When I arrived in Budapest, I said to my host, “feed me Hungarian,” but of course I didn’t know in the first 24 hours that he was a vegetarian and that if we really wanted to eat out at traditional Hungarian restaurants every night, I’d be the size of a house by the time I left and he wouldn’t be able to eat much on the menu.
While we did take in a number of Hungarian greats during my time there, one night, we ventured to Nobu Budapest, which I know from their New York location, a long time popular favorite among locals.
Nobu Budapest is one of the latest additions to Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s worldwide dining empire, located in the upscale Corvinus Kempinski Hotel close to St. Stephan’s Basilica, the Chain Bridge and the Financial District.
Because of its modern design and the fact that its in the Kempinski, you feel as if you could be in Singapore or Los Angeles and the fact that it is located in Budapest means very little.
In traditional Nobu fashion, there is a ton of sushi and sashimi to choose from but word of warning, the menu isn’t cheap…by Hungarian standards or by American ones. 3 oysters were a wopping 2800 FT and sweet shrimp went for 4,900 FT. Toro Tartar was 4,400 on the menu. We went with an assortment and one of my colleagues actually ordered the Foie Gras with Truffle Yam Potato and Grilled Paprika Den Miso. (note that Paprika is nearly on everything in Hungary; the country is world renown for its yummy Paprika and is sold everywhere).
Now for the sushi:
In addition to light seafood and sushi, you can order more traditional dishes as well such as the Squid Pasta with Light Garlic Sauce, a Grilled Asparagus with Egg Sauce, Snow Crab with Creamy Spicy Sauce, Lobster with Wasabi Pepper Sauce, Alaskan Black Cod Saikyo Miso, Chilean Sea Bass with Black Bean Sauce, Yellowtail Collar with Ginger Ponzu, Ocean Trout with Crispy Baby Spinach and Crispy Pork Belly Butter Lettuce with Spicy Miso.
I was a little disappointed with the wine menu and probably should have ordered Saki or a cocktail because of it. I ended up with the Faustino V. Reserva 2004 (Bodegas Faustino Rioja) followed by the Cuvee 11 Sauska Pinceszet Villany 2007. They did offer wines from Australia, Hungary, California, France, Italy and a dessert wine I couldn’t figure out its origin: the Choya Original Plum Wine (szilvabor).
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
