'Time Travelling Back To 1959' by Peterjon Cresswell

The piano is gone and, now open on Tuesdays, this pretty corner terrace building has shifted district codes, Buda’s internal borders dividing at nearby Batthyány tér, the nearest metro stop. But today’s customer will be served fare reassuringly similar to that of the citizen entering not long after the Hungarian Uprising – and at similarly affordable prices.
 
Dancing, however, is still off the menu.Right in the heart of the area known as Víziváros (Watertown), surrounded by street names (Fisherman, Carp, Goldfish) relating to centuries of riverside activity, the Horgásztanya comprises a traditional wooden interior tacked to a slice of terrace and its 10 green-and-white checked tabletops at right angles to the Danube embankment, the spike of Parliament just visible. 

This is old school Budapest at its best. An experienced, informal waiter swiftly produces an encyclopaedic menu embellished with a classic image of the Chain Bridge, containing a choice of 34 fish dishes, few with a price tag over Ft2,500. 

Advice and recommendations are equally forthcoming – smoked Szilvásváradi trout (Ft1,550), fillet of catfish (Ft2,190) or pike-perch (Ft2,350) would be reliable choices. 

Three dozen meat dishes feature favorites from around Hungary – beef tenderloin Budapest style in ragu sauce, deer Tokaj style – while the crispy roast duck in apple with mashed potatoes (Ft1,650) would be irresistible in chillier weather.
Portions are predictably hefty – half sizes for foreigners or children are offered at 60% of listed prices.

First, though, the starters. Fish soups come in several varieties and three sizes (carp, catfish, Tisza; cup, pot, bowl) served with a side of spicy pepper mix and three spicy peppers – Hungary on a plate. 

The sturdy, flavorsome, tomato-y broth begs to be dunked with bread; a basket of sliced, crusty kenyér will have been duly placed alongside your steaming entry. 

You’ll need your knife and fork for the hunk of fish floating in the middle, and a toothpick for the bones – freshwater fish favor the patient. The most substantial serving makes for a main dish in itself.

Presented properly

The Horgásztanya is also the last of a dying breed of locals where gulyás (Ft990) is prepared and presented properly. Nine salads include a shopska (Ft890), described as ‘Bulgarian’ – long-term regulars would remember a time when Bulgaria supplied Budapest with market gardeners. 

Dining à deux, the freshwater fish platter for two (Ft4,150) is a winner, a pile of pike-perch, carp, catfish and sterlet in deliciously crisp breadcrumbs, perched on the accompaniment of your choice. The boiled potatoes are the perfect consistency, moist on the inside, slightly flinty on the outside, buttery and sprinkled with parsley.

Your waiter will run through the brief selection of wines to go with your catch – the Riesling will be chilled and quaffable. Draft beers comprise a standard pils at cheaper-than-bar prices (Ft440/230), a dark Borostyán and a Belgian wheat variety, the rarely found Blanche d’Ardenne. 

Its compatriot Belle Vue numbers among a handful of global labels available by the bottle, along with Bavarian Erdinger and Mexican Coronita. Our Sputnik-era guest would never have known such riches. He would have been at home with pálinka but dazzled at today’s choice (Ft700-900), Szatmári plum and Szabolcsi apple for starters. 

In keeping with long-term tradition, payment is cash only, a small price to pay for a bellyful of such homely satisfaction. Head chefs Zsolt Gárdos and Ferenc Ölvedi can be justifiably proud of their labor. This is the Hungary of lazy riverbanks and long summers, a stroll from Budapest’s city milestone and a Danube-width from Parliament. Long may it serve, for five decades and more.

Horgásztanya,
Buda, I
Fö utca
Tel: 212 3780
Open 11am-midnight daily.

Atmosphere: ****
Quality of food: ****
Service: ****
Value for money: ****"

Source: Budapest Sun