"Római Fürdő: a clash of classes. Once the watering ground of the rich, it's where the bourgeoisie built their stately mansions on quiet, wild-chestnut tree-lined streets in the late 19th century. It's also where the working class housing estates sprung up in the 1960s and '70s.Eyesores, these high-rise blocks – a safe distance from the noble homes – nonetheless provide shelter for the multitudes. And provide throngs of pork-hungry, beer-thirsty proletarians for the numerous working class restaurants, take-away buffets and bars that line the riverside road at Római.
That confluence of class cultures still intersects at Római Fürdő, where you can not only get cheap beer in plastic cups and fatty eats on plastic plates, but also dine in elegance and style on the lazy Danube itself in the Aquamarina Boat Hotel & Restaurant.
Docked at the pier that meets the end of Rozgonyi Piroska utca, Aquamarina is an excellent eatery with a salivation-inducing menu and a view that really can’t be beat. The restaurant is a popular spot for birthday parties and other organized celebrations, so be sure to call ahead and book a table out on the deck overlooking the Danube so that you miss nothing of what this special restaurant has to offer.
Given its location, the restaurant specializes in fish dishes, of course, but it also offers tempting poultry (chicken, goose liver), pork (can’t wait to try the Aquamarina platter for two), beef, lamb, and even a couple of vegetarian pasta dishes, generally ranging in price from around Ft1,500 to Ft2,600. There are several types of Fisherman’s soup, and the fish include catfish, pike and carp.
A bit woozy from the oppressive weekend heat wave, we immediately ordered draft Dreher and got down to the serious business of perusing the menu.
Selecting was not easy, but we decided on a surf and turf option that promised to prove what the Aquamarina was or wasn’t capable of. In spite of the canicular heat, I ordered a big bowl of lamb ragout soup (Ft790).
Served piping hot, with the surface strewn with fresh parsley and tarragon and a generous slice of lemon perched on the side of the bowl, this cream soup was loaded with soft pink meat, carrots, mushrooms and peas. While it sent my body temperature soaring like a solar flare, and had me loosen my tie and unbutton my collar, it also sent into orbit my expectations of what was to come.
We were not disappointed. Artistically served on large, subtle white plates, the surf dish was pike fillet Kárpát style with jasmine rice (Ft2,590), while the turf component of our feast was Argentine steak with forest mushrooms in red wine sauce (Ft2,990). If your mouth is already beginning to water, you have reason.
I don’t think I’d be able to say which was better; we struck pay dirt with both selections. The absolutely boneless fillet of pike (fogas) was broiled just to the point of doneness that experts know how to achieve, and was drenched in a savory dill sauce with tender mushrooms and tiny, awesome cocktail shrimp. Yes, cocktail shrimp. This was a brilliant touch. Matched with the fluffy jasmine rice and a fancy, attractive and tasty dash of salad, this fish was first rate.
But then there’s steak. Argentine steak. Can anything really be better? This steak was not only tender and juicy and all the other things that a good steak should be, but the accompanying red wine sauce with forest mushrooms gave it a character and nobility worthy of the Római bourgeoisie of yesteryear.
“Meat and potatoes” is the expression, and this meat achieved its full expression through the side dishes of cottage fried potatoes (röstike), princess potatoes and some kind of bacon-goop fritter that we never were able to properly identify, but went so well with the other tastes that we decided that ignorance is bliss. The steak was bliss, for sure.
In the mood
Always in the mood for dessert, I followed up this catch of the day with túró gombóc: cottage cheese dumplings drizzled with sour cream and sprinkled with sugar (Ft590). This, my friends, was it. Light to the point of practically floating off the plate, gravity-less, these dumplings nearly had the taste of New York cheesecake.
Perhaps it’s the best I’ve ever had, no offense to my dining partner across the table, who can whip up a pretty mean batch of túró gombóc herself.
With an extensive, but under-control, menu in five languages, delicious food at reasonable prices, polite and prompt service, elegant silverware and plates, cozy rooms and cheerful décor inside, and a view of the river that will make you nostalgic for 19th century Hungarian novelist Jókai’s Danube world of Aranyember (The Man with the Golden Touch), Aquamarina is a great getaway from all that downtown traffic and a wonderful way to extend your summer just one more night.
And if you are still alive after this culinary coup de grace, you can cross the hotel ship’s gangplank and stroll through the crowds of pleasure-seeking proletarians that throng the throbbing riverbank bars.
Aquamarina boat hotel & restaurant
Buda, District III
Boat pier at end of Rozgonyi Piroska utca
Open: noon – 10pm
Tel: 240-8288
Atmosphere: *****
Quality of food: *****
Service: ****
Value for money: ****
Photo by Boglárka Katona"
Source: Budapest Sun
18.09.2008