Tag: Cafe | Peter O Regan

Cafe5

Posted on August 31, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

Go there, visit it, and see for yourself. For me it is a somewhere in the middle of a nowhere. Kolossy tér, you see, I’m not a fan of, and though there are things which will always tempt me when in the environs, I will never, and could never, recommend this area as an outright party place. Kolossy tér, I mean. It’s all very fabricated…check out Symbol up the street, that raw, mafia-esque, bling bling appeal, type of place, indicative of the decadence as resides within the remnants of this post-communist state (Forget the Puskas Pub appeal. Go Pest side and to the heart of the footballer’s club grounds if you want a sense of the authenticity on that front). The farther East you go in Europe the greater the obvious gap between rich and poor. Note, before you react, how I used the word “obvious”. Just because us in, what people here call, the West have found cynical means of concealing it doesn’t pass us off as saints. Being Irish I’m often left dumbfounded by what all continental Europeans deem as the greatness of England, Britain, the United Kingdom. As far as the bloody colonialist history that is a pan-european involvement (Irish included) goes, Britain remains one of the stalwarts at least in its representation, Queens etc, and this is probably what got the hackles up in the Irish press concerning the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Why other Europeans didn’t seem to take offence…could it be the hankering for the old order?

Jesus, talk about straying from the point! Cafe 5 around Kolossy tér on the Buda side of the city has plenty to offer. It’s a full day cafe, with an alternating lunch menu, a selection of drinks, cocktails, and all, and if I was stuck for a place to sit down in for a while there could be a lot worse. However, in the way of things, if I was looking for atmosphere in the mid-afternoon I would choose any of the Kocsmas nearby, and only then if I had no means of escaping into Pest, or at least away from here. Why? Go and see!

Cafe5

Low risk

Posted on July 14, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

There used to be a Casino here at one time; I know cos I sat on a stone bench opposite one night sipping beer and smoking cigarettes. In fact, I passed it many times when my friend had a flat in the area – the Soho of Budapest, or is it the Westend…Eastend. Now that I think of it, maybe it’s called the Broadway of Budapest. For alliterative purposes at least, this will here apply.

Nowadays it has turned itself into a cafe with the entrance located in the same spot, the windows merely peeled of the tacky white-out employed to allow the casino goers their privacy, or the casino owners theirs! Enough said.

At present the interior is a lot more visible but with its sparse decor it has all the feel of transition, something I didn’t expect from the street. With a mixture of low and high tables, and seating appropriate, everything is rather spacious. A more enterprising – greedy – businessman may have opted for more tables.

On entering, to the left, the short wing, runs four tables in across 2 windows adjacent to the sweet section. Off right the greater length of bar and floor space is set aside. Nestled in the back here is an open area which gives this, coupled with the light fixtures, a back stage feel. This is where the exhibition area is and if this sounds so matter-of-factly, note this.

Almost every bar in Budapest which has any aspirations beyond mere drinking den allots wall space to the greater endeavours in the pursuit of all that is arty. If the arts isn’t your cup of tea don’t be perturbed – the drink tastes the same, and sometimes better. The price impact on the pocket is still much less than in the ex-pat pubs which, in my opinion, do little more than encourage divisions between the locals and the foreigners, except, of course, where express financial status is on display. As an ex-worker in one particular bar I can say that it is odd to see locals with money blending with bousies over on a stag. Perhaps the former imagine this is merely the temperament of the aspirant classes elsewhere. The latter, it is sure, don’t give a _____!

In terms of location this is central and though the real centre is ever elusive as to whether to define it culturally, socially, gastronomically, or otherwise, this is A hub and with that one must note the importance of this cafe come bar come casual food-ery come exhibition spot. On the intersection with Nagymező, with all its splendour, and Mozsár utca, and Andrassy, the sort-of Champs Elysses of Budapest, in close proximity, this certainly is a contender for the place to be…but the competition is rife.

My advice is to find this spot and let its environs carry you beyond all expectations. A review, a guidebook, will tell you nothing as much as the streets themselves, but where time is of the essence then you would do yourself an injustice if you dared not venture into the heart of the sixth district and even perhaps in here.

https://www.facebook.com/MozsarKavezo

Cafe to stay

Posted on July 10, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

“I’ll have a Cafe Latte, please.”

“Large?”

“Naw. Regular.”

(Cork Coffee Roasters, Bridge St. Cork. 8.45 a.m.)

Just off Patrick’s Bridge on Bridge Street this cafe sits at the foot of the famed Patrick’s Hill. At one time the Nissan International Classic* used to feature this (the hill not the cafe) in the Cork stage as a test of calibre for the cyclists who had already been in the saddle half the day. And they made them go up it three times!

The Cork Coffee Roasters, like others, are a group of concerned citizens who take coffee seriously and this is one of those places where one can meet locals and tourists alike in search of the good stuff.

When you hear the initial exclamations from the Italians or French who pop in it’s usually because they’ve seen the enormous bowls – perched on table tops – and thought to think that this was one of those places, like the American chain motif. It can be if one so wishes but it offers more. It offers variety, blends; it sells beans, and ground, and it’s all set in a brick work interior at points plastered over and pictures hung, at others displaying the product on offer.

An original old coffee grinding machine fills the interior immediately opposite the door and while removing this could give a few more seats, the high stools surrounding suffice. It also lends to the cosier feel, people sat to the left and low, while high at the window, street-facing, aswell. A central pole separates somewhat the waiting and self-service area from the rest of the floor though this could be a hindrance. In truth anything here which seems impractical adds to the character, and like a good coffee character is everything!

[No Beamish]

http://www.corkcoffee.com/

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Classic

Viva Cork

Posted on July 3, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

“Do you want a basket of chips, or something?”

(Bodega Bar, Corn Market Street, Cork. 1:28 p.m.)

Serving us well as it did last summer I’m back, alone, and sitting, waiting for a pint, listening to a blend of music and chatter. It is definitely more a place for the aspiring classes – accents on the verge of posh, and people’s demeanours suggesting similar. If I were to make comparisons with Budapest, The Bodega would be to the trendy pub what the Vicarstown* would be to the kocsmas. One difference I’d like to note is that in Ireland old and young blend better and in more locations, be they trendy or not; the super-pub pre-club atmosphere excepted, which is the same everywhere.

The Bodega, itself, is situated on Corn Market Street but the market itself, now face-lifted – probably from local government coffers – tells a tale that goes back hundreds of years. To Corkonians this area is the Coal Quay, pronounced Kay, or Coal Quay Market, alluding as much to a time when the river would come in as far as here. “The Venice of the North” or so some people say, referring to the many waterways which once riddled this city. They still do, mind you, but all beneath asphalt and concrete.

Set in an old stone building, the high ceilings and fine decoration of The Bodega’s interior may be off-putting but with a fine selection of food as well as drink one must remember that this is not just a pub – it’s a fine food establishment. With barbeques on weekends and a full smoking area this is definitely one of the gems. The walls abound with local artistic talent and though it may be above the pockets of the artistic equivalents in Budapest it is the class in which both countries’ artistic elite flourishes. The patrons come aplenty, but abegging, in the gutter! I’ve sometimes accused Budapest and Hungary of artistic snobbery, but nevertheless it seems somewhat more affordable than hereabouts. Folk – now that’s a different story.

Sitting here, 1p.m. –ish, there is a healthy lunchtime crowd with 50% of the floor’s tables full. For a place with a reputation to higher prices this is quite good, and with the turnover lunchtime a steady flow this is no money losing enterprise. You’d hope!

Evenings and weekends do find this place brimming with revellers because it’s then that it forsakes its eatery for full-on pub/club potential. But again this is evening-till-late so come in afternoon time and you can have the best of both worlds. In the back there is a restaurant area which allows one to recline in the intimacy of an evening romantic meal, if that’s one’s wish.

On the whole a spacious environment full of the clatter and bang of a busy establishment. If I were to imagine a comparison I would say the coffee houses of Vienna and Budapest turn of the 20^th century, but with the savoury and beer that gives it its Irish twist.

Lunch menu:

Potato and Leek soup 4.90 euro;

Beef and Mi Daza** stew 10.90euro;

Pan-fried sea bass, crushed baby potatoes, dill and butter 13.50 euro

[Beamish 4.10 euro]

http://www.bodegacork.ie/

*http://thehairyteacher.com/?p=733

**http://thecorknews.ie/articles/its-mi-daza-rave-reviews-bennys-stout-stew-6359

See link below for more on the meaning of ‘Mi Daza’ and other Irish slang words

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/funny-irish-words-and-phrases.html

Keeping it simple

Posted on June 23, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

Bridge side bistro — Trip trap across the bridge

Híd Bistro, Margit Híd, Buda Hídfő:

Opened just over 2 years ago I’ve personally witnessed this establishment’s progress from an oasis in a sea of construction to a flourishing business.

Where it lies, at the foot of Margit’s Bridge, Buda side, sets it off from the traffic that daily passes above.

A tram stop nearby means there is always a movement of people and with a generous outdoor area it must be one of the most promising places to settle back between here and there.

A selection of pastas and pizzas are on offer with the Margherita hitting all the marks and if this is anything to go by then the pizza here is most recommendable.

Perfect pizza outside of Italy! Well you could be pushed and pushed in the right direction you could end up here in Budapest, and this is definitely one to behold. Other places offer pizza and most sin on the side of greasy when it comes to the simple Margherita. Also some more local practitioners tend to the Trappista* cheese, which boasts a history but has been lost to the taste of mass production. Here at Híd Bistro there is still Mozzarella, and this has made all the difference.

*Trappista cheese

Margherita Pizza

‘No name’ cafe*

Posted on June 13, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

On Podmaniczky utca, near the corner with Teréz körút I’m perched facing West to South West as the road runs. I can make out from the street signs yonder that Jókai utca parellels the körút, but I already knew this. I just now, however, decided to write about this: Jókai utca to Jókai tér and Nagymező down farther being more than familiar to me on my late night excursions.

I find myself sitting street side at a cafe which I’ve been to before. The TV plays reruns of matches; I hate that, I always have, especially when the game was boring the first time round.

Cars pass up and down as do trolley buses. The tram runs to my back. I know it. I’ll not take it now. It’s the metro I’ll be needing in less than 5 minutes.

I finish my wine, a white – the only dry they had –, I peep over the shoulder of a man in front catching Zorba’s restaurant in my glance. Those are other stories.

This place, this cafe, has changed from what I knew. My favourite perch just inside the window, where I sat with Andi watching the snow, where I sat alone writing, has been altered. A low table, those knee high abominations, now sits in place of me. The chairs no doubt comfortable do little to lure me. I hate having to bend every time I want to take a drink. Abominations I tell you!!! The bar has also changed though admittedly moving the service entrance away from the front door is a good idea.

I scribble these last few words, pleased to have sat, and perhaps destined to have had the street experience. The rain threatens, the heat cools and I must run before I’m late. Good teaching!

*In all my time I’ve never noticed a name so the directions given here are the best clue to finding it that I can give.

To the beat of a different drum

Posted on June 13, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

This fits into the cosy bracket, perhaps a little too cosy. One could try swinging a cat in here but I’d recommend at least a kitten, and at that a Manx kitten!

Leading in the door one can avail of 3 tables along the wall, for two people really as three would block the passageway. Set high in the far left corner there’s a bench allowing customers the option to sit above the bar, it being at the lower rib level here, a clear view behind the bar and of the workings therein. Up the steps on your immediate left of entry sits another table barely managing to seat two but with stools provided nonetheless. This is a window seat extraordinaire allowing you the feel of the street from within relative comfort. Dob utca, being narrow, it amounts to an ambience rushing to the interior. Upstairs there is further seating but I didn’t dare, it seemed dark and lonely in those ascendant regions.

In truth I was first drawn to this place by a friend who, himself, has become somewhat of a regular, if not resident. Well known among the staff the banter among them flows allowing the place to grow in one’s heart even if the Manx kitten is still not getting much in return. To top it off the bar itself, provides fresh coffee – loyalty card included – and fresh croissants as well as a variety of other pastries and sandwiches. I know I’ll visit this place again and not just for the sit down stand-up comedian or the friendly staff. Those are just the bonuses one learns to take in one’s stride on the road to enlightenment.

http://pertucafe.hu/

When in…

Posted on June 7, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

Café Cream Hattyú and Batthyány corner

A nice nook of a cafe, it has six tables with enough seating for a stretch to 16 maybe 18, with room for 2 more at the bar. In the fine weather it pushes out onto the street and this is possibly its greatest feature. You see the outdoor seating is arranged in the little garden-esque surrounds allowing one the hum of the street but the pleasantness of the shrubbery abounding. About halfway between Moszkva tér and Batthyány tér metro it is in a good location to walk to from either hub and with the castle district perched above it, stairways nearby leading that way, it could be the perfect reprieve, especially when slightly lost but still within striking dsitance of everything.

It’s pokey, especially in the winter, and there’s a tv in constant motion, and a radio playing but these are not the default methinks. The day or mood may lend to silence and blank tv screens.

It’s not to be recommended as a place to serve you off the beaten track, there are plenty more, but it is slightly. Nor is it for the hungry traveller or particularly for the peckish free hour wanderer but it is a place for pause when the opportunity presents itself and if you are someone who finds it difficult to like a place it’s probably not for you, but for everybody else, don’t despair if once you are presented with the choice. A quick coffee and a sample of the flavour is not such a bad thing.

The local bakery

Posted on May 31, 2012 by martinoregan • 0 Comments

Situated at a busy junction, yet separated from the main road by tramlines and a cycle/ footpath*, the Lipóti Pékség (bakery shop), at St John’s Hospital (Szent János Kórház) tram stop, now in its second year is the epitomy of success. Along with rivals Fornetti, they have been carving up the market share of late and while others like Princess still hold prominence at some metro locations one does have to wonder as to for how long more.

The small park adjoining this particular outlet makes it all the more alluring for the early morning commuter and whereas Hungarians are not as inclined as some other Europeans to the early morning coffee trade (many cafes in the centre don’t open till well after nine am), things are changing. A healthy flow of customers passes through here each morning but as to how many stay for a cup of Joe, I cannot say. Now when it comes to buying pastries and such Hungarians are no strangers. Some, in fact, may tell you that Hungarians don’t have the money for such luxuries a cup of coffee but that’s not about to stop their ‘pékség’ intake. Priorities is what it’s about really!

Sitting in the covered outside seating area provided, the flower pots almost encroaching in their splendor and proximity, if one could just for a moment filter out the noise and put their backs to the road, it may be a type of paradise. Perhaps I’m stretching it here but what with a tram-stop that caters for two tramlines, frequently running, and a bus stop with 3 to 4 buses stopping, dropping and picking up, it certainly is a place for the people watchers. As this is a day long process business is never too far off which is apparent by the selection of cakes and sundries now available that weren’t here last year.

It’s also perfectly located 3 stops from the busy hub that is Moszkva ter/ Széll Kálmán tér and on the 61 tram-line to the picturesque suburb of Hűvösvölgy, itself home to the lower terminus of the children’s railway, the upper station situated on the hills in Normafa boasting spectacular views of the city.

http://www.gyermekvasut.hu/english/chrw_home.php

There is a hospital nearby, if that’s your thing, a supermarket, a couple of bars and a park. It is also quite near the cog-wheel train terminus so if its tourism Buda-side you’re after with a break between places you could do worse. The Lipóti Pékség is one of a chain so don’t expect anything different here, but for easy tastes and snacky urges, it serves its purpose well. The coffee on offer is better than any canteen crap but it probably won’t be found listed in this year’s Connoisseur Coffee Magazine

(if there is one…Let’s check! http://www.connoisseurcoffeeco.com/specials.html

No luck but this may be of interest ).

Now if you’re this side of the river to see the castle and you find yourself here you’ve gone too far but before you turn back take it from me…if you’re on holiday relax, the castle’s going nowhere…sit down, enjoy the sights and sounds and if you do decide to hurry back from whence you came why not take the park option, a pathway just off the 59 tram starting point leads under the cog-wheel rail tracks past a sports centre and school and returns you to Moszkva tér through the park.

Whatever you choose you’re never lost if you have a minute to sit down and get your bearings, and why not here!

http://www.lipotipekseg.hu/

*http://thehairyteacher.com/?p=439

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