Mi casa es su casa – Mexican chef Gerardo Arcos oversees apartment restaurant La Quinta Cecilia - English

Half-Mexican, half-Spanish and of French ancestry, Gerardo Arcos has been living in Budapest for 14 years and claims that by now his heart is Hungarian. He graduated as a psychologist and he's also a musician with a master’s in classical guitar in Seville – but then he fell in love with cooking, Dóra and Budapest.

Chef Gerardo Arcos, known locally for his participation in the Chefparadé communal cooking project, opened exclusive apartment restaurant La Quinta Cecilia in an elegant villa near Heroes’ Square.

Of course, visits are by appointment only, and facilitated by András Tóth and his nephew, Balázs, who greet you at the door. On the first floor, with its huge high ceilings, Gerardo and Dóra await.

Gerardo first takes the lead explaining, in English if required, the philosophy behind his cooking, along with entertaining tales of his life and travels. He trained here as a chef, learning the ways of classic Hungarian cuisine, a Mexican who also prefers heavy metal to the classic flamenco he studied in Seville:

In praise of Hungarian grandmothers

“When talking about their choice of profession, well-known chefs always talk about how the memory of their grandmother cooking in the kitchen, those tastes and smells, influenced and inspired them. Well, that’s not true in my case. I love my grandmother, who turned 102 in July, a great businesswoman and still with all her marbles, but it was best for everyone if she didn’t go into the kitchen. Besides, Latin grandmothers are not like Hungarian ones. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that when I was 15 years old, I began my career in a professional kitchen”.

Mexican food isn’t just about sweetcorn and beans. Just Hungarians don’t only eat lángos, Mexicans stray from burritos and quesadillas. Yet while there is life beyond street food, it also reflects the rich gastronomy of Mexico.

For starters, the sweet potato cream soup with baked paprika and coconut milk is silky and sprinkled with seeds, the king prawn ceviche is refreshingly citrusy, and then the soft peanut sauce perfectly suits the pork tongue.

For the fourth dish, the pulled pork roasted in banana leaves is sweet and citrusy at the same time, with just a hint of sour. The texture of the stripped-meat taco that follows accentuates the homemade, not shop-bought, with a fantastic salsa sauce to accompany.

The chili prawns served as the main course are divine, and the sweet pastry that closes the series with sweet chili sauce is like a harmonious mini-cheese pie.

If you’re also curious about cooking techniques, ingredients or original Mexican recipes, ask Gerardo.

Don’t be surprised when you enter, as the atmosphere and interior of La Quinta Cecilia hardly evoke Mexico. The food itself, however, is very tasty indeed, the experience a cross between home bistro kitchen and upscale street food.