Ukrán Udvar Budapest
Delights from babusya's courtyard
It’s a shared Eastern European experience that goes beyond the borders of any specific country: you arrive at your grandma’s place, and you are expected to eat. Not nibble away, but EAT: soup, main course, salad and pickles, dessert, and something strong to wash everything down with. You protest feebly, and she gets upset. You will eat everything. Your body is young (irrespective of your age, since you will definitely be younger than her), and craves nutrition. So, you eat away, and regret nothing, because everything is delicious, and you know that you won’t get food like this anywhere else.
Except in Ukrán Udvar you do. The restaurant’s name means Ukrainian courtyard, and the interior is designed as such: the walls are painted to resemble the outside of a Ukrainian village home, with mock windows, wood beams and traditional pottery. The food perfectly matches the surroundings: the classical borsch is a feast, with extra sour cream, fresh rye bread, lard and garlic. I’m totally full after the borsch, but how can I say no to fresh dumplings, with some more sour cream on the side (perhaps time for a shot of Ukrainian horilka here) and then comes dessert, to which in most places I would politely say no, but one does not simply say no to sirniki, sweet cheese patties with jam and whipped cream. I am full to the brim, but happy, and know my grandma would be proud of me. Sometimes that’s all you need in life.
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