One of the secrets of Stand25, the Michelin Bib Gourmand bistro that has just moved from the Downtown Market to Buda, is that they don’t mess about. No squirty bits on the plate, no green frills, and they don’t stick everything into the thermomixer. Just classic Hungarian dishes with perfect ingredients. They’re not afraid to chuck boned chicken into the soup – and the results might just transport you back to your grandmother’s kitchen.
Buda is flourishing and new places are popping up by the day. One of the city’s most reliable Bib Gourmand restaurants has just moved to the foot of the Buda Castle Tunnel, where a gastronomical void needed to be filled after the departure of Fáma. The Stand25 Bisztró was up to the challenge, and is now a real culinary jewel on this side of the river.
The reason for the venue change was not only the growing demand here, but more importantly, the lack of space at the previous location. Although that downtown locale on Hold utca was cosy and friendly, its narrow space prevented Stand25 from serving a larger crowd or expanding their menu.
Having moved to Attila út, they can now serve 60 people at a time, while also allowing smaller groups to relax on the gallery. The kitchen has remained largely the same, with the addition of essential Stand25 features such as a neon display and cartoons about the staff.
The interior design looks just right for a restaurant of this kind. The comfy leather chairs, the industrial lamps and the pastel colours, combined with spotted, retro-style flooring, wooden wainscoting and plants, create a vibe reminiscent of the Socialist era under Kádár. Stepping inside, you find a comfortable homely atmosphere amid light elegance.
Now for the nitty-gritty: the best components from Hold utca, like the lunch menu, the goulash soup, the rakottkrumpli (‘layered potatoes’ with sausage and sour cream) and the somlói galuska sponge cake can be found here as well, with an extended list of options and longer opening hours. As this is a bistro, the range still isn’t huge but just enough to make you scratch your head a little while trying to choose.
À la carte are Stand25 classics and sundry additions. The lunch menu can either consist of two courses (4,500 HUF) or three (5,400 HUF), but on the board will be six or seven other options. While the menu changes every two or three weeks, the chalked-up suggestions are gone once the last dish flies out of the kitchen. For dinner, you can order a four-course menu for 15,000 HUF.
Even the most finickity would find it hard to complain about the food here. We began our Stand25 journey with the duck foie gras (5,500 HUF) – this well portioned slab came with a buttery sweet bread, some quince and a glass of Tokaji Aszú. The duck liver had a rustic, creamy texture; the bread was soft and sweet, while the quince and the wine balanced out the flavours.
Our second starter was an item from the lunch menu. It included fresh, crunchy lettuce, croutons, the renowned Balaton cheese and a creamy boiled egg. The chicken-leg version of this meal is included in the Stand25 classics (2,900 HUF), and is a light, Caesar-salad type dish. How they managed to create a salad with a taste that takes you right back to your childhood is a mystery. But the simple romaine lettuce, the croutons, the creamy egg and sauce create the taste of nostalgia, teleporting you to family Easters long ago.
The fish soup (2,990 HUF) was also put to the test on our visit, and it’s still just as good as it was at the previous location.
Although not everyone is keen on fish soup, we couldn’t resist this clear, flavourful, slightly spicy stew. The soup was on the menu board so it’s not part of the permanent options, but it’s good to look out for, especially because of the value-for-money ratio.
We also couldn’t get enough of the layered potatoes (2,990 HUF) here. The only question was, if this classic dish can be prepared in such a simple way with these results, why would anybody use different methods? This hot, juicy dish arrived in a ceramic bowl framed with stripes of cream, a pleasure to behold.
The black pudding with potatoes and apple-horseradish (3,500 HUF) came with a surprise, as it was sliced instead of its usual form. Swabian cuisine is no stranger to a roast black-pudding filling, which is why we all secretly love it the most when it sticks to the sides of the pan. Here you can indulge with no shame.
If you remember that scene from the animated movie Ratatouille, when the mean food critic tastes the final dish and is so blown away, he is transported back to his grandmother’s kitchen – that’s how we felt here, especially after the Bereg chicken stew (3,900 HUF). It came with soft noodles and a cucumber salad, and they even left the bones in, a bold move not many would dare to make. They provide a little plate for the bones.
The accompanying cucumber salad and the noodles (which we assume were hand-cut on a board) provide a complex experience only to be found at Stand25. Széll and Szulló always lend a twist to their creations, but you can count on them to serve authentic Hungarian dishes from top-quality ingredients, and at a fair price.
The Somló sponge cake (2,750 HUF) is an old classic, and the pancakes (2,250 HUF) are also worth a try – words would fall short in describing them anyway.
For a little teaser of the pancakes: the perfectly thick dough is filled with a sweet-sour homemade apricot jam or a much sweeter and crunchier hazelnut filling, according to an original recipe using roasted Piedmont hazelnuts.
The cottage-cheese dumplings with sour cream foam (1,950 HUF) is a perfect choice for those who prefer slightly less sugary desserts than the two mentioned above. The light dumplings are rolled in roasted breadcrumbs and served with a refreshing strawberry purée.
It was noticeable during the lunch that most of the people walking in were Hungarian. Much as foreigners are welcome here – indeed, it is a great place to bring them – the fact that the Szulló-Széll partnership can attract a domestic crowd says a lot about the cuisine, and the prices.
District I. Attila út 10
Open: Mon-Thur noon-2pm, 6pm-10pm, Fri-Sat noon-3pm, 6pm-10pm. Closed Sun
