Divin Porcello (Budapest, Hungary)

To be honest we never knew what to expect in Budapest so we had set our expectations low. But lo and behold it was such an amazing place! The whole family was really surprised when we saw the city; it was an eye opener, definitely a place to visit when you are in Europe, it’s  as par as Paris, Barcelona and Rome.

We went here from Slovakia after we had a short dip at Zlate Piesky.

We arrived in the afternoon and we were in awe while we were passing through Danube River. Everywhere you look is very pleasing to see. The old buildings as seen from the riverbanks are magnificent!

And they have majestic bridges too!

We got stuck in the traffic jam as it was rush hour during that time. I took that as an advantage to take a quick shot of the bridge while in the middle of the road. Upon reaching our hotel we just refreshed ourselves and immediately went to the city centre.

We strolled around and checked what are within the vicinity. There are lots of shops as well as restaurants. As the night slowly creep we were also getting hungry but couldn’t decide with all of the restaurants near where we were. Luckily I have the TripAdvisor app so I just searched what’s the best restaurant from our location which directed us to this place called Divin Porcello.

When we stepped inside the restaurant one thing I immediately noticed was how the diners are in their suits and night dresses. This gave me a thought that without a doubt this restaurant is not that kind of cheap in price at all. But to my surprise, this is very affordable fine dining compared to our fine dining restaurants back home.

After we were seated and checking on their menu, the waiter asked whether we want some bread on our table. I love this sour doughs which often time comes with olive oil for dipping. Of course, I did not decline.

We then started to order our dinner from entrees down to desserts. They also offer big selections of wine across the region. While I was struggling to decide on what to match our order, the waiter came and offered us his recommendations which I gladly obliged. But I requested to give us local Hungarian wines and not the one from overseas.

Minutes later, the entrees were served. Mediterranean dip with mussels and shrimp (2500 ft)

and some Spanish Tapas with fresh tortilla and salsa (this consists of 6 different tapas) (2500 ft).

Both were amazingly delicious especially the Spanish Tapas. The tortillas that accompanied it was soft and was served with perfect temperature. The selection of different tapas was also good. As for the dip we enjoyed it a lot as well. I even used the sour dough to grab all of that remaining sauces from that small yellow orange pot.

For our main dishes; we had Lamb French Racks with layered potatoes with mascarpone and rosemary (5400 Ft),

Guinea Fowl Breast with Radish Sprouts Salad, ricotta, apple and pumpkin seeds oil (2990 Ft),

Rose Duck Breast, pasta stuffed with purple cabbage, quince chutney with chilli (3850 Ft),

and Pasta Carbonara.

Look at how the presentation was made and how perfectly cooked each one of the meats are. My daughter really loved the lamb and I can agree that it’s of prime quality as I also got a taste of it. I thought it was really from New Zealand. Having in mind that this is the only place that can produce superb quality lamb. (Of course you have to practice a little bit of that pride once in awhile wherever you go). This gave a smile on the waiter and said; it was locally sourced. Both birds were equally amazing too. The duck was cooked perfectly pink and yet crispy outside.

Then came the desserts, we asked for the New York Style Cheesecake to have a comparison with my very own blueberry cheesecake.The wife did not know that I also asked the waiter secretly for a cake that he can put a candle on for my wife to blow as we were celebrating her birthday that time. After the cheesecake was served, the waiter slowly sneaked in the cake for my wife. This is Rich Chocolate Cake with a lit candle.

The chocolate cake was very rich but not that overpowering. As for the cheesecake, the family voted for my very own better.

As we were paying I handed over my Credit Card and the waiter uttered, Oh its Kiwi Bank. I asked him if he is a Kiwi working overseas, he told us no but he said he worked in New Zealand sometime and loved the place. We were also told they barely have Kiwi diners, in fact if he could remember it properly, we were the second Kiwi customers since he joined the place.

Our dining experience here was great. The food was delicious, the service was superb and the price was surprisingly very affordable. The waiter that served our table did the best that he could to make us feel comfortable and happy with our orders. He certainly made us feel special. Definitely I will recommend this over and over again.

Divin Porcello
Address: Budapest, Apáczai Csere János u. 7, 1051 Hungary
Phone: +36 30 665 1004
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DivinPorcelloBudapest

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