InterContinental Budapest was the place to be on June 8 when the riverside hotel pulled out all the stops for its Summer Party. Dozens and dozens of friends and guests were invited for an impressively entertaining evening of great food and drink, folk dancing, hair braiding for the ladies and false-mustache-wearing for the men.
Executive chef Gullner Gergó had the heaviest of responsibilities, being assigned to dip into the shared culinary heritage of Hungary and its surrounding neighbours. Rising to the occasion, he and his team produced veal stew with egg dumplings, beef rib eye filled with egg lecsó, spinach pike perch roulade, catfish paprika with quark “csusza” paste, fat roasted duck paté and liver, and … the list continues for some time.
Veritas Borkereskedés served up wines and Vitéz Körtős produced chimney cakes in traditional or unique versions with Nutella or vanilla cream.
Two different embodiments of horsepower were on display: an open carriage drawn by two real in-the-flesh horses (2hp) and a sleek black Tesha Model S electric limo (422hp) from Fabri limousine service and sightseeing company.
Two styles of mustache were offered, on sticks. There was the Petőfi Sándor mustache, said to embody artistic style, creative skills and the romantic type, and the Rákóczi Ferenc style, apparently representative of an aristocratic vein, leadership skills and a searching for freedom.
For the ladies, Cavalry professional hair service offered regular three-strand braids, fishtail braids, french braids or crown braids.
Folk-costumed dancers leapt and twirled, and a splendid time was had by one and all, indoors and out on the sunny Corso.
