The concept sounds rather brave and bold: a place where both the menu and the drinks are based on molecular gastronomy. A fusion of a bar and a restaurant, where the only thing we can be sure of is that we are sitting on a chair, and we are eating with a fork. The bubble resting on our spoon could easily be a strong shot, while the powdered sugar dusted on our plate might be fat in a different form. The aim of NANO is to amaze, to show adventurous people the “other”, the things that look like something else.
The two beating hearts of the place are chef Zoltán Huszák and bartender Ferenc Keresztesi; they both have been involved with molecular gastronomy for over a decade. In this world, eating and drinking can’t really be separated from each other. They surface hand-in-hand in every concept and plate, as a hint of alcohol easily swims into a meal, or as cocktails may not necessarily be served in a liquid form.
NANO is located at the former location of Code Zero, which was slightly transformed to make it more casual and to create an open kitchen and a bar. NANO aims to be an evening hotspot, where we can have dinner or cocktails, or both. For the time being, they don’t have à la carte offers, instead they offer two dégustationmenus that change every two or three weeks. A recent selection included one offer with “Hungarian” flavors (five courses for 8,900 HUF), and the chef’s choice (six courses for 12,900 HUF).
We were lucky enough to try the peculiar foods and drinks of NANO. What to expect: plates bearing the most beautiful colors from the Pantone scale from ultraviolet to baby blue, and funny and astounding textures both in the meals and the drinks. This genre is obviously based on experimenting. The menu we tried delivered various exciting, bold, and tasty elements. The pork-cheese lollipop was one of these, for example, just like the bacon sand, the cucumber granita, and the wine veil under the tenderloin. The purple cabbage gazpacho also had breathtaking colors, but in this case, the sight was more spectacular than the flavor. However, as we mentioned before, they will keep experimenting; that’s why they founded NANO, which could easily be considered as a gastronomical laboratory on top of being a restaurant and a bar.
The edible cocktails are really funny, as one doesn’t usually get tipsy on a few bites of… gin. But seriously, NANO joins the cocktail bar scene of Budapest – which is already headed in the right direction – as a real surprise. Our favorite was the Cherry Mojito that arrived with the menu; it was served in a capsule form, it exploded in the mouth, and it was made from a cocoa whiskey shot and jelly. But we also found such items on the cocktail menu as the Pornstar Martini, in which vodka and vanilla prosecco is in unity with caviar, while the chili and cocoa Pina Colada with prawns also has elementary particles.
Since the summer of 2017 the place is no longer operating.
