When you think of Budapest, great street food does not immediately come to mind. More often that not, you are either stuck with the omnipresent gyros-stand, or, as of late, an American Hot Dog cart, looking like some misbegotten, wayward refugee of the foundering US economy. But fear not, all you need to do is step outside the magic circle of the Nagykörút (ring boulevard) and options abound, more than a few of which will be covered in forthcoming posts. But for now, we present, on a paper plate, Budget Budapest's top diet-buster: Rózi Néni Rétesei (Auntie Rozi's Strudels) on Mester utca in District IX.

Family-owned for over twenty years, and relying on a closely-guarded strudel recipe, Rózi's has thirteen types of rétes on offer, from traditional sweet varieties, like peach and sour cherry, to savory cabbage or dill, all sold from their humble kiosk.

It's best to get to Rózi's in the morning, when strudel lines the display window in an unbroken speed-bump of pastry sweetness. On my last visit I was behind schedule, and missed the commuter feeding-frenzy. The proprietor initially insisted I come back when the goods were fresher, though this was overly-cautious of her. The cabbage strudel (below) I pried from her, though not hot from the oven, was savory and delicious, and the crust both delicate and chewy. Second course, a túrós/ribizlis rétes (curd cheese/red currant, sifted with powdered sugar, above) hit exactly the right sweet/tart note. Also highly recommended are the peach and poppy rétes, which tend to sell out especially early.

Though fillings may be the star attraction, it is hard to overstate the importance of the dough used in rétes. It needs to be soft, but elastic enough to endure stretching and folding. A well-made dough can be pulled tight to paper thinness, but also support chunky fruit or vegetable filling. Those less fearless than Rózi's use frozen fillo dough as a ready-made substitute.

A strudel from Rózi Néni's will set you back just Ft 195 (€.81) . Whether you like the pastry or not, "strudel" is just a nice word to say. It feels good to intone it - just try... strudel. There you go! It is a satisfying and brief workout on the lips, though if you want one of Rózi's superb strudels, you might have to master the almost equally sublime rétes.