Brasserie & Atrium, Corinthia Hotel Budapest

Said to be the muse for Wes Anderson’s Golden Globe-winning and Oscar- nominated film ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ the five-star Corinthia Hotel Budapest evokes all the wanderlust of a bygone era.  Dining in the hotel’s ‘Brasserie & Atrium’ is a transcendent experience that doesn’t disappoint.  With its elegant setting, the staff’s impeccable attention to detail and flawless table service, it parallels any haute cuisine restaurant in a European capital.  A menu offering exquisite Hungarian and international cuisine is well-suited for such high-heeled, globe-trotting hotel guests as European glitterati and Hollywood A-listers.

Goose Liver Terrine with dark chocolate and fresh coconut accompanied by a crisp glass of a Tibor Gal white wine rouses the palette and is the first act in a dazzling dining performance put on by Executive Sous Chef, Peter Bolyki.  Part of a bourgeoning food movement in Budapest, Bolyki is one of a new class of avante garde chefs in a city that now boasts four Michelin-starred restaurants and has become a recognized cultural hot spot in Central Europe.  Along with his epicurean counterparts, Bolyki’s menu demonstrates a stride forward into the future whilst not forgetting his country’s complex history.   Author’s note – a short study of Hungary’s tumultuous past (naturally having played a big role in the world wars and a Soviet stronghold behind the Iron Curtain) will bring more understanding to the forward intonation of its modern day cuisine.

Classic dishes such as a Beef Goulash Soup, Pan-Fried Pork Tenderloin with Foie Gras shavings and Grand Marnier sauce or Chicken Paprika with Stuffed Pancake (paprika is commonly associated with Hungarian cuisine … check the endless rows of Paprika vendors at the Great Market Hall) are expressed with an artistic panache.  Equally inventive is the Veal Filet ‘Kedvessy Style’ with seared duck liver and dumplings, a delicacy of which Hungarians are quite fond.

Desserts at the Brasserie & Atrium step further into a direction of decadence with a White Chocolate Coffee Cone with Almond Panna Cotta and a “Concerto” which hints at a connection with the music world. Here the three movements are comprised of a Chocolate Cream, Cocoa Nibs and Jasmine Cassis Sorbet all adorning a delicate Cassis Mousse.  The dessert menu further goes sweet on classical music with its Pommes Marton, famously named after celebrated chamber singer Eva Marton and created exclusively by Todd Rogers, the executive chef of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Houston, Texas. The Corinthia Hotel is the cooperation partner of the GLOBALARTS4PEACE Foundation which promotes young singers.

The pursuit of perfection and the urbane are ideals at the Corinthia and are embodied in the food and hotel at large.  Since its opening in 1896 as the Grand Hotel Royal for the Hungarian Millennium Exhibition, the hotel, which includes the original thermal bath spa, has exemplified grandeur, opulence and comfort.   With its impressive neo-classical architecture, magnificent décor and luxury amenities, Corinthia Hotel Budapest stands out as an unrivaled hotel destination in Europe.  Its gourmet fare is a memorable personification of the romantic and storied setting.