make a similar dish at home, the ingredients for the venison on this link you can order.
Fricska Restaurant Apartment
Of course, the Veszprém-based Fricska Restaurant, whose permanent restaurant is located on the picturesque banks of the Séd stream, was also represented. Fricska is renowned far and wide for its unrivalled quality artisan burgers and BBQ dishes cooked in a smoker. In addition, they boldly sample the best of Mediterranean and Hungarian cuisine on their la carte menu. For starters, they've brought an incredibly creamy apple “duck liver tart” to the festival, served on brioche sponge cake and topped with pickled red onion. The liver almost melts in your mouth, and the sweetness of the apple perfectly offsets the saltiness of the liver. We don't think you should wait until Christmas for a proper duck liver, but treat yourself now with our premium quality raw materials. Our sweet tooth readers don't have to go far, because for dessert we have a raspberry They have created a Rigó János, which is served in a whole new guise, broken down into its elements, and then topped with caramel.
Akali Port Josper & Lounge
One of the newcomers to the festival, Akali Port, which opened just a month and a half ago, is a Balaton-based venue that operates primarily with smoke and flame. Their permanent menu features the best of international cuisine, including veal burgundy, spaghetti carbonara, fattened duck liver and gambas. As their focus is on Josper dishes, this was no different. They can roast anything in the closed-burner charcoal oven, and the end result is always a highly complex dish with deep flavours.
As an appetizer for the festival, they have a trout roll from Tapolca, which is first souvidized and then cooked in the Josper. The same is done for the accompanying with cauliflower and sweetcorn, topped with lemon and with olive oil marinate. As a main course they also worked with horns, souvida for 24 hours, then celery gratin with potatoes and pickled with shiitake mushrooms served with. Dessert is a multi-layered French sweet, a matcha Opera bar, brought back from the chef's trip to Austria. The restaurant's main supplier is Matusz-Vad, so most of the ingredients used can also be ordered from From the Gourmet Market website.
Restaurant Oliva
Locals probably need no introduction to one of the oldest restaurants in town, with a history as fascinating as Veszprém itself. So it was only natural that they should be among the exhibitors, with a fantastically charming Argentinian chef at the head of their stand. In this light, what else could they have on the grill than one of their best quality Argentinian sirloin steak, served with grilled vegetable sashlik. Even if you're not a big fan of steak, you won't be disappointed. They are a super juicy lamb backbone crown which is baked to perfect doneness. Right next to the restaurant you can taste Argentinian wines and champagnes in style, so you don't have to go far to quench your thirst.
Everyone agreed that this festival is a mecca for gastronomy-hungry guests thirsty for quality wine. All the exhibitors offer food made with heart and soul, not only in a beautiful setting, but served to a very high standard, catering for the young and the old alike, in an environmentally friendly way. So, if you don't know where to let off some steam or enjoy the last rays of summer, grab your puppy, your little friend, your baby and head to the Balaton Wine & Gourmet Festival!
Date: 21-24. 09.09.2023.
Venue: Veszprém, Monasteries and Gardens
Website: https://www.bwg.hu/
