It’s been more than a month since we scoped out Segal, which recently opened in the former District V digs of culinary wonderland Baraka (Note: See updates appended below). Unlike the normal laziness that leaves us sitting on reviews for days or weeks, what kept us from quickly writing up this one was a somewhat off-putting feeling of inevitability. What’s the fun of writing a review of a restaurant that’s so much of a must-go that you really should just say “pick up the damn phone, make a reservation, and go”?
Before getting on to the food – of which, as we’ve said, there will only be a few works – here is the “backstory” of the restaurant. Segal is named for Victor Segal, who for several years was the “co-king” of the Baraka konyha, along with owner David Seboek. At some point Segal got restless and decided to try something new – he’d worked in high-end restaurants in several countries over the years – and the former Baraka was slated to become a more casual pan-Asian bistro. In the end, the pan-Asian concept failed to pan out, and Segal and Seboek teamed up again to turn the old Baraka into the new Segal. (Fans of the cozy old Baraka will be happy to see that it has only had the lightest of makeovers, as the above pic shows.)
As for the food, well, like we said, it’s very, very good. We had dishes from both the nicely-abbreviated “regular” menu as well as the chalkboard, and except for one dessert that rubbed us the wrong way it was one triumph after another. The seared goose liver on a Japanese rice cake with grilled scallions and tamarind sauce (Ft 3,100/€12, above) and another, off-menu libamáj with fresh fruit (below) offered yet two more reasons why we all need to fight back the fois gras prohibitionists.
More striking is the way Victor & Co. are able to execute complex “concept” dishes while not losing sight of the fact that great food can be quite simple. In most Budapest restaurants, a dish like calamari sautéed in pistachio and cilantro pesto with fresh mango (above, Ft 2,800) would be a recipe for over-wrought disaster. Here, it seemed natural. Meanwhile, a star of the night was a plain – but flawlessly-cooked – piece of tuna topped off with the pulp of a perfectly-ripened passion fruit, and sided with a tangle of equally perfect greens (at top of article). Simple, but simply delicious.
So there you have it. At least from our experience, and a few reports from fellow spies, Segal is at or near the top of the Budapest’s restaurant food chain, meaning it goes right on our “Top 33″ list of top Budapest restaurants. And you are almost guaranteed to agree if well-controlled fusion gives you a jolt.
Of course, you will have to pay for this kind of pleasure – we came close to breaking Ft 30,000 for three, with just one bottle of wine – but that’s what it costs anywhere on Earth to eat like this. And put it this way, a month after going, we can still taste it.
UPDATE: As hard as it is to believe, Segal has actually closed.
UPDATE (II): Wonderfully, it has re-opened; check here for the new location and other details.
