A co-production created in Budapest by a Chinese hairdresser and a Russian journalist, the couple Ji and Masha, has led to the opening of a bistro specialising in Chinese dumplings right on Nagymező utca in the heart of the city’s theatreland: ZHU & CO.
ZHU & CO is a collaboration between Ji and Masha. Of the two, Masha had been previously involved in gastronomy, taking people on culinary-themed tours alongside her regular duties as a journalist.
They had been kicking around the idea of opening ZHU & CO for a while, certainly after Ji’s parents were forced to retire a while back.
Chinese community in Budapest
“When my parents came to Hungary, they first worked in shoes, but as
there was a lot of competition, they moved to tofu, making it themselves from
soybeans for local restaurants. But a few years ago, a big factory also
appeared here, and my parents simply couldn’t compete. For my parents’ generation
in China, work is their lifeblood, so they don’t feel good if they just sit at
home. We also wanted to help them when we came up with the concept of the
restaurant,” says Ji.
The name of the place, by the way, ZHU & CO means ‘Pig & Friends’, a kindly nickname between the pair but also a reference to the filling food available.
With local Chinese restaurants divided into two groups: authentic ones with two menus, popular with the ethnic community; and cheap Chinese buffets. The couple’s goal was to create a European bistro in terms of interior and furnishings, and genuine Chinese bistro fare on the menu. They opted for jiǎozi, Chinese dumplings.
Pasta or pelmeni?
“Jiǎozi are an authentic Chinese dish that also appeals to European
tastes. There are plenty of single-food bistros in China. Often, the whole
family works in these places, where you can get two or three varieties of the
same types of food. Plus, stuffed pasta can be found in many European cuisines,
just think of Italian ravioli or Russian pelmeni. Not to mention that Ji’s mum
makes heavenly jiǎozi, so the kitchen was the easy part,” says Masha.
Jiǎozi originated in northern China, but are very popular throughout the
country. The dough made from wheat flour is filled with different fillings:
pickled vegetables, vegetables, pork or crab.
We learn from Ji that although
the Chinese traditionally live in large families, family members rarely meet because
of different schedules – which they make up for during the holidays. Jiǎozi is
a typical festive dish, with different types of steaming dumplings.
The menu at ZHU & CO features five types of jiǎozi, with pickled
vegetables and pork, pork and celery, crab, courgettes and egg, as well as glass
noodles, mushrooms and vegetables.
The six-piece ‘Hungry Zhu’ costs 1,250 forints,
the 12-piece selection between 1,950 and 2,250. Both the stuffing and the dough
are made locally. They are put together in a small space, but the kneading and
filling takes place in a glass-walled showcase kitchen, where Ji’s mother and
father, who had not made jiǎozi before, have learned the ropes in recent weeks.
The motto here is, ‘Chinese dumplings as your mum would make them – if she were Chinese’. These are noticeably homemade jiǎozi, expertly prepared according to a well-practised recipe. It’s also worth asking for a salad (890 HUF): the house specialises in pickled kohlrabi with sesame oil, but the cucumber and seaweed options are also fresh and exciting.
As for soups, there are two house varieties on the menu, with six or 12 crab or pork dumplings. The wonton soup comprises pak choy and spring onions, alongside the dumplings, of course. The soup base is also created from homemade if thinner dough than jiǎozin, folded differently, as this technique is just as important in China as it is for Italians.
At their prime spot on Nagymező utca, the owners are looking to the
future. In addition to the small, fixed menu, there will always be a seasonal
novelty – now, for example, meat-and-vegetable flatbread made for Chinese New
Year – and, whenever in-room dining comes back, they not only want to offer Chinese
brunches, but also big communal meals with typical dishes from different
regions, to show what a real Chinese feast is like.
Until then, feel free to enjoy
filling dumplings, refreshing salads and warming soups!
ZHU & CO
District VI. Nagymező utca 66
Current opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm
