Okay, Yes, Costes is Among the Best
With just a few irregular contributors and no real official budget to speak of, this editor is not going to apologize for failing to review every new or notable restaurant in Budapest. But if I was going to act contrite for one review that never got done, it would be for Costes (follow link for contact info and user feedback), which more than a year ago was transformed from a mid-range "restobar" into a luxury restaurant with obvious aspirations to be the best in town. So it was with no small relief that I finally went to the restaurant last Tuesday, accompanied by well-known Prague based travel critic Evan Rail (pixilated in bottom picture for his protection). The reason I went with Rail offers one explanation why I hadn't been to Costes before. He was in town in part to write a story about what one might do on $1,000 a day. Among my suggestions were "rent a Ferrari," "five hookers at once" and "Costes." Because Costes costs.
Indeed, Costes costs enough - appetizers start at Ft 2,800 (roughly €10) and mains can top Ft 10,000 (€30 with "automatic" 12% service tip) - that we quickly gravitated towards what seemed like the most value-oriented offering available, the lower-priced of two tasting menus. Menu "A" featured five courses paired with four wines for Ft 20,000, compared to Ft 30,000 for seven courses plus eight wines.
As in any restaurant where the average bill is above $100-€100 per person, the meal had some extras. Among the three bonus courses were a Campari and orange-flavored granita "shooter" and similar bite and slurp-sized portions of gazpacho and caviar and cream, pictured just above. The gazpacho was the best, which was not surprising, as the head chef, Portugal-born Miguel Rocha Vieira, learned his craft at (among others) the multi-Michelin-starred El Bulli in Spain. (During its opening phase the restaurant also employed Alain Ducasse protégé François Rodolphe as a consultant.) So far, so good, if not mind-melting.
The kohlrabi cream soup with oxtail filled tortellini picture way up top was spectacular; its vivid green color and texture, our server informed us, came from use of the leaves of the kohlrabi. Nice! Then came the plate pictured below that, a healthy-sized jumble of pan seared scallops with both raw and cooked endives and an orange and coriander reduction. My scallops were a touch underdone for my taste, but the dish as a whole was gorgeous.
Next up was a plate of roasted pyrennees lamb saddle with bayeldi-style eggplant/aubergines and shoulder in "pastilla" with apricots. I did not know what a pastilla or "bayeldi" meant before now, and I am still not sure I do. (Both, I believe, are Moroccan.) Anyway, the lamb was done to perfection, and the mille-feuille-like layered veggie confection was certainly an eye-opener. I'd eat this again.
Then came probably the most memorable taste combo of the evening: spicy granita with blue cheese ice cream and (very) savory cracker. Pow!
After this, the pear marbled in red wine with chocolate crumble, winter fruit chutney and "fromage blanc" ice cream was a bit of a let-down, though certainly entertaining.
Finally, we were presented with another extra, this time a neat row of itty-bitty sweet treats, many of which were reminiscent of the pasties found at the Gresham Kávéház. If they'd tried to sell me a box on the way out, I would have been hard pressed to say no.
Wine-wise, it was not a bad mix. We started off with a sparkling wine from the Hungarian-named Austrian producer Szigeti, then were poured a Sauvignon Blanc from Hilltop, an okay Chablis from a producer I don't know, a glass of the hearty 2003 "XY" cuvee from Csaba Demeter, and then a dash of 2006 Édes Hármas Furmint from Homonna, a lesser Tokaj name.
As for the service, I would say it bounced back and forth a bit too much between overdone (white gloves and synchronized plate delivery) and underdone (my guest said that one point he felt our server was pressuring him to order, even though the house was utterly empty). Overall, they probably earned their 12%, though I wish I could have been the one to decide this.
Since this was only a small selection of what Costes has to offer, it's hard for me to say with any certainty what I feel about the place. Rail later railed about how he had never had more "we are cooking!" or "I'm a chef!"-style food in Budapest, meaning it all seemed a bit heavy-handed. I'd add to this by saying that the entire experience of eating food like this seems a little dated. As Rail put it "cheap is the new expensive." Still, it was better than I expected, and, at least in tasting menu "A" form, less pricey than I feared. Certainly if you are doing Budapest on $1,000 a day it's worth a taste. And if you order what we each had you'll walk out still $900 short of your daily quota.
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nice post! its good to have some restaurant reviews again! :)
i almost totally agree with you, food is great and probably the best in the country, the down side of this place is really the service, snob, arrogant, kind of "i know it all" but with no manners... well, hungarian mentality i suppose... What i dont agree is that the experience is dated, mine wasnt, i think the food looks great, colourfull, modern and tasty. For me, the best Restaurant hungary has ever seen! Keep up your good work and good weekend everybody!
This "new age cuisine" just doesn't cut it for me.
I take a big plate of paprikas krumpli over any snob food. It's sad that most of the great Hungarian restaurants are gone.
I found the food excellent, however the service and atmosphere too
rigid. I would return for the food!
Much ado about nothing. Big white plates, tiny portions, organized in the most unappetizing fashion. I'd rather have a Whopper (with cheese).
@Stan - attaboy Bubba! you really know the way to be Wined And Dined!
Imam Bayildi - one of the best dish names ever - is actually Turkish and translates as "the Imam fainted", apparently overcome with pleasure.
More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_bayildi
I was there a couple of months ago and ordered from the business lunch menu for a much more reasonable 30 euros or so. The meal was mostly excellent, but the vegetable lasagne was a bit over cooked and over seasoned. I would agree that if the ambience was less stiff, the effect would be more sophisticated.
So are you going to tell us how the other 900 euros was spent then?
Costes? I heard they barely keep it alive, driving far west for ingredients with this Euro prices? no wander... Keep struggling on huge deficit, this is costes today and tomorrow. But the food looks just okay (would never pay that much for a restaurant in hungary that's for sure!) --I like the post and really like this site, good work (more credibility then the "others")..for real.
It was eminently enjoyable on my visit. This is not the place I'd visit on a daily basis (not that anyone except likes of the talented Mr. Csányi could afford to), and it is the culinary equivalent of a gated community, but still, you have to hand it to the chefs: they are good at what they are doing. Not everything in life has to be about porokolt, even though that subject is also near and dear to my heart. The formalities, however, are rather overdone; it is a learned pose, not the effortless ease of old money: therefore, it rings false.
@cheflazslo if Costes is loosing money or not its their problem and not yours, at least you have a place in town where you can eat top of the range products and there must be a reason why their products come from abroad... the food looks just ok?! dont tell me the food that you cook at 57 looks better... please... and just to finish, you dont agree in paying high prices to eat properly in hunagry but you travel abroad, somethimes to eat shit and end up spend twice as much... that tells me alot about you...
Eric, congratulations for your site! Keep on going!
Anonymous, Mr. cheflaszlo is a well known troll in the Hungarian culinary scene. You really shouldn't bother with him, totally not worth it.
i know, its only that ignorant people get on my nerves... :)
I'm not the chef from cafe 57 my friend! I know László Csimazia (great, graet chef!) but I'm not him!
BEST IN TOWN? Could be, but isn't at the moment and won't be until a few things are fixed. FOOD : exceptional, showing creativity and intelligence, but the serves are exceptionally small. QPR : chronically over-priced, I would say. SERVICE : the place badly needs a manager able to direct staff and make sure things are in order (we had to prompt several times to have our glasses filled; the wait for our starters was inordinate - the restaurant was only a quarter full; and the waiter clearly didn't know his own wine list). ARROGANT STAFF : didn't experience this, but this place is pretty pretentious (what is with the selective use of white gloves anyway?). This is a very good restaurant which would do even better if a few of the obvious problems were ironed out.
http://www.diningguide.hu/hirek/etterem-informacio-3424
I think the best restaurant in the country by far and paring some of the michelin star I have tried elsewhere. Definitely worth the price (and way cheaper than many other michelin star in western europe). Though I think you shouldn't take the menu - that is too much to eat and you mix all the flavors, get stuffed as a goose and somehow lose it at the end - better to take a starter and a main, with all the different appetisers they are bringing that is largely enough.
Disapointed though on the somelier's knowledge and wine selection (and the price of the wines) and agree with all the comments on the service (one of the waiter with his white gloves was talking to us about how good was a balaton fish soup with goulash and dumplings...feels a bit wrong in this restaurant).
I have heard that the chef has gone back to portugal and a new argentinian chef has arrived..so it may be a different story now (as I wouldn't go there for anything else but the refined and creative cuisine).