Set in one corner of Bálna Budapest, the glass-fronted retail and leisure hub by the Danube, multi-functional community space Hygge has just welcomed the arrival of a new outlet: Comfort by Tuning, run by the same team behind the popular Tuning Burger spot near Pest’s bar vortex.
Mornings begin pretty early at Comfort by Tuning, where breakfasts start sizzling from 8am, and are still being served at three in the afternoon. After the last Eggs Benedict has been wolfed down, the grill is fired up and an American-style menu kicks into gear. The concept is simple: the usual quality offered at Tuning Burger is combined with a laid-back, summer experience.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Comfort by Tuning will only run until the first leaves start to fall – when the weather gets cooler, they’ll retreat into the large interior space at Hygge. The interior is planned to be permanent, but due to its large size, it is hoped that it will be able to host other events as well.
As for summer, at the terrace at the northern tip of the Bálna, a spread of tables and sunloungers suggests comfort and convenience. The breakfast and afternoon menus have been conceived with this in mind. Mornings have everything needed for summer, 2020-style: granola, Eggs Benedict, stuffed French toast and crunchy Viennese frankfurter in the spirit of nostalgia, and the English muffins are home-made to go with your Eggs Benny. Those who come here looking forward to Hygge coffee are in luck, because that’s what they'll be served.
The afternoon is all about relaxation, with comfort foods created for summer, and just a hint of Americana: salads, sandwiches, grilled meats, burgers and Tex-Mex dishes. The burger trio (4,990 HUF), burrito and beef mix are recommended – and nod of deference across the Atlantic. Of the three mini-burgers, one is truffle, the other is called Stilton – a meat patty stuffed with cheese – and the third is the latest craze, the smashed burger, where the meat is not placed in a bun but in a dumpling on a plate and fried under pressure, so the result will not be moderately done as usual, but meat cooked right through and more crispy with it.
The pit box beef brisket (2,390 HUF) is the only one on the grill plate that is not made in the house, but in the pit box of Beef Heaven, which has made its way to Bálna. This special guest star makes an entrance – the brisket is very crumbly and decently smoky to provide a real cowboy experience. To reinforce this, you get grilled corn with cheese as a side dish next to the steak potatoes, a nice summery touch as well as substantial.
The fajita burrito (2,990 HUF) is a real heavyweight, actually combining two Tex-Mex dishes, burrito and fajita. The burrito needs little by way of introduction – here they twisted it around by filling the tortilla wrap with traditional fajita ingredients, beans, onions, tricolour peppers, plus cheddar and sirloin strips.
If you’re here in the evening, along with the view of the Buda embankment and aromas of a well-tended grill, a DJ will take care of the atmosphere. With a good beer, a choice of food, a few friends and a deck chair reserved by you arrive, you have the perfect combination for a summer getaway in the city.
Comfort by Tuning
Bálna Budapest
District IX. Fővám tér 11-12
Open: Mon-Fri 8am-10.30pm, Sat-Sun 9am-10.30pm
