Spoon The Boat

This restaurant in Budapest is actually a boat though it does not go anywhere, it is still on the water with a fantastic view of the Royal Palace across the Danube River. I had our hotel make the reservations for us. We got there and the maitre'd was expecting us and led us to a great table by the window. It was early enough to see the details of the Palace and the boats going by.

The menu looked very interesting. No matter what, we were determined to order the Hungarian Goulash which was absolutely delicious. The meat was so tender and the vegetables were simmered to perfection. Raymond also ordered the Goose Liver Pate with apples. I had a taste of that and liked it a lot. Since I got the goulash I did not want to order anything else before my entree. Something very different caught my eye; Veal Paprika with cottage cheese-dill pie. The veal had a rich flavor and the cottage cheese pie was crunchy outside and soft yet firm inside. The sauce was wonderful. Raymond had the Rack of Lamb and Smoked Beef Tongue with malt pearl barley. He loved his lamb. I tried the beef tongue; very good and it tasted and reminded me of a good hot dog. Alma ordered the Angus Beef Steak with fried Jerusalem artichoke, butter bean puree and bacon jam. Though the steak was not super tender, she still liked the taste and flavor. FYI, she ordered the steak well done.

The wine Raymond ordered was a 2009 Cuvee Carissimae, a product of Hungary. It was a very smooth wine and we enjoyed it tremendously; by we, I mean Raymond and I since Alma does not drink.

Our waiter Zsolt was an aspiring comedian. When we asked him the name of the palace across the Danube, his response was " my house". He kept making jokes on whether to pour more wine for Raymond or should he pour the rest in my glass.

For dessert, Alma ordered the Chocolate Mille Feuille. It didn't look anything like a Napoleon, in fact in looked and tasted like a moist brownie with meringue on top. Good but not great. Raymond and I had the Ice Cream Trio; bergamot, hazelnut, and a chocolate grand marinier. I enjoyed the refreshing finale to our typical Hungarian cuisine.

As we enjoyed our desserts we enjoyed the majestic sunset against the Danube. What more could we ask for. The manager Nemeth Gergely, Greg for short came to our table to make sure we enjoyed everything. He gave us a little lecture on the history of the Hungary. He too had a sense of humor telling us the palace across belonged to his parents.

I highly recommend this restaurant, not just for the fantastic view but for the great food and service.