Aszu Restaurant in Budapest, Hungary

On our first night in Budapest, we were taken to Aszú Restaurant by Gabriella Gónusz  and Csilla Jánosi of Wine A’ More Travel. This wine travel agency set up our wine journey through Hungary and a region in Austria. Aszú specializes in Hungarian cuisine that has a modern twist whiles respecting tradition. The wine list heavily relies on the Tokaj wine region in the north eastern part of Hungary. 

We began with a Palinka and a sparkling wine from Tokaj. The Palinka, a distilled spirit, was very aromatic. It had a clear color and intense taste of pears. The mouthfeel was velvety with some alcohol heat. This was paired with a  goose liver appetizer that included goose liver cream, Aszú jelly, grape salad and olive powder. Kathy had a duck liver appetizer that included duck liver on french toast with sorrel and hollandaise sauce. This appetizer was paired with a Furmint sparkling wine. This sparkling wine with many small bubbles and a mousse around the circumference offered a fresh taste. It was crisp and dry as well as palate cleansing.

Fresh fillet of trout from Sziluásuárad, parsley risotto, pak choy, zucchinies and gremolata. I paired this with a dry Furmint from Oremus in the Tokaj region.

For my entrée I had fresh fillet of trout from Sziluásuárad, parsley risotto, pak choy, zucchinies and gremolata. I paired this with a dry Furmint from Oremus in the Tokaj region. The Furmint had a yellow color and an expressive aroma of tropical fruits. The taste reminded me of mangos, pineapple, melons and mineral. The finish was crisp. The wine was refreshing and paired well with the trout.

Kathy enjoyed paprika chicken with túrós galuska (Hungarian cottage cheese dumpling), cottage cheese mousse and cucumbers. This entrée was paired with a red wine. 

We decided to have sweet wines for dessert. I had the Szepsy Édes Szamorodni 2013. The wine had a light gold color and offered dried fruits and honeysuckle. The wine was extremely smooth and full bodied. Although sweet, the sweetness was balanced by its acidity.

Bencés Gyógynövenylikör

Prior to leaving, the wine steward brought out a couple spirits he wanted us to try. I tried the Bencés Gyógynövenylikör. This amber colored spirit had an orange hue. It was crafted with over 50 herbs. The aroma and taste were herbal with some alcohol heat. I thought as I was sipping the spirit, that this would cure many ailments. 

Kathy’s distilled spirit, Bencés Meggylikör/ Benedictine Sour Cherry Liqueur,  was produced using an ancient recipe from the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonbalma. This cherry flavored liquor was made with water, gipsy sour cherry, gipsy sour cherry palinka, sugar and citric acid. Kathy is already wondering if this is available in the US. This distilled spirit had 22% alcohol. It was a very enjoyable way to end our first evening in Budapest.

Cheers,
Terry