Good Hungarian food minus the folklore kitsch

Do you know the puli? Not the nickname for the item of wintertime clothing but the Hungarian herding dog. Thanks to its unusual appearance and loyal character, this dog enjoys a cult status in this country. It has lent its name to the restaurant on Andrássy út, where we learned not only that modern ambience and traditional Hungarian food make a good match, but also that truffles and foie gras do not always have to cost a fortune.

When you think about a restaurant specialising in Hungarian cuisine, you generally picture a homely “csárda” with heavy wooden furniture. Add a couple of embroidered cloths decorating the wall and the obligatory Gypsy band, and you have the archetype of the Budapest tourist restaurant.
However, it can be done in a whole different way too: Puli Étterem opened in April 2014 with a contemporary interior and offering specialties such as truffles and foie gras, in addition to the “best of” the Hungarian classic recipes, including paprika chicken and stuffed cabbage rolls.
Andrássy út is known as the city promenade. Here you see and are seen. Puli Étterem offers an excellent opportunity for this: either on the street terrace with its inviting decorations, which is still open despite the cold November weather, or at a seat inside beside the windows.
Through the glass, which reaches up to the ceiling, you can comfortably enjoy the hustle and bustle of the beautiful avenue. The interior space of Puli Étterem feels tidy, bright and pleasantly spacious: It only contains a few modern decorative elements, such as over-dimensioned knives and forks that decorate the grey-painted walls.
Here and there you can also spot a few paprika chains. However everything, starting from the functional but comfortable wooden furniture up to the plain beige paper coasters, seems to call out to the visitor: “Get rid of the unnecessary stuff and only concentrate on the food.”

The menu of the heart

Taking a look at the menu will make the hearts of fans of truffles and foie gras beat faster. Not everyone knows that both of these are common ingredients of the traditional Hungarian cuisine: this is why Hungary is the second largest producer of goose liver, after France. And besides the Périgord, Piemont and Umbrien regions, the Carpathian Basin is also home to some delicious truffles.
Puli Étterem selects a plentiful number of them: roasted duck liver with caramelised chestnuts and homemade bread, cheese-truffles cream with honey, rocket and bread, liver with mashed potatoes and a sauce of Tokay, pasta with foie gras and truffles oil.
You can have some more liver even for dessert: if you dare, you are warmly recommended to try the fried liver bites in a spicy warm bitter chocolate sauce. The combination is a memorable taste experience, even if the idea takes some getting used to. The light Somlói dumplings on the other hand are less adventurous but always a good choice for closing a hearty meal.
It’s not easy to make your pick out of so many mouth-watering alternatives. However, the team at Puli Étterem found a nice way to make decisions easier for the indecisive: employee suggestions are marked with a small heart on the menu.
With or without the heart, the dishes are extremely affordable considering the offered quality. The beef fillet for only HUF 4800 (250 grams) with mashed potatoes with truffles and blue cheese sauce is by far the most expensive dish. However, this dish is one of the most delicious, which gives enough reason to return again and again. The balanced combination from spicy truffles and the smooth, sweet flavour of mashed potatoes is kind of addictive.
Puli Étterem is not a restaurant that you can get to know through a single visit. It takes at least three or four visits to try only the most tempting offers. To make it even more difficult, new dishes are added to the menu according to the season: for instance, it was all about goose on St. Martin’s Day this month.
The casual ambience, friendly service and central location make this restaurant the perfect place to dine before spending a long night in the city. If you work in the city centre, their lunch selection offers an appetiser and a main course à la carte (except for the dishes marked) for HUF 1000.