Onyx Restaurant @ Budapest, Hungary

Cuisine: Hungarian

Map: Onyx Restaurant @ Budapest, Hungary

Price: HUF6,550 per person without alcohol (what I paid for)

Visited: 6 April 2011

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Value for money: 9/10

Services: 8/10

The rising star of Gerbeaud group, Onyx Restaurant, is situated in the heart of Budapest on Vorosmarty Square (pretty close to Kempinski Hotel Corvinus). Onyx is surely one of the best restaurant in Hungary at present. The restaurant is decorated beautifully in rather grand style with mixing of contemporary: 2 fireplaces with large mirror above on left and right, sofa along window seats with small chandeliers while 2 large chandeliers placed in the middle of the room. Lighting with halogen giving soft mood with soft jazzy music as background. The restaurant may look small in the first place but it should hold up to 50 customers comfortably, giving it has large table for more than 10 people within the restaurant. Parking can be tedious but the nearest underground is less than a minute away on foot (Vorosmarty ter). 

Onyx Menu

Onyx Exterior

Onyx Interior

Assorted Breads

We had a chance to visit Onyx during lunch, we hence went for lunch course. We began our course with Saibling Filet with Fresh Spicy Baby Salad, Horseradish - Sour Cream and Smoked Quail Egg. This may look just like raw char that is beautifully decorated. But it tasted really light and refreshing. The smoked quail egg was not like egg at all: feature like texture and creamy scent (8/10).

While Saibling Filet was splendid, Tomato Variations with Caramelized Goat Cheese was also as good. This was a near perfection for simplicity. Cracked sweet caramel on top of smooth goat cheese with sour scent from from tomato: the flavour was just beyond its appearance (8/10).

Saibling Filet with Fresh Spicy Baby Salad

Tomato Variations with Caramelized Goat Cheese

Breast of Veal with Wild Garlic Pesto, Parmesan-Celery Foam and Soft Egg Yolk was one of the main course. This one was surely enjoyable, especially, the invention of super smooth parmesan-celery foam mixing with runny and creamy egg yolk (8/10).

Next was Breast of Guinea Fowl Supreme with Roasted Asparagus and Herb Salad. This was a good dish but rather typical comparing to other dishes. However, asparagus in caramelised sauce was soft as well as breast of guinea fowl (7/10).

Breast of Veal with Wild Garlic Pesto

Breast of Guinea Fowl Supreme

For desserts, we managed to have Somlo Sponge Cake of the 21st Century and Marinated Rhubarb with Lukewarm Milk Rice and Rhubarb Sorbet.
Somlo Sponge Cake of the 21st Century had already stunned me by the name itself. It was a sponge based cake on top with rich ganache like chocolate and whipped cream. This was well presented. However, this may be just very rich chocolate cake to somebody (7/10).
Marinated Rhubarb with Lukewarm Milk Rice and Rhubarb Sorbet had really shocked me. I usually do not like rhubarb but I fell in love with this dessert. The complexity between sweetness and sour from rhubarb and sorbet to combine with creamy rice pudding was amazing. The texture of rhubarb was crisp (9/10). 

Somlo Sponge Cake of the 21st Century

Marinated Rhubarb with Lukewarm Milk Rice and Rhubarb Sorbet

Giving its rather low price for this class of restaurant, I would recommend it to anyone who would visit Budapest. The food is sublime with variety of wine list and beverage, service is great and the decor is stunning. Having earned its first Michelin star in the fourth year of operation, personally, Onyx can do pretty much more than this in the near future. Thus, do give it a visit before the price is up. A return journey for me to this fantastic place is surely a must in the future.

Onyx Restaurant @ Budapest, Hungary

Vörösmarty tér 7-8Budapest 1051Hungary

Open Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 12:00am - 02:00pm for lunch and 06:30pm - 11:00pm for dinner

Tel: +36 (0) 30 508 0622

Web: http://www.onyxrestaurant.hu