BRKLYN is one of the new party places in the Jewish Quarter. It clearly distinguishes itself from the surrounding ruin pubs by its chic, trendy design and slightly higher prices. However, you can do more than only party at the Gozsdu udvar bar, which recently opened its new restaurant, The Market, led by the chef of the famous New York Café’s Salon Étterem, András Wolf.
This is not a coincidence, as the Café, BRKLYN and The Market are all owned by the Italian Boscolo hotel group. However, while the most renowned and most beautiful café in Budapest represents tradition and baroque glamour, The Market is a homage to the lively, colourful New York market halls.
Where else would you be closer to the roots of gastronomy than at a market, where you can see where the food comes from and how it is processed? This is the philosophy that The Market would like to represent.
While BRKLYN reminds us of the former industry halls in the gentrified New York workers’ districts, which have long been transformed into trendy clubs and bars, the walls at The Market restaurant are just like the meat shops and rustic farmers’ markets, decorated with white tiles and wooden boxes full of vegetables.
The image is dominated by wood, dark tones, deep-hanging industrial lamps and a huge disco ball. You can see portraits of famous New York citizens all around the walls, such as Woody Allen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jimmy Fallon and Eddie Murphy.
BBQ as far as your eyes can see
The menu also draws inspiration from overseas: barbeque is the main motive. The US-American speciality, which requires a lengthy preparation process, is the base ingredient for many versatile new creations.
For example, there is the Thai-BBQ soup or the BBQ salad, which is served with an abundance of bacon, mango and nuts. Chef Wolf is not only a huge fan of baking by hot smoke, he is also happy to get a chance, as he tells us, to be able to let his creativity roam free far from the salons of fine-dining cuisine.
A special feature is that The Market does not prepare its meat on its own BBQ grill in its own kitchen – they do not have enough space for that – so they get it delivered from experienced professional grillers in Tahitótfalu.
“We take this BBQ meat, which is already excellent in itself, and we combine it with other great products coming from local producers,” Wolf explains the concept. “As a result we get a dish that promises a unique taste experience.”
The chef is especially proud of the cattle ham baked in butter, which is served with a large portion of gourmet mustard, a salad and a poached egg. The coarsely grated horseradish gives this dish a special sharp note.
Further, the chef advises diners to try the Market Burger, containing pork slowly grilled in the BBQ oven instead of the traditional meat patty. This type of meat is also called “pulled pork” due to the loose fibre structure it acquires during the slow cooking.
The “Holy Trinity” of barbecue is composed of this pulled pork, together with spare ribs and beef brisket, which are all on the menu, of course.
Every Thursday is a BBQ Thursday at The Market, when a fresh meat delivery arrives from Tahitótfalu and the team in the kitchen celebrates its arrival with a special menu that is only offered on that day.
Evaluation
If you are looking for a restaurant where you can feel good, spend some time with your friends and even have a hearty meal, The Market is the place. However, it’s not recommended when you are on a diet, since the large portions rich in meat and partly refined with butter and other calorie-laden delicacies, are not really meant for losing weight.
Vegetarians will also quickly learn that they are not the main target audience, although you can put together a full vegetarian menu from the offering if you are ready to make some compromises.
However, The Market is a must for all those people who love BBQ and would like to be in a party mood already by dinner on a Friday or Saturday evening. One great advantage: after the meal you can immediately burn the consumed calories on BRKLYN’s dance floor.
The Market
48 Kazinczy utca, District VII
Open Wednesdays 5pm-4am,
Thursdays to Saturdays 5pm-5am
Reservations at (+36) 30 945-8058
See www.themarket.hu
Prices
Appetisers and soups: HUF 1240-3540
Main dishes: HUF 2840-4500
Desserts: HUF 1040-1240
Cocktails: HUF 1440-1640