Hungary's First 2 Michelin Star Restaurants

"Here, chef-owner duo Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll honour Hungary’s culinary heritage by impressively re-inventing and modernising classics via tasting menus executed with exceptional precision, from a deconstructed Somlói cake to meticulous signatures. One speciality, sterlet fillet with langoustine, cucumber salad, clam sauce, dill and caviar, was attractively assembled and technically exacting: the lightly steamed sterlet was rolled and filled with a langoustine mousse for beautiful texture, while an exceptional clam sauce delivered pronounced shellfish flavour further enhanced by caviar, with the whole dish beautifully balanced by cucumber salad and tart apple. Their take on gulyás (goulash) soup exemplified the approach, with slow-cooked beef that was tender yet firm and deeply meaty in a perfectly smooth, earthy soup with a generous but not overpowering kick of paprika, its richness lifted by an acidic note—preserved lemon for one inspector, charred apple for another—as the chefs refined the dish over time. Vegetables receive equal care, evidenced by a fully vegetarian tasting menu and a signature new-potato course that elevates the humble tuber: a confit potato of remarkable depth supported by a potato butter sauce and ‘mushroom truffle’, finished tableside with a ‘mushroom caviar’ sauce for a dash of theatre. Throughout, service is smooth and highly organised so everything runs like clockwork, and great Hungarian wines complement the superb cooking—a level of excellence echoed by the team’s repeated successes in the Bocuse d’Or." - Andrew Young