We've always been pretty suspicious of restaurants in Budapest that try to ape the whole Asian-fusion thing that was so popular out west a few years back. With one or two notable exceptions - Goa is the only one that comes to mind - for some reason it just doesn't seem to work here in Hungary. So we weren't exactly overcome with joy when we ran across the above yesterday morning while strolling down the most tourist-clotted stretch of Pest's Váci utca.

The sign, which promises "Asian taste with European sense," covers a space being renovated at the Mercure Budapest City Center. If that name doesn't ring a bell, until recently it was known as the Hotel Taverna, as in TAVERNA Holding Zrt., a domestic hospitality group whose best-known restaurants are the nearby Mátyás Pince and Százéves, neither of which is known for its culinary inventiveness, to put it very mildly.

Of course, it's never smart to review a restaurant before it's even opened, and we're happy to be pleasantly surprised once this one is. And if it does turn out to be a total flop, that's okay too, because it may finally convince local restaurateurs that Asian-fusion means more than just some Asian-looking interior design accents, some bland Asian-seeming menu items, and an extra 50% on the bill.