Budapest 2016 - St Andrea Wine & Gourmet Bar

St Andrea Wine & Gourmet Bar is a modern restaurant operated by a Hungarian winery. The restaurant has a nice modern decor which is quite eclectic and artistic -  the the ceiling decorated with suspended raw timber is a nice touch. As we had quite a large group - we were seated in a private room that is quite beautifully appointed.

The service of this restaurant is exceptional. Our whole table of 16 was served by 1 main waiter with some help from a couple of other service staff. He managed to bring out all our dishes, served everyone gracefully, filled our glasses, kept us entertained and the whole time without breaking a sweat. On top of that he looked like Jason Statharn so you can imagine the ladies on the table.

We opted on a Prix Fixe lunch with 3 courses. An amouse bouche was served at the start - it consisted of a box of pebbles. You had to find the gems among the pebbles - which was quite fun.

There was a 2nd amuse bouche - a small meringue cookie with a savoury filling.

The Cold Appetizer was a Sea Trout with Rhubard and Fennel. It was a simple dish - nicely presented. The trout was lightly smoked and cured.

The Hot Appetizer was Duck Liver, Pearl Barley and Mushrooms. This was really good - a generous slab of duck liver, the fattiness cut through by the tangy pearl barley with the mushrooms providing an additional earthy note.

Main Course was Water Buffalo, Asparagus and Piemont Peanuts. The water buffalo was surprisingy tender and flavourful.

Dessert was White Chocolate Pannacotta, Strawberries and Elder Flower Syrup. A nice pannacotta - but the syrup did not really add much to the dish.

The lunch at St Andrea was really enjoyable. The food was beautifully cooked and presented - and most importantly delicious - especially the duck liver appetizer. The service was exceptional. Highly recommended if you are in Budapest.