As reported on these pages all too often, Budapest is awash with high-priced, high-concept restaurants that fail to live up to their own hype once the oversized plate of undersized food lands on the pristine white tablecloth. And while prices appear very competitive with the eurozone at first glance, many locals cannot afford to eat out, while genuine value for money is elusive for foreigners looking for anything more than a gypsy band and a bowl of gulyás. But despite the décor inherited from the typically overpriced Italian restaurant that used to live here before owner Tamás Laczi took over in August 2009, Apropó in Buda's District I is making every effort to buck this sorry trend.

And gulyás is not on the Apropó menu, which you can look over here. It is not the briefest, but very well put together - which made the decision-making process unusually difficult, especially alongside an exceptional Békési pálinka that boded well for the meal to come. And Apropó did not disappoint.

After much deliberation, we settled on a solid if unspectacular endive salad followed by saddle of rabbit on a bed of gnocchi and truffles from the separate "winter menu" - which totalled Ft 2,970 together. Although Tamás kindly asked whether the strips of meat on either side of the rabbit's spine were sufficient, the ham was sufficiently smoky and the gnocchi sufficiently rich to leave me satisfied - while still leaving space for the clafoutis (Ft 600) to come. In fact, if it had been any more, or any richer, it would have been too much - and the home-baked bread certainly came in handy.

From the normal menu, we plumped for mozzarella and cured ham ravioli in sage butter (Ft 970), setting the scene for the duck breast in pomegranate sauce with mashed potatoes (Ft 2,000). Both were as good as they sound, and at under Ft 3,000 for the combo, represent excellent value.

To sum up, the food was great, but perhaps not quite as great as the nearby Csalogány 26, but significantly less expensive. And like its local rival, Apropó has a gourmet lunch menu (Ft 1,490).

Best of all, the clientéle reflected the laid back ownership, with head-chef and former Chelsea resident Tamás treating every guest like an old friend (warning: this can slow down service significantly). He not only used the informal Hungarian "te" form at first sight (he speaks excellent English, too), he was refreshingly patient, open and honest when quizzed about business - which is predictably slow. Let's hope that changes, as his patrons appeared to be genuine locals and foodies rather than the psuedo high society that patronize so many trendy restaurants. Spread the word!