2 Greek Street,
Soho,
London,
W1D 4NB
0871 971 6448
The ViewLondon Review
This restaurant has been a Soho institution for more than 50 years and it still knows how to pull in the crowds.The VenueEating in The Gay Hussar is a little like eating in someone’s library – a very well connected someone with a penchant for European history. The dining room is long and narrow, with tables against both sides. Nearly every single inch of wall space is hung with pictures, most of them unflattering black and white caricatures of politicians, journalists and people of varying degrees of fame. There are portraits along the walls as well as other memorabilia (a cavalry sword hangs in one corner) and there’s a long shelf above the entrance to the stairway that’s rammed full of books on all sorts of subjects, but mainly history. All in all it’s a cosy room – a bit cramped but that’s part of the appeal.
The AtmosphereJudging by the caricatures on the wells, in The Gay Hussar’s heyday the restaurant filled up regularly with politicians, writers, scientists and other intelligentsia. This type of crowd still makes their way to the restaurant, but it seems like they all head up to the private rooms upstairs. The main dining room downstairs is mostly couples, young and old, and an occasional single diner – and don’t be surprised if some of the more non-traditional members of the Soho crowd pay a visit.
Staff are polite and won’t interrupt your conversations. However, it’s hard not to hear everyone else’s – the tables are so close together that if you have to get up to go to the loo you’ll inevitably wind up knocking over someone’s bread basket.
The FoodHearty Hungarian fare that doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not. This isn’t haute cuisine – it’s good, old fashioned comfort food cooking, like stews and dumplings. Prices are good, with starters and desserts topping off at about £5 and mains running around £10 - £15 – especially good value because of the huge portions (you’ll probably struggle to finish your mains).
Although the starters look delicious, they’re missing something that will take them from decent to very good. The fish dumplings are small, pinkish balls of mashed fish (like meatballs, only with fish instead) are served warm, with a white sauce made with mushrooms and dill. The dumplings taste fresh and the sauce is creamy, but it’s on a bed of rice which means it’s all a bit bland – it could have used something sour to spice it up. The chilled cherry soup is creamy and a light pink colour (don’t worry, it’s not Pepto Bismol pink) with whole, de-stoned cherries waiting at the bottom. The soup is refreshing but there’s a strange, slightly bitter aftertaste.
The mains are, on a whole, much more successful. The sea bass with a leek and potato cake is also piled high with various shredded salad ingredients – it looks a mess, but tastes delightful. The sea bass is perfectly cooked and slightly smoky, whilst the leek and potato cake is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a hint of herbs. A more traditional dish is the stuffed cabbage, with mincemeat and rice cooked in layers of white cabbage and covered in a sweet tomato sauce – as much of Eastern Europe will tell you, it’s hard to find a better combination of foods. This also comes with a sausage (not a typical breakfast sausage, but a reddish pork sausage that’s been scored so it curls), strips of crispy bacon and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut adds a sharp edge to the dish, which was what the fish dumpling was missing.
For dessert, recommended choices include the Somloi Galuska, a moist cake made with cream, rum and walnuts, and the Turos Palacsinta, light and fluffy crepes folded into parcels, with thick sweet cream running through it.
The DrinkChances are you’ll never have tried any of the Hungarian wines on the list, but you should – can you really pass up something called Szekszardi Bulls Blood for under £16 a bottle? The types will be familiar though: Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet pop up, and none of the Hungarian wines will run you more than £28. There are also Hungarian liquors and bottles of Tokaji, a sweet wine known in English as Tokay. For the less adventurous, however, there are wines and champagnes from a variety of other countries.
The Last WordThe Gay Hussar is one of the only Hungarian restaurants in London - it’s not anything fancy but the food is mostly good. If you’re a fan of Eastern European food (or if you like a bit of history with your meal) you should check it out.