The owners had been building nice and slowly, until confectionery chef Péter Korponai and confectioner Beatrix Borszéki-Ékes opened a shop on Paulay Ede Street. We had already tried their French-style, unmistakably original desserts, so we were really looking forward to this new shop.
We stumbled upon Péter and Bea last year while
writing
a
roundup on sweets. Of course we had heard a lot of great things
about them, but after
a pleasant conversation, and after trying many of their
original desserts
as well as a really good Sacher,
we knew that when their planned shop opened, we were going to be at the opening.
Of the two owners, Péter is a
highly trained confectioner
who studied and learned at places that are acknowledged as among the best by the profession. He considers 2008 to be his most defining
year, when he left everything behind and went to
Belgium . There he
worked in catering at night
while
during the day helping out at a
chocolate shop
that was more than an hour away and for very little pay. But he believes that this was a beneficial investment:
"it was a difficult year, but you have to work for knowledge" Péter
says.
Péter
met Bea at a course and even as a student it was obvious that she wanted to do things differently to most people. And it was clear that they could work together well. She provides the foundation
for the business - she designs the cakes, and the interior of the shop is also the result of her creativity.
Although it was crystal clear that the pair were destined for success, still, they waited for the perfect time to open their own business. Until then, they made cakes for weddings, they did workshops. It's clear that
education
and the desire for
quality are an important
part of their philosophy.
We started by tasting a Rákóczi túrós (a traditional curd dessert). It is a strong start, and its rethought both in form and proportions - the filling has lemon peel and their own jam. This is followed by a plum tart. Almond-flour is used and the pastry is filled with almonds and a specially made plum cream. It has no added sugar.
The mousses provide a taste sensation that is completely new to what you might have considered a dessert before. The one with lemon and white chocolate is delightfully refreshing, and at its centre
there's an explosion of
basil jelly . The flavours find perfect harmony with each other.
The pyramid shaped raspberry mousse has pistachio jelly inside and sits on a crunchy base. As a result of the three different textures it is also an exciting dessert - just like the black-currant version with goats cheese, where a salty and vanilla-like taste melt together.
The
selection
changes regularly, but one thing is for sure: they will not sell Hungarian staples like cream-pastry, chestnut puree or Somlói. But these won't be missed here because there is so much to choose from.
What
this shop offers is
top quality
French
simplicity - with a flair.
