Every now and again it actually happens that you stumble into a place that reminds you that there are still hidden gems in this city, places you hesitate to publicize because you want to keep them to yourself for just a little while longer. I had that experience at the Polo Pub Söröző, in a rare sojourn to the Buda side. I'm no expert on British Pubs, but if a quaint dark wood bar, antique beer signs and (inexpensive) draft Guinness are part of the experience, Polo has done a good job recreating one.

The food at the Polo is hearty and quite reasonably priced: pictured is sólet, the traditional Shabbat dish from Jewish cuisine of navy, or in this case, tarka, beans, barley, onion and brisket or smoked beef or lamb, slow-baked (for up to 18 hours), seasoned with garlic and paprika, then garnished with a hard-boiled egg. As trans-literated into Hungarian cuisine, the sólet around Budapest might also contain pork, as I am pretty sure the Polo's does. For only Ft 1,250 it is a dish of complex flavors that is sure to fill you up: tradition wisely prescribes a long walk after its ingestion. Fans of the dish will also find good versions around town at Spinoza, Apa Cuka, and, on Saturdays, Kádár, to name just a few. Other regulars of the Polo tout the baked home-made sausage, which comes in a pork-lover's plate along with liver and black pudding, the menu's only nod to British cooking.

But the real draw of the Polo is the bluegrass music, which is live, six nights a week. Most evenings a bluegrass wiz of mimicry (he sings Johnny Cash with a flawless Southern accent, yet speaks no English) Tibor (who was working too hard to take time to give me his last name) does the heavy lifting, but on Monday nights he is joined by a variety of local musicians for a jam, which finds bluegrass versions of Elvis Presley and Simon and Garfunkel, along with more straightforward bluegrass fare. The weekly event has congregated a rag-tag group of regulars, both expats and Hungarians alike, including more than one All Hungary Media staffer. With Guinness at just Ft 750, and several types of Czech and Hungarian beer on tap, there is no excuse not to have a good time.

Well, now that the word about the Polo Pub is out, I am going to start going earlier (Monday bluegrass jam begins around eight), and grab a table near the musicians. I guess when it comes down to it, there is not much British about the place at all. But like a Hungarian singing Blue Suede Shoes with a bluegrass flavor, it is an odd juxtaposition that somehow fits perfectly.