Hungary in London at Turul Project
Did you know that London is known as the second largest Hungarian city – after Budapest – with more than 200,000 Hungarians living in the capital?
And yet, despite this excellent pub quiz fact (you’re welcome) you can count on one hand the restaurants dedicated to traditional Hungarian grub.
There is a terrible old joke about the food being so bad in Budapest that I left Hungary, but it can’t be all goulash and boiled cabbage making this eastern European cuisine so unpopular can it?
After travelling from south west to north east London on a steamy summer night, I can happily confirm that there is a whole lot more to it than overcooked stews and soggy dumplings.
Following a couple of years of making his name with pop ups and supper clubs, Istvan Ruska has found a permanent home for his restaurant Turul Project in a stunning art deco building outside Turnpike Lane tube.
At first glance the menu has a pretty hefty fine-dining price tag for a casual neighbourhood hang out, but the friendly staff did their best to make it feel like a special occasion, and were happy to chat through the unfamiliar wine list.
With only four starters and three main courses to choose from, the menu is short and sweet which at least takes out the food envy agony I usually subject myself too.
We started with the Takaji Aszu, a feather light goose liver pate, dotted with delicate cubes of sharp jellied green apple and fermented red cabbage, served alongside a flaky brioche. Pate can sometimes be a bit blah but I’ve never had it whipped up into a soft whispy ball which made it extra creamy, and much more special.
The bright green cucumber veloute, poured over smoked trout, dill cream and caviar at the table, is a glorious looking dish and ideal for the middle of a heat wave when nobody ever knows quite what they want to eat.
Perfectly cooked Monkfish Paprikas with a slice of curd cheese lasagne was the star of show.
But I’m afraid the Lecso – a £16 pepper stuffed with pepper traditionally made to use up the end of summer glut of (you guessed it) peppers – was a bit on the bland side although it would have made a good side dish.
The Ludlab torte was another stunningly presented plate, a slice of rich chocolate mousse happily married with a zingy sour cherry sorbet.
The walnut dumpling did not sound particularly tempting, but was in fact more like a crunchy crumble topping while the walnut ice cream was surprisingly sweet and subtle without being overpoweringly walnutty.
Service was smooth and swift and I wish these guys well as their cooking and ambience made for an excellent evening, but watch out for the West End prices!
- To see the full menu or to book, see turulproject.com
- Belle About Town was offered a complimentary meal for the purposes of an honest review. All opinions are the writer’s own and not influenced in any way.
