Food for the soul II : Budapest

Budapest, Hungary, our last stop on our 8-day post exams budget tour, was everything and had everything. Its sights were amazing: Pest especially, with its vibrant culture and where old meets new. What I loved most, was not its food, but the very fact that you'd be on a rather dodgy street one moment and yet with a right turn, end up right in front of an ultra cool, glitzy art gallery opening complete with state of the art sound system playing smooth world music, enveloping the 2-storey open-concept contemporary gallery and separating it from its shoddy surroundings. Its open-aired baths were also an experience not to be missed - from embarrassing moments in the changing room (am definitely not used to that much nudity in one day) to soaking up thermal waters in a pool of retirees wearing their surgical scars showed that in this resort-like public complex, body sizes;age;ugly scars do not matter. Okay, maybe body sizes did matter, but I try to get by through denial.

Having heard a lot about the Central Market in Budapest, I badgered my travel buddies into a trip there. But expectations fell flat. Borough Market, London seemed to trump it at all levels. While I did get to try the Hungarian apple strudel, the huge complex was not so much a food market but rather a vegetable market. :( cool, but nothing different.































Lunch was at Gerloczy Kavehaz, this quaint cafe in the middle of a hidden downtown area. Apart from very reasonable prices, impeccable service, the food was also superb. Which really proves that good food does not always come with a crazy price tag. It was also here that we met fellow (almost) Singaporeans. The 4 expats asked if we were from Singapore (darn the unmistakable accent) and told us happily that 'we're from there too'. Interesting. Okay, back to food. I ordered a set lunch which cost me about 9 quid after conversion - Fried mushrooms in breadcrumbs with rice for starters, and grilled fillet mignon with pork. (dessert was so-so) Cheng had the same starter but opted for spicy sausage and creamy potatoes. Jia and Tan had local specials which all turned out really good.




















































































































On the last day, Jia and I explored Budapest on our own after the boys left for London. Finding our way to the thermal baths, loads of walking and ending the day with a slice of heaven each from Gerbeaud's (i swear we took pictures, but i can't find them now) was great fun and fact that we girls can survive without the boys' map reading skills (Cheng not included).