UMO restaurant opens a window to the world with its unique barbecue techniques

Co-owners of long-renowned Arany Kaviár, Attila Molnár and his family have joined forces with Colombian R&D chef José Guerrero to open a new restaurant at the foot of Buda Castle: barbecue-inspired UMO.

Accessed through a garden from Ponty utca in Víziváros, by the Danube in Buda, an elegant greenhouse in a beautifully converted former Capuchin monastery houses UMO. On the ground floor of the Monastery Boutique Hotel, the Moné restaurant has been replaced by an international bistro kitchen based on barbecue cuisine and the now popular concept of plate-sharing.

This breaks with the classic appetiser-main course-dessert tradition and offers more moderate prices and portions, leaning towards a communal meal, the food served in the middle of the table so everyone can sample everything together.

Global flavours

“Our food and restaurant are inspired by the grill. We use modern barbecue techniques while showcasing superb ingredients and special flavours from around the world. We dreamed of a completely global cuisine here, so several cultures and several regions meet on the plate,” says owner Attila Molnár.

An example of this multicultural concept is Oh! Padrón (ruffe fish grilled on binchô-tan charcoal, butter coating and padrón peppers, HUF 6,900). The ruffe comes fresh from the Adriatic, accompanied by a sauce (beurre noisette) typical of French cuisine and garnished with baked peppers as in the Spanish tapas dish. This is accompanied by an UMO Paloma cocktail (HUF 2,500) with Mexican overtones, a mezcal base with smoky undertones and grapefruit.

In addition to the usual wine pairings, cocktail accompaniments can be ordered for specific dishes. These were developed by Zoltán Nagy, the notable owner of the Boutiq’Bar.

“When I developed the concept, I envisioned that UMO would open a window to the world, using common ingredients and gastronomic techniques to create an uplifting experience. In addition to the specific flavours, textures, dining ambience, mood and even memorabilia connected to the individual food names and ingredients play an important role in the development of this complex tasting experience. We want to change previous connotations of memory into a new experience, so that we can become the primary point of reference for our guests,” says R&D chef José Guerrero.

We chose the tasting menu (HUF 14,500/person), for which the amuse-bouche was a samosa of Japanese-garden salad (15 select types of leaves with UMO ponzu dressing, citrus and soya Japanese sauce), followed by grilled octopus, freshly chopped tomatoes, onion, coriander, lemon sauce and papadum.

Then come UMO picantón chicken (grilled with citrus and honey), Mexican-style mangalica pork (grilled mangalica pork with a traditional chocolate-and-chili marinade) and Gaudí cauliflower (cauliflower steaks and leeks) served with tacos, tabbouleh, padrón peppers, chocolate-and-chili marinade, yellow and green curry. UMO cheesecake makes for a pleasantly sweet finish.