A Valencia resident for many years, after having worked in hospitality at Lake Balaton and in Croatia, Csaba Tóth has come back home to Hungary to offer sunny Spanish food at his new outlet near Oktogon. We test La Paella, one of the city’s only eateries offering this typical Valencian favourite, along with other Spanish classics.
After deciding not to open a Hungarian restaurant in Valencia but to come home and try it the other way round, Csaba Tóth spent most of last summer looking for retail space around Budapest. “It was important to have wide windows opening onto the street to make it visible from the outside as we make the paella. I didn't want a room that was too big. Here you can oversee 14-16 people, that’s all I can serve efficiently,” he says.
His place on the Nagykörút really isn’t very big – there will be only a few tables in it, plus a counter where you can have wine, ham and cheese, with no plans for more. At the window stands a wider counter, where the namesake paella is made, in four versions at once.
The floor is covered in Spanish tiles, the walls are dominated by black and red, evoking the world of Almodóvar film posters. The interior is not over-decorated in any way, with wines on one side of the two side walls and three different Spanish hams on the other to emphasise a Spanish way of life.
The menu is not long either: a selection of tortillas, gazpacho, salads, cheeses, olives and hams, with the focus firmly on the aforementioned paella. As Csaba lived in Valencia for more than ten years, classic paella is the main feature, accompanied by three similar rice dishes.
The essence of paella
“Paella was basically food for farmers and everything was included – supposedly even rats during famine. The typical Valencian paella contains snails, rabbit meat and bone-in chicken. We omitted two of these, at least periodically, because Hungarian diners are averse to bone-in chicken and rabbit in general, not to mention snails,” explains Csaba.
The end result remains delicious all the same. There is only one fault: one of the hallmarks of paella, the layer of rice gently baked on the edge of the wide, flat pan, still awaits. But Csaba promises that as soon as guests can sit at a table, there will be browned caramelised rice.
By the way, paella will mainly be worth ordering for several people, in pots for two, four or ten people. We had to wait half an hour for these paella arriving in the pan, but it was made to order and arrives at the table just as if we had been in Spain. Single diners can still order home delivery, the rice dish will arrive separately from a larger, common pan.
Csaba is also keen for people to pop in for a glass of wine and little snack. “We have three different wines, hams and cheeses,” he says. One for each of the three categories of standard, good and premium. There is also a tortilla de patatas (790 HUF), a Spanish potato omelette, Valencian salad (1,390 HUF) and gazpacho (890 HUF). Olives will also be included.
“I can’t wait to cut into this premium Monte Nevado, either,” he says, pointing to the oversized ham hanging above him. This won’t be a tapas bar, but one or two more well-known items might still be on the menu if requested.
In addition to Valencian paella (1,990 HUF), there are also vegan (1,490
HUF), duck (2,190 HUF) and seafood (2,990 HUF) options. This may change, but
four will be the maximum range.
Plans also include a terrace with oleanders,
Mediterranean plants and street music – to make you feel like you’re really in
Valencia.
La Paella
District VII. Erzsébet körút 48
Current opening hours: Tue-Sat 10.30am-9pm
