It may be a little out of the way most days of the week, but an event at the Budapest Sportarena or even the Puskás Ferenc Stadium is a great excuse to stop by the Ypsilon Café, one of the few hospitable establishments in the area. So before last night’s truly awesome Muse gig, we returned to the “Y” to find out what this large, modern and tasteful diner/café could still come up with the goods.
Because the evening was about the music rather than the food, we didn’t go overboard and order steak or shrimps from the large and varied selection. Instead, we plumped for a pre-concert meal of Thai chicken curry with fettucini (Ft 1,950, €8) and the chicken breast with Dijon mustard, Parmesan and grilled vegetables (Ft 2,450, € 10).
As on previous visits, both meals proved great value – those plates are nouvelle cuisine huge without the usual tiny portions – and very tasty. Although the curry sauce was sprinkled with seasoning, curry purists expecting to sweat their way through a spicy treat would be disappointed – as well as being surprised by the pasta side dish. Ignoring the misleading description and conspicuous lack of Thai authenticity, the simplified “fusion” worked surprisingly well and didn’t mask the flavor of the meat as so many curries do.
The other chicken dish was a similar story, although it came much closer to fulfilling its job description. More of a schnitzel with a spirit of adventure, rather than the high-concept culinary mess that often finds its way onto the Budapest diner’s plate. The meat was moist and tender, the crust was soft but not soggy, and the grilled veggies made a welcome – if slightly salty and eggplant-heavy – departure from the usual fries and rice, without threatening to overwhelm the tastebuds.
If only there were more places like this in BP, or more Muse concerts.
