Budapest Asian Invasion: Service Charge Burn Nearly Ruins Spicy Fun at HanKukGuan
Here is a technical term we don't get to employ too often when writing about dining in Budapest: fun. The fun factor is dismally low at most local eateries, as the surprises usually come in the unpleasant form of unwarranted charges or Kafkaesque wait-service. In terms of a dining experience, fun comes from novelty, but it has to be backed up by quality cooking. Zuglo's HanKukGuan (follow link for contact details and user feedback), which serves a large and mostly excellent variety of Korean dishes, for the most part, achieves a high fun quotient. Pots of still-boiling soup arrive, the broth thick with red pepper and tofu, an array of banchan (fermented finger-food, to accompany the main course) is shared by all, and a barbeque built into the center of the table is lit for those daring to do the cooking themselves. It is interactive dining at its best.
An authentic hot-pot Korean soup is a searing, almost masochistic experience that can leave one reeking of garlic into the next day. You won't find that at HanKukGuan. Though you can't accuse HanKukGuan of serving mild food, they do tone down the spice some for local palates. Even so, the Kimchi Jiegae soup, made with tofu, pork, and fermented cabbage, was hot enough to warrant a request for a pitcher of water (tap, which the waiter brought without complaint). The Bulgogi ("fire meat," above) is a portion of beef marinated in soy sauce, barbequed in the kitchen, and topped with onion and sesame seeds. It was not as hot as the menu touted, but was tasty all the same. The BiBimBap, the most standard of Korean dishes, a rice dish with fermented red pepper, thinly sliced vegetables and beef, comes adorned with a raw egg that cooks when it is stirred into the rice, was also very good.
The best dish, however, was the appetizer, Hae mul pa jun (third from top), which is a seafood pancake loaded with mussels, squid, and green onion, which you dip in soy sauce. Though not a steal at Ft 2,800 (€12), it is a perfect starter to share around.
The heat of the food, the sweat on the brow, a colorful mosaic of empty plates, and a few Drehers all make for an intoxicating, provocative experience. I was ready to lobby for HanKukGuan's inclusion in the "Top 33" - until the bill arrived. Massively unfun. Not because of the price: for three, the total was just under Ft 14,000, but because the service was included, and written as a charge in Hungarian, though we had spoke in English throughout the meal with the waiter. I think I am more sensitive to this than most, because I dine out so much. It kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and if that is the final flavor, well, it reeks stronger and longer than the garlic of the fine food at HanKukGuan.
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I hate the service charge nonsense as much as anyone (even paying just the real bill, sans service charge, at times if the waiters have been typically snotty or aloof). But can most pieces of automated billing system cope with changing languages? Or was this a hand written bill? Either way, if you aren't happy, you shouldn't pay it. Last thing anyone needs is walking away feeling crappy because someone just decided to laugh in your face while acting all pally.
Hand written - and as good as any eatery is, I just don't go back when this happens. Will also note: I usually tip 15 percent, as is typical in the USA, so it is really self-defeating on their part.
15% was typical until the turn of the millennium. Ever since standard has been 20%, at least from the left coast. It's too bad about this conclusion of this write-up as I've been wanting to go to this place for a long while as Korean BBQ and fried chicken can be fantastic.
One more reason never to return. There is good korean bbq at black beard on dohany, fyi
I think there is cultural problem with the issue of service charge in general. The habit in US is that service charge is kind of voluntary payment based on the perceived quality of the service itself. This is obviously totally in line with overall attitude of employee compensation in US.
However, this is NOT shared by continental Europe at all (and based on a major debate currently in UK relating to the minimum salary vs tips etc it is not clear cut there either). Actually Hungary is THE last country i know in Europe which actually do not include service charge automatically. In (most) other european countries it is by law to be included in the bill, totally independent of the quality of the service. All this is of course in line with european view of work compensation and rights of the employees etc. As a consequence usuall people only round up the bill and that's it.
This however, creates a problem here as most people do not realise that they would need to leave service charge in hungary, if that is actually part of the overall work compensation. As a consequence this tend to lead to bad service in lot of touristic places as the poor customers do not understand to leave a tip and the waiter obviously performs accordingly.
Whatever are the merits of US habits of tipping, i assume that as a member of EU this will inevitably lead to situation that service charge will be automatically included. In some cases that might actually improve service
If they indicate as such on the menu, fine. But most don't. And if by Europe, you mean Western Europe, OK. This, however, has never happened to me in Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Montengro, Slovakia and so on.
Yes, i meant Western Europe, and actually Slovakia it is usually included. And I fully agree, it should be mentioned in menu, obviously.
I think there are merits in both systems, however, in most countries in (western) europe due to legislation, labour unions etc there is little room for flexibility in work compensation (this is in general, not only in restaurants) - the compensation does not dependent on the quality of performance of the work (rightly or wrongly).
Because most tourists coming here are from western europe their normal instinct is NOT to leave service charge but at best round up the nearest sum. Now this is independent whether the service for good or bad! In most (WE) countries is is totally normal to leave NO tip even if you get excellent service. This will obviously lead to unhappy waiters here when they would expect to receive service charge.
Most likely the situation would be paradoxically better if they would include the service charge automatically and base employee assesment and selection on other methods.
Well, the whole restaurant tipping thing is just so random and retarded in general... it's like the (even stupider) "fuel surchage" the airlines now tack on - who would buy an airline ticket WITHOUT the jet fuel to fly the plane. Good service should be considered part of the restaurant experience, and billed no differently than the cost of the food, the rent, or the linens. That said, it is true that in places where people really do live on tips (like New York) the service can be simply amazing...
Cheese
Yeah, I'm pretty sick of this tip added on for crappy service. Especially since the server doesn't get the money. Just ask them. It definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth, particularly after a good meal. I've complained many a time to the manager about it (when they are actually there or willing to see you), but they don't care.
But then again, I just came back from the states. A party of 6 is automatically "taxed" 18% even though there were just 3 adults. An 8-year-old doesn't eat much, a 2-year-old even less, and a 2-month-old nothing. At least the service was good.
Fried green onions at the whistle stop cafe.