After Hungarian chef Tamás Széll earned first prize in last year’s Bocuse d’Or European semifinals, he recently launched his own restaurant in Budapest’s Downtown Market. Stand25 made its debut in recent weeks to great fanfare among local foodies; the bistro is already an important point in Hungary’s gastro-tourism scene, attracting many international visitors. We recommend reserving a table and arriving with an empty stomach. The menu is going to change frequently, but there are some fixed dishes as well, including the potato casserole and what is undoubtedly the city’s best classic goulash.
During last year’s European semifinals for the Bocuse d’Or competition – the “gastronomic Oscars” – held in Budapest, masterful Magyar chef Tamás Széll and his team won top honors. Soon after that victory, rumors started to spread about Tamás and his squad opening their own bistro-style restaurant. Their choice of location could hardly be better: they moved into the 25th stall of the Downtown Market, thus making the trendy bazaar’s already abundant food court even more tempting to visit. Following the Portuguese and Spanish model, the best of the Hungarian gastro scene is slowly but surely gathering on Hold Street.
The location has one drawback so far: the market’s unreasonably short opening hours. Whenever we published an article about the Downtown Market, angry comments started pouring in, since the market’s doors are only open from the morning through the afternoon. We agree that this is a problem, and hope that together with the other catering units, Stand25 will be able to extend the opening hours through dinnertime. Otherwise, our culinary enjoyment is restrained at Stand25 – for example, the restaurant has an impressive wine list, but we usually don’t have the freedom to order a glass of Szepsy Furmint with a trout dish at four in the afternoon on a weekday.
We arrived exactly around this time, and while 4pm is late for lunch and early for dinner, the bistro was packed. Thanks to the smart and youthful design, however, a surprising number of guests fit inside. Normally, we’d expect the service to be rather slow at a time like this, but the first thing we noticed was Stand25’s organized, fast-paced precision. Everyone has their place in the small open kitchen, and while 3-4 people work on dishes at the same time, they seem to cooperate in perfect harmony. This is how professionals work: there’s no sign of disorder, the orders arrive at the counter one after the other, yet the waiters can still spare some time to show kindness.
We sat at a lucky table, with a good view of the kitchen, the display case, and the comic art on the walls of the bistro, illustrating the team’s significant moments. The ordering system is menu-based, so we can order a 2- or 3-course meal for 3,900 and 4,900 forints respectively, with an additional 10% service charge – which is at least how much we’d tip here anyway.
The menu is going to change every one or two weeks, but some emblematic dishes are permanent. One of these is the goulash, which might be widely available in Budapest, but we can still recommend only a few places for eating classic goulash. Now, it feels like we found the winner. Fine meats, harmonious aromas, ribbed celery, and a citrusy undertone characterize the dish, which is reformed just a bit, but not enough to make it “new wave”. The rich soup costs an extra 1,000 forints in addition to the menu price. The pickled onions served with the Mangalica pâté are well worth trying, as well.
For the main course, we tried the huge potato casserole, served in its own pan – in a clean-cut, classic format, with no nonsense like smoked crumbs or sausage foam. Its most exciting parts are the creamy silkiness, the hair-thin potatoes, and the sour cream on top. Additionally, the beetroot salad sprinkled with horseradish complements the dish perfectly. The trout with cabbage and walnuts is a lighter dish, but definitely not boring: the cabbage is crispy, and the fish has an intense taste. This intensity applies to everything, there’s no blandness here.
It would be a shame to skip dessert: the chestnut purée is served as a dessert cup, while the somlói galuska (+1,000 HUF) is not only brilliant with its many textures, chocolates, and creams, but is also served in a large portion – just like every other dish. Stand25 is definitely worth a try; we don’t encounter restaurants with such professionalism very often.
