August 28th, 2011 » Budapest: Napfényes Étterem

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Two weeks ago during my Budapest trip, we went to a vegan, traditional Hungarian-style restaurant, “Napfényes Étterem“, which was situated in a basement (actually a gorgeous, breathtaking one with calming ambiance). After hearing lots of good reviews on Happy Cow, I was determined to try them since I never had Hungarian food. We approached the friendly brunette, who quickly took our orders, which we had no problems with. I was fortunate to be the first customer because in the later hours after noon, the restaurant appeared nearly booked!

Keep in mind, the dishes are huge. A main dish may feed two if you are not used to “Hungarian-portions.” We started off with two average (not that exceptional) organic Cappuccinos with Dairy-Free Whip Cream (Hungarian: Bio capuccino növényi tejszínhabbal) and shared a main dish: Fried Pancakes Filled with Vegetable Cream served with Mashed Potatoes and Onions {Hungarian Zöldségkrémes rántott palacsinta hagymás burgonyával} (spelt wheat pancakes filled with spicy vegetable cream served with fried, mashed potatoes and savory tomato sauce). It was beyond filling for me, but I enjoyed the crustiness of the vegetable-filled pancakes plus the chilled tomato sauce made the flavours wonderful.

So what’s for dessert? I was truly stuffed and did not have room for that, but I never had curd dumplings, neither vegan nor vegetarian. So I tried Fake Curd Dumplings with Soy Yoghurt {Hungarian Hamis túrógombóc szójajoghurtos öntettel} (balls of millet covered in sweet breadcrumbs served with soy yoghurt and brown sugar). I smelled the sourness in the vegan white yoghurt, but the fake curd dumplings had interesting textures–sort of rice-like pudding in it. Honestly, I couldn’t even finish that dessert with my boyfriend because we were stuffed. It was a huge dessert dish to finish off with. Only approx. $20 for all of them, which wasn’t too bad for a vegan fancy restaurant!

Huge Tip For First-Time Visitors? Bring a friend or two. You definitely need help with finishing up the delicious meals. Arrive at noon when it’s not busy, plus you get more attention.

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August 27th, 2011 » Budapest: Napos Oldal Öko Café Part II

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On my last day in Budapest, we went to Napos Oldal Öko Café for the last time. My addiction for  “vegetable pancakes“, or “Zöldséges palacsinta” in Hungarian has grown rapidly. I got them again with curry-flavoured Israeli couscous and some sweet-and-sour veggie mix (reminded me of Kimchi).

No more pretty photos this time since I packed my camera beauty away. I also had a vegan rhubarb slice (I don’t know what is it, but I believe it’s rhubarb). I hate rhubarbs, but the crust was dry and not too sweet. I guess desserts here in Hungary aren’t that exceptionally sweet.

And don’t forget their fabulous vegan sandwiches because they taste so damn good.

We brought back two vegan sandwiches (hot dog with grilled vegetables and seitan-style, known as Szejtános szendvics). I regretted for not buying more of these because I didn’t know what they would taste like. It’s hard though when you buy things you never taste: you either dislike it or love it more.

I’ve also wrote another post about this cafe (my first visit including the better looking photos). It can be found here.

Budapest: Napos Oldal OkocafeBrookline, MA: Curry HouseBudapest: Vegán Zabtallér Cookie in the Middle of the RoadBudapest: Hummus BÁRBudapest: Napfényes ÉtteremMünchen: Royal Kebabhaus/Vegan Döner

August 27th, 2011 » Budapest: Vegan Dark Chocolate Bar & Strawberry Cream

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I wasn’t pleased with the Hungarian grocery products that did not include “English” ingredients while they were in Hungarian. What’s funny is that they also carry a common grocery store called, “Tesco” (mostly found in UK). I remembered shopping at Tesco in Birmingham UK often, and loved every vegan product they carry.

To make it brief, my honey found a vegan-friendly Hungarian dark chocolate bar with strawberry cream filling, by Bonbonetti Choco Ltd.

Wait, WTF? It’s Vegan and Eatable?

Yes, it’s vegan and the ingredients are included. Oh gosh, the strawberry cream was the bomb. It’s like eating sticky strawberry pudding.

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August 27th, 2011 » Budapest: Hummus BÁR

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This was my first time to try out Budapest Hummus BÁR after my honey’s lusting for Budapest’s falafel and hummus he had in 2007 with his mother on an European trip. The nearby vegetarian Hummus Bar (Kertész utca 39 in the Jewish District) was closed during my 2-day Budapest visit due to some odd kitchen malfunctions, which was unfortunate, so we ended up walking further to the 5th District’s hagyományos HUMMUS BÁR, near Liberty Square (Szabadság tér) and the Basilica (which sorta reminded me of Roma). It’s off Október 6. utca 19. Firstly, we were served small glasses of free lemonade with mint; they were the best, icy beverages during a heat wave.

I had a hummus plate of fresh falafel balls for 1200 HUF (~ $6.50). The hummus was so creamy and lovely. It was the best hummus I ever had so far! I loved the fresh herbs and the olive oil within the hummus. The fresh falafel balls were to die for: the perfect crunchiness–neither soft or crispy–but blooming with herbal-crushed-chickpeas-flavour.

Along with the falafel plate, we tried an Israeli-style laffa with zaatar (a homemade bread topped with traditional Middle-Eastern spice), for 400 HUF (~$2.20 apiece). Mind my ugly flash photo (totally evil in food photography, but I’m using my compact Canon S95 for these pictures).

I had a colossal-sized falafel wrap (only $4.50 apiece) twice in a row and it tasted so good with that bread (only served at 5th District’s Hummus Bar, all hummus bar spots serve different breads). The first time was dreamy good, but the second time was a bit difficult to finish due to the fact that I ate some of the hummus plate.

At the other, smaller “vegetarian” Hummus Bar (V. ker. Alkotmány str. 20), I was the first customer to try the falafel pita (~$2.20, which was cheap and still good). Different pita bread, but the combinations in the pita sandwich tasted lighter than the other hummus bar’s wraps. There were 8 fresh falafel balls in there.

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August 16th, 2011 » Budapest: Vegán Zabtallér Cookie in the Middle of the Road

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A couple of Hungarian bystanders was amused by my photography because I took photos of a vegan cookie I found at Napos Oldal Okocafe, in the middle of the city road plus look at me pretty bright green nails. That cookie was really unique. I can’t even read fucking Hungarian, plus the language was hard to decipher compared to German. It’s hard to describe this cookie, but it does have a hint of coconut fat or cream in it and it had a bit of creaminess in it. The bite was very soft, not that chewy. The cookie reminded me so much of the Anzac cookies I had in Sydney, but these Anzac cookies are crunchier.

I found similar ingredients that may be helpful: Oat flakes 40%, coconut oil* 27%, apple syrup, 100% coconut cream, rice syrup*, rice milk*, lemon peel*, sodium bicarbonate(E500).

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