The city’s newest “beer bistro” has opened right near the Dohány Street Synagogue, roughly opposite Fausto’s. It's the sibling of PivoBar, which is located on Madách Promenade, but concentrates on premium beers and food to match. We tried it.
As we step into the bistro from the terrace, we are welcomed by a sleek, somewhat industrial interior, but luckily it's not of the brittle, concrete-laden style that some associated with industrial interior design. For example, the beer tap in front of the entrance, which is highlighted by copper coating, is very appealing.
The service is not intrusive but rather attentive, and the staff assists us with the beer selection. After all, it is easy to get lost among the six types of draught and 60 types of bottled beers, especially if we want to pair them with our food. Fortunately, the waiters (as well as the short, witty descriptions under the beer types) help us with our selections.
We start with an English ale, the pleasant John Bull (0.4l, 850 HUF) and the Czech, tongue twister Vyskovske Dzban (0.4l, 790 HUF) before the appetisers arrive. One of the flagships is the fried Aquadelle with bacon-wrapped, spicy, meaty dates, and liver and marrow on toast (1900 HUF). By all means a good start for a beer drinking session.
The foie gras soup with sautéed chanterelles and popcorn (990 HUF) is also a good choice. It is full-bodied, almost like a main dish, maybe even a bit too heavy compared to the other dishes. The “Hortobágy” gray catfish (1990 HUF) is actually a giant ravioli with fish milk sausage, served with a glass of Belgian Hublon Chouffe (0.33l, 1450 HUF) and Orval.
Since we can't get roast pheasant (4900 HUF) almost anywhere else in the city, it will definitely become one of their more popular dishes. In addition, we tried the roastbeef sirloin (4900 HUF). The crunchy, whole-roast pheasant came with a full-bodied Gouden Carolus tripel, while the beef sirloin was paired with a Gouden Carolus classic.
To end we ate some chocolate truffles and an excellent cheesecake. The latter’s base is a caramel biscuit, and the cheesy cream is sweetened just perfectly – almost not at all. It is so good that the place could easily be called Pivo and Cheescake.
Overall, the place awaits us with a brutally good beer selection and matching dishes. There are still some details to polish on the menu, but the young chef is on a very good track. Pivo and More is not a cheap place, but definitely a must-try for refined beer consumers.
