A skilled Italian chef found his happy place in Hungary: he started a family here and launched a fusion restaurant this month, where Italian and Spanish gastronomy meet without unnecessary complexities, in a tapas system, with many seafood flavors and Mediterranean ingredients. We were lucky enough to try the characteristic tapas of Tio Felipe, and were pleased to learn that our favorites can be ordered as a full course, as well.
Fabrizio Caldarazzo’s “tio”, that is, “uncle”, is none other than his former neighbor in Amalfi, the Spanish Felipe, who introduced him to Spanish gastronomy. Fabrizio quickly fell in love with tapas, spicy sausages, thin-yet-characteristic hams, and seafood. Naturally, he also loves the flavors of his own nation, and he’s been cooking as a profession for 20 years now. He worked in London, Spain, and Michelin-starred restaurants as a sous-chef, but love brought him to Budapest, and this is where he finally realized a very specific idea: opening a tapas bar with not only Spanish dishes, but also Italian foods and flavors. The ingredients may be mixed within a single dish, like Spanish spices and Italian cheeses.
The interior of Tio Felipe is simple; we shouldn’t expect paintings of bullfighters or Tuscan landscapes on the walls, since the focus is clearly on the food. At the time of our visit, the wine bar was not yet fully developed, but the plans sound promising: we’ll be able to drink wines from either nation, depending on what best matches the dishes.In addition to tasting smaller portions of tapas, we can also order our favorites among these as full dishes. We can choose from cold and hot delicacies: the focaccia is really like what you get in Italy, not like “pizza bread” at all. The menu features delicious hams, as well, such as Bellotaiberico, Serrano, and San Daniele. The salmon tartare is worth tasting, just like the cold gazpacho foam, which could easily become a summer favorite with its interestingly light texture. We also recommend the croquetas, a Spanish type of croquette made exciting with various ingredients – in Tio Felipe, these are ham and green garlic sauce.Although we didn’t taste it, the tripe with chickpeas sounds quite special, just like the pork belly with rosemary white beans. They have some heavier meats as well, such as chorizo with red wine. Among the hot seafood dishes, we definitely recommend the paella, either as tapas or a full dish, but the sizzling crab with garlic and squid ink pasta with salted-pickled caviar won’t disappoint, either.
Partly because Fabrizio’s family has a very sweet tooth, the restaurants boasts a wide range of desserts, too: the limoncello semifreddo (parfait) brings Italian lemon liqueur to a whole new level, while the pear with saffron, meringue and passion fruit mousse can be a new favorite of hardcore sweets fetishists.
We had a great time at Tio Felipe, and are glad that Fabrizio Caldarazzo brought these two popular cuisines together, and thus added a new and very different tapas bar to Budapest’s gastronomical map.
TioFelipe Tapas Bár és Étterem (closed)
Address:
1054 Budapest, 1 Nagysándor József Street
