THE GERLÓCZY CAFÉ PAPER
THE SQUIRRELS OF GUCA - HAVE YOUR OWN BLADE OF GRASS SAVE THE DATE: KAMERMAYER PIKNIK MÁJUS 25. - DERELYE, DÖDÖLLE, DUMPLING!
ANDRÁS TÖRÖK ---->
SPRING INVENTORY APPLIED HUMAN WATCHING’ SOUNDS LIKE A SCIENTIFIC SUBJECT. IT IS MORE LIKE A SPORT THOUGH, CUL-TIVATED BY THOUSANDS IN BUDAPEST TODAY. To do it, there is no more suitable spot than a café terrace in the centre of a medium-sized European city, which we shall now call Kamermayer Károly Square. The day when chairs are put out to this tiny square is when spring in Budapest really begins. It’s not the beginning of the meteorological or the calendar spring, but of the real one. It is a moveable feast, its date is not fixed in the calendar, and its date, unlike that of Easter, cannot be calculated. As a frequenter who lives relatively far, I’m honoured with an alerting letter – I wouldn’t miss the first day for all the treasures of Darius. My usual breakfast arrives without my having to ask for it, I’m scanning the two most popular papers keeping an eye on the peo-ple passing by. Sitting on a terrace, one cultivates the ‘constant position’ variety of human watching, in con-trast to what a researching mind does when wandering around. Casual changes of direction, tailing a fragment of a word, lengthening the strides are all out of the question. One can only sit tight, like Odysseus who asked his mates to tie him to the mast so as not to fall prey to the call of the Sirens. I’m writing this inside the café, between the harp and the street side corner. It is cold and snowing outside. So I can only report on my experiences from last year. That first morning of the spring season opening, I saw the following people. 1 solitary old age pensioner with two full bags, one of them was made of canvas with the cari-cature of a 20th century writer 1 very pretty young mother tottering in way too high-heeled boots with third-grader, over-weight, overdressed daughter 1 urban sociologist-looking, athletic man with high forehead, with oceans of troubles on his face, on bike, still in winter clothes, plaid scarf 1 man with bulging muscles and shaven head, with yellow metal chain on neck and wrists, cooing loving words on mobile phone 2 well-dressed young tourists, gay couple with ordinary jobs, one is pre-coming out, the other is way over it 1 heavily balding taxi driver, leaving his car, which he still owes on, only for a coffee and a crossword puzzle 1 has-been actor who had a nice run on the opera stages of Western Europe 1 recently retired classical philologist, Pindar expert, rushing to her newborn grandson 1 tall, elegant city hall clerk, just a couple of weeks back from maternity leave, not very hap-py about her new position with the big man 3 loud teens, two of them smoking, bitching about somebody, one is named Colos 1 Café co-owner, with a laddish smile, grey, looking like a teddy boy, cursing himself for not noticing the two ‘A’s in the lettering on the salami store have been mixed up 1 ex-banker whose only interests are family and the future of Hungary, he’s trying to make the latter nicer and better taking small steps, right on the terrace of Gerlóczy. Who do you see today my dear partner in human watching?
? GERLÓCZY Guests’Response WHAT IS A GUEST AT GERLÓCZY LIKE? WE ASKED OUR REGULARS, AND WE KEEP ASKING THREE OF THEM FOR EVERY ISSUE, HOPING THAT WE CAN SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHAT MAKES A GERLÓCZY GUEST.
GABI SZABADOS
NÓRA DEMÔK
GYÖRGY ÁCS GOYA VON GERENDÁSI
I take spring very seriously. Winter coats down, colours on, out to the terrace!
I sit on the first terrace that’s already open with a glass of wine, perhaps here in Gerló, and I make plans, watch and feel the city reawakening ... I will need a new pair of sunglasses
I take a deep breath.
If you call any meeting a date, then yes. When I lived close to Gerló, I used to meet the people dearest and most important to me there.
Yes. It’s a permanent, relaxed spot, home ground. And only when it’s really important...
With Doron, but he doesn’t count. (Doron Ritter is a frequenter - eds.)
I’d rather have an inkblot :) I’m sorry, nothing comes to mind.
Bunny ears!
Muffi. (Pussy - eds.)
Yes, Lady Garcia, whom I got from my fiancé for Christmas. Garcia is a shelter dog, and I hope she will be as much of a fan of ‘Gerló’ as her predecessor, Márkez was.
There is a rabbit. Sometimes a found dog rents a room, but they always get home.
I have horses, on paintings.
Which bridge do you prefer to cross Budapest? Why?
The Chain Bridge. My parents live under the Castle, so the Chain Bridge is the easiest way to them and the family atmosphere.
The Chain Bridge. Budapest shows one of its best faces from this bridge. By the time I cross it, my thoughts are smoothed out, and the light is always different. I even take a detour just to be able to cross the bridge.
The Chain Bridge. Nothing to add, I just like it.
What do you do and what have you been up to lately?
I manage a modelling agency and I sing in the Budapest Academic Choir Society.
As marketing executive at BORIGO wine magazine, I plan and organize, meet winemakers, and sample and test wines. My goal is to present wines and culture together, creatively. Culture is everything that surrounds us, the meaningful instead of the pointless, a combination of quality form and content. Last year in Italy I got a taste of international wine contests; I realized that my goal is to travel the world, taste as many wines as possible and find unknown flavours. At the same time, I’d like the individuality and uniqueness of Hungarian wines to be more widely acknowledged. I’m learning to write.
I paint; right now I’m working on this particular painting.
The first thing I do in the spring is...
Have you ever had a date in Gerlóczy?
What’s your take on derelye (dumplings)?
Are there animals at your house?
TERRACE AND HEART OPENING IN GERLÓCZY We dust off the garden chairs, tables and our hearts, and we move out to under the elm tree in March and stay there until November. Because lounging on a terrace is a state of mind. Weather permitting, we go GREEN! We turn into bloom and grow a lawn on the terrace. We listen to the birds chirping, we turn the plants and the world upside down ... Spring is the most beautiful season, so don’t forget to enjoy all its flavours, colours and fragrances!
COME AND HAVE YOUR
OWN BLADE OF GRASS IN GERLÓCZY! Visit our Facebook page for details.
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1
The cute little lamb is silently sleeping on our menu. That’s why only a few know about the story of how it got on the cover. One spring day our graphic designer, Péter Flanek had the idea that we should advertise the recently opened rooms above the café with a sleeping lamb. After a number of phone calls he found a newborn lamb in Üröm. The lamb had never set foot outside the pen before, so the first journey of its life started in an Ikea shopping bag and continued on the passenger seat of a car and ended in the shower of the Flashback photo studio ... For Mr Flanek realized the lamb’s fur wasn’t exactly immaculate, and he didn’t want to trust Photoshop with the dirty work. Cut: Péter, covered in shampoo and stripped to his underpants, is bathing a lamb holding it tight Cut: It took three people one and a half hours to blow-dry the little lamb Cut: Out of 50 expositions – this is the only one when the lamb had its eyes closed. For lamb don’t fall asleep just like that... Cut: open the Gerlóczy menu. ‘It’s so cute!’ a lady cries out on the 102 in the powder-coloured blouse. Summary: a bumpy road leads to the menu.
Good night Budapest, V. Gerlóczy u. 1. T: 501-4000 web: www.gerloczy.hu
Epilogue: I wonder what the lamb thought of the world on its first day outside the pen.
DERELYE ... Derelye, derellye, dedelye, dödöllye, dödölle, pelmenyi or patties. People from afar get hungry by the time they can pronounce it, so let’s call it dumpling. It comes in different shapes and sizes, but its base is always potato dough at ours. It can be sweet or savoury, have it as you please.
SAVOURY: - With ricotta and spinach in tomato sauce - With porcini and thyme butter and pecorino - With meat and letcho sauce - With pumpkin and ginger orange SWEET: - With pear and fruit sauce - With cottage cheese and crème anglaise
GERLÓCZYRecommends: THE MACAROON OF THE SPRING! We baked all the beauty of spring into our homemade STRAWBERRY macaroon. Taste it and fall in love!
PICNIC + RICKSHAW Rent a picnic hamper filled with delicacies from your favourite café, and take a rickshaw ride to Margaret Island. Spend the afternoon on a checkered blanket on the grass under the trees. Play badminton then head back to Gerlóczy by rickshaw. In our opinion, there’s no better „staycation” option this spring. 30 Euro for two. Make a reservation at least a day prior to your picnic on our toll-free number 06 80 102 600.
FRIDGE MAGNET You’ve loved Gerlóczy posters so much that we decided that from now on you can take them home in the shape of fridge magnets. Available from the end of March in the Gift Shop at reception.
25TH MAY, FROM MORNING TILL THE EVENING AT KAMERMAYER SQUARE GASTRO MARKET, KIDS EVENTS, TANGO AND LOUNGING ON THE LAWN
FEBRUARY ’ONE NIGHT STANDS’ IN GERLÓCZY In February every night a lucky dining couple won a complimentary night in the most beautiful room of Gerlóczy, unlimited mini bar consumption and the breakfast in town in the morning. Others didn’t have it too bad either, for we took everyone home by taxi. February is coming back next year, too!
It happened to them:
IT’S COMING!
IT’S COMING!
IT’S COMING! Asparagus dishes every day during the asparagus season.
GO FOR IT!
TAMÁS T.NAGY ---->
THE SQUIRRELS OF GUCA AT THE GUCA TRUMPET FESTIVAL, THE POLICE TAKE THE INSTRUMENT AWAY FROM ANYBODY WHO HASN’T MADE THE FINALS STILL TRUMPETS INTO PEOPLE’S EARS. At the Guca Trumpet Festival, the police take the instrument away from anybody who hasn’t made the finals still trumpets into people’s ears. Belly dancers are taken off the tables, the poles and everywhere they usually strut their stuff, for the law of the Balkan is that there must be a distinction between belly dancers and pole dancers. The guests from far away are left in peace on the top of the trees. They can jump if they feel like it. Some do. The police, the fire department and the rescue service listen to music at the festival (not only there), they share the joy of the common people; anyway, what would be the point of exposing the guards of order to danger? Everybody is in place, everbody knows what to do, that’s the law of the Balkan. The streets of Pest show a different picture. The squirrels are terrified on the trees, afraid of the evacuation. Although they’ve collected the nutshells separately for years, the city managers say there’s not enough money from the grants and applications, so the wind sweeps the nutshells away. The squirrels of Central and Easter Europe held a conference not long ago, that’s why the Gucsians came to Pest to work on possible sustainability scenarios. Well, that was a perfect excuse to have the trumpet players of Gucsa- they entertain the dwellers of the Central Serbian Forest – play for the guests of Gerlóczy while the squirrels clean the nuts. The squirrels got cozy at the conference, the trumpeters torn the eardrums of tourists, but this time there was not a sound of displeasure. The happier half suck money onto the forehead of the trumpeters with their own saliva. Many people tried to flee. The afternoon tea of seniors was cancelled, it was blown away by the wind of the trumpets. Seniors don’t like their tea cold in January. For a few hours the order of society in downtown Budapest was disturbed, but many souls warmed to the sound of music, the wild throbbing roar. It was mentioned in the closing remarks of the conference that being a squirrel can be great wherever there’s plenty of nuts. And that the quiet of the forest is more frightening than its noise, the sound of life. To the emigrated squirrels of Füred I say come home! It is quiet art the shores of Balaton and there’s still some nuts left.
IN RETROSPECT: GUCA On the Serbian New Year’s Eve in January, we bade farewell to the last year and called in the new year with trumpets with BOJAN KRSTIC and the GYPSY TRIK. Guest and neighbours still remember that day fondly... We hope the band will return soon to blow Balkan joy into Gerlóczy. Since they were here, moodiness has evaded us.
TRIPADVISOR 2013 TRAVELER’S CHOICE Gerlóczy Rooms de Lux is on 7th place on TripAdvisor’s 2013 list. Travellers voted the rooms of Gerlóczy the 7th best in the ’Best Service’ category.
GERLÓCZY VERONIKA HARCSA, VERONIKA HARCSA GERLÓCZY
LOOK UP! We would like to draw your attention to the rooms above the café with our new tablecloths. The tablecloths come in various designs, and will be for sale at the reception.
We love Veronika Harcsa, not just her music. So we’re always happy to see her in the café. And when she spends the night after dinner, we’re especially happy..
MARIE CLAIRE PRESENTS:
WHAT IS BEAUTY? Krisztián Nyáry, Péter Závada, Gábor Németh and Krisztián Grecsó discussed female beauty in an early morning in Gerlóczy. The topic is eternal, so we’re looking forward to the next issue of Marie Claire to see what they had to say.
MIKLÓS ON THE BALCONY Our favourite florist takes control over both balconies, so that a lovely little jungle awaits the occupants of our rooms with balconies. We can’t wait to see everything in bloom.
MACKEREL AND SQUID ON THE GRILL IN SPRING! This spring we take the oil barrel out again, and put the mackerel and squid on the charcoal grill. Follow the fragrances of the seashore and you’ll find us with your eyes closed...
PISTI IS ALWAYS ON TIME Check-ins prove that Pisti Oláh is never late for work. Punctual people are hard to find these days. But there’s Pisti!
Storiesfromthebarcabinet ROW TO THE POLE The distillery of herring fishing town Wick, the Old Pulteney has indissoluble bond with the sea. Nothing proves it more than the fresh sea breeze infused barrels stored in the northernmost distillery of the Scottish mainland, so the effects of the salty sea are tangible in flavours of the whisky. In addition, the distillery has supported many maritime enterprises in the past years. The most extraordinary of these has undoubtedly been the Arctic rowing expedition. The goal of the enterprise was to row from the Canadian shores to the Magnetic North Pole to highlight the already dramatic effect of climate change on the ice around the Polar Regions. The mastermind, main organizer and leader of the ’Row to the Pole’ expedition was Jock Wishart, renowned for his extreme adventures: Arctic treks, circumnavigations, and setting new yachting records. The other members of the crew of six were also hardened adventurers. There were an Antarctic explorer, a soldier well-versed in Norwegian and Afghan winter combat, an experienced rower and yachtsman, a cameraman specializing in extreme adventures and a trekking and mountaineering instructor. The rowing boat dubbed Old Pulteney accomplished its mission in 33 days in the summer of 2011 by overcoming many difficulties. During a coastal resting period a polar bear got dangerously close to the crew’s tent, and in the last leg of the expedition carrying the vessel across the ice proved to be difficult. Despite all the hardships, the expedition was an overall success. One of the contributing factors must have been the fact that master distiller Stuart Harvey created a brand new whisky for the occasion. Pulteney proved to be an excellent supporter, as what could have warmed the crew’s body and soul on the icy polar seas than a great scotch? The special drink was mixed from different whiskies aged in bourbon and sherry barrels, and was released in 35 cl bottles in canvas packaging (only 3000 pieces), thus honouring this great enterprise and human achievement. www.whiskynet.hu
GIFT CARD Wedding? Birthday? Anniversary? Give a Gerlóczy Gift Card. This stylish little card works like a top-up card. You buy it, top it up with a certain amount, and your friends use it to settle their bill in the café. Valid for a year.
OLD PUL TENEY ON THE ROCKS
GERLÓCZY:Café with rooms There are many exciting people staying in Gerlóczy from all over the world. Who are they? In each issue, we introduce one of them. DÓRA ESZE ---->
‘THERE IS NO OTHER HOTEL FOR US IN BUDAPEST’ BARBARA AND PETER LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE RETIRED, AND THEY’VE ALWAYS LOVED TRAVELLING. IN A SHORT PERIOD, THEY’VE BEEN TO BUDAPEST THREE TIMES. GERLÓCZY HAS BECOME THEIR FAVOURITE, SO MUCH SO THAT THEY EVEN HAD THEIR PICTURE TAKEN WEARING GERLÓCZY HATS BY THE EIFFEL TOWER. Barbara, your Facebook cover photo is of the lights on Chain Bridge. B: I always try to share something recent on Facebook, and that was our trip to Budapest. Whenever we come here, we often walk from one shore of the Danube across the Chain Bridge to the other. Every day, sometimes twice a day. For us, the Chain Bridge is the centre of the city. It’s especially beautiful with the lights on. Can Europe still show you something new? P: I’ve spent considerable time only in Paris and Budapest, and some in Spain. So yes, I would still like to explore as many cities in Europe as possible. B: Wherever we go, there’s always something to learn, there are always new aspects. We’ve travelled to Budapest three times so far, and I feel it still has a lot of things to see in store for us. I have been to a number of places in Europe, and there are many places I would like to go to in the future. The world is constantly changing. How did you find Gerlóczy Rooms deLux? P: I was looking for a hotel similar to the Millesime Hotel in Paris on TripAdvisor. There were three suggestions, including Gerlóczy. We chose that one, and we didn’t regret it. B: As soon as we saw its homepage, we decided to give it a try. It is very European, extremely charming yet comfortable. There is no other hotel for us in Budapest. If you were to recommend it to your friends, what would you say? P: I would stress its location. Most of the major sights are in walking distance. I would also highlight how beautiful and comfortable the rooms are, and also the restaurant. But first and foremost, how friendly everybody working here is, from the receptionists to the waiters, including the chefs, the harpist and the pianist. It feels almost like a big family. B: Gerlóczy always adds to our time spent here. Everybody is very professional and attentive and friendly at the same time. The rooms are large and comfortable. The café and the restaurant are as good if not better than in Paris. We couldn’t get bored of them even if we ate there every single day. The kitchen is creative and it has a bubbly vibe. Gerlóczy adds to our Budapest experiences. What do you like about Budapest? P: We like its size, that we can walk almost anywhere, yet it’s really easy to use public transport should you need it. There is lots to do, we can go to concerts, museums and book shops, and there are way more fantastic restaurants than we could ever try. We also like that there’s a river at hand whenever we feel like a boat trip or walking to its other side. B: Budapest is an especially exciting city. It had many kings, was oppressed by many, but the Hungarian spirit, temperament and culture are indestructible. It is a beautiful city with interesting architecture and many convenient parks; modernity can easily live within the historical scenes. Budapest has a lively vibe that makes you want to stay. There are so many things to see and do here. What do you think of Hungarian wines and wine regions? P: The greatest surprise of our visits is how delicious Hungarian wines are. The reds, whites, rosés, all of them. We went to some wine tastings to see varieties we wouldn’t have come across otherwise, we went to Eger and Szépasszony-völgy. The expertise of Béla, the sommelier of Gerlóczy is a true treasure.
ARE Y OUR F OREIG BUSIN N ESS PA R TNERS COMIN G TO T Sleep OWN? them in Ger lóczy! Reser +36 8 vation at 0 toll fre 102 600 e num ber.
The rooms rates are: WITH FREE WIFI AND FREE IN ROOM MINIBAR WITH DAILY REFILL!
standard room for two: 95 euro/room/night+ 12 for Breakfast /each Attic room for two: 80 euro/room/night+ 12 for Breakfast /each Balcony room: 95 euro/room/night+ 12 for Breakfast /each + 15 euro balcony charge Address: Gerlóczy Rooms deLux 1052 Budapest, Gerlóczy u. 1 - above Gerlóczy Café IMPRESSUM: Contributors: Regina Bruckner, Dóra Esze, Eszter Szegô, Tamás T. Nagy, András Török English Editor: Aranka Szabó Design/photo: Péter Flanek, Doron Ritter Printed by: Intruder --- e-mail: marketing@gerloczy.hu Published in 1500 copies by Gerlóczy Kávéház Ltd., 1052 Budapest, Gerlóczy utca 1. Open: all days 7am - 11pm