Miklós Ybl, of Opera House fame, planned the Várkert Kiosk to stand alongside his magnificent Várkert Bazár. In this neo-Renaissance building, the pumping systems and boilers were cleverly hidden, with an apartment for the engineer above and a café in the northern part of the building. Machines in the main body pumped water of sufficient quality and quantity into the Castle.

Of course, this function became obsolete over time, so at the beginning of the last century, the Kiosk housed a café, restaurant and a parlour for card games. In the 1990s, the Várkert Casino was served by a high-quality kitchen.

Cuisine is therefore familiar ground for this historic building which, after a recent refurbishment, became a venue and exhibition space for the Ybl Buda Creative House, a maze embellished with contemporary design. Its transformation into a restaurant took six months and FELIX has recently been unveiled to the general public.

So, what can this bar/restaurant (and soon terrace) offer the neighbourhood, tourists, gourmets? Elegance, first of all, of course. No, guests do not need to come in mink – upon our visit, a cigar-smoking gentleman was in jeans. However, both the old and the new contrast and the style of hospitality, and as it later turned out, the expensive ingredients cater to high-class guests.

FELIX is a businessman with an elegant, top-class car, drinks Japanese whisky and dines on lobster, but he is happy to visit his grandparents in the country at the weekend to tuck into paprika chicken for Sunday dinner.

The restaurant consists of three elements in winter, the interior, the exterior and a loggia semi-enclosed by glass. In summer, a terrace opens. The interior adjoins the exhibition area: high ceilings with accented lighting and an elegant bar. Outside, the glassed-in space is airy and open, especially popular in the morning when you can see city waking up, and in the evening, when the stunning panoramic view spreads out before you. Close by are Buda Castle, Várkert Bazár and the Chain Bridge.

FELIX rises early, you can have breakfast from 07.30am. As well as contemporary international favourites, it offers classics, too. You can opt for an acai bowl (1,890 HUF) or French toast with sour cream and ajvar (1,990 HUF). Avocado toast (2,590 HUF), Eggs Benedict (1,990 HUF), pastries from the best bakers in Budapest, porridge (1,790 HUF) and bagels (from HUF 1,990) can also be found on the morning menu.

In fact, if you want to start the day the Asian way, you can order the house ramen in the morning. Tea from nearby Zhao Zhou, cold pressed fruit juice and a smoothie may accompany. The acai bowl was full of fruit and the salmon bagel was rich in cream cheese and came with vegetables.

The main menu is based on carefully selected and expensive ingredients, the kitchen headed by Árpád Kovács, known for his work at Pierrot, Vár: a Speiz and La Perle Noire. András Berényi played an important role in developing the gastronomic concept, András Ódor the cocktails. The ideas man was Máté Pintér, whom this city can thank for so many restaurants.

Interestingly, FELIX is really fish- and-meat-oriented and isn’t looking to compromise, even as far as eschewing the go local approach, not seeking to source exclusively within Hungary. Of course, if the quality of the domestic ingredients is good, they will be happy to work with it, for example, Nádudvar beef or lamb. Oysters come from Brittany, Wagyu beef from Japan and flank steak from Australia.

The menu clearly shows that they have followed world trends from Osaka to Dubai. Flicking through the menu reveals a surprising number of items, offered at the same time, rare these days. This includes appetisers, salads, soups, lots of fish, grilled meat, a range of garnishes and sauces, as well as house favourites, desserts and platters.

From the appetisers, we chose the goose liver with yuzu ponzu (4,900 HUF). We also tasted spicy lobster bisque with shrimp dumplings (2,900 HUF) and an impeccable selection of hams (3,900 HUF) including abruzzo, Serrano and Iberian Cebo.

The Kamchatka crab (9,900 HUF) rested on a bed of aioli, served with green apple and daikon radish, and was given special treatment, cooled with dry ice as a kind of production at our table. (Whether aioli was a good match for the special sweet taste of the crab is another matter.)

The garnish was fantastic, particularly where the grilled dishes were concerned: grated sweet potatoes, nuts, cooked beets in yoghurt and warm baked corn salad stood out in particular. The favourite was the French rack of lamb (7,900 HUF).

The soft, well prepared lamb would go well with any garnish. The Australian flank steak (9,900 HUF) was delicious but the speciality was the lobster (18,900 HUF) with miso butter. A dish fit for a gentleman.

The meal receives a witty finale with the golden dumpling platter for two (2,690 HUF), vanilla wafers, salty caramel ice cream and pecans. Soft, warming nostalgia allows you to indulge in relaxing contemplation.

They have an excellent selection of wines, which already numbers 320 items. Cocktails are also an important foundation and one to be developed as the terrace opens for summer.

FELIX Kitchen & Bar District I. Ybl Miklós tér 9

Open: Daily 7.30am-midnight