It may sound snobbish but let’s face it : we don’t go to top shelf restaurants only to imbibe in food and drink. It’s a see-and-be-seen kind of world, and to gather connections you’ve got to be at the power points of the city. Not every restaurateur is aware of this fact. This is why I listened with awe to György Vas, the manager of Magate’s Garden (Magnaskert) as he expounded his philosophy of the ‘eventful gastronomy’ which he strives to realize in his restaurant in Rószadomb, catching myself making an important discovery. The creator of Casablanca was Hungarian Michael Curtiz, maybe he drew the inspiration for the legendary character Rick from Vas. What was Rick’s but a powerbrokering point for the wheelers and dealers of Casablanca?

And consider the addition of live piano music performed by Rudi Torma in the club-like parlor on the first floor. Rudi—a living legend in these parts—played during the past decades all over the world, including the USA and Canada. Now he is ‘pianist in residence’ at Magnate’s Garden. He knows all the evergreens and the contemporary hits that would make Rick proud.

After this musical overture, I proceeded to the dining room on the main floor. With stylishly carved furniture, paintings of notable Hungarian artists on the walls and an inner garden with lush vegetation. It exudes the atmosphere of the home of a Hungarian upper-middle class family at the turn of the century.

Fortunately—or by clever arrangement—the ‘folding of the napkins’ was just on when I entered the dining room. I could admire the skill of Kálmán Balogh, a waiter and a ‘napkin artist’ who can fold napkins in more than five hundred ways. I was impressed, as I watched the creation of the ‘textile sculpture’ as the artfully folded napkins may be called.

While I was browsing among the dishes on the carte du jour. Mr. Vas informed me of a gastronomic event, introduced during this spring at Magnate’s Garden. As he told me, a ‘nostalgic brunch’ takes place on Saturdays and Sundays with dishes that evoke the tastes of the traditional Hungarian cuisine reduced prices. He handed over the menu of the next brunch and I discovered Smoked homemade ham with sour cream and little pinched noodles (390 Ft), stuffed sirloin of veal with spinach sauce (1,100 Ft) Hare ‘paprikás’ with gnocchi (1,700 Ft) and apple pie with cinnamon sauce, to quote just a few dishes on the menu. The carte du jour changes every week, it may change also following the guests’ wishes: they just have to phone in their preferences and the dishes will be put on the menu of the next brunch.

After enjoying a fine soup, the main dish was served. I ordered Roasted Breast of Guinea fowl and Liver of Pheasant with cognac flavored truffles. A creation of chef Gyula Cirkos, it proved to be an interesting combination of the mild white breast of Guinea Fowl and the dark harsh liver of Pheasant. It was a great dish, just the sauce was a tad on the sweet side.

Among the desserts I discovered a Hungarian specialty which I didn’t know existed: Cottage Cheese Noodles filled with Poppy Seed and baked in Sour Cream (750 Ft). The secret was solved when Mr. Vas reveals to me that it was the creation of Magnates Garden’s Chef Patissier, based on the traditional cottage cheese noodles which are prepared with out poppy seed. By the way: Lajos Kopceik enriches from time to time the tables at Magnate’s Garden with is artwork made of sugar. Another artist, István Manger,—a waiter—makes ice statues. From blocks of ice he carves swans, rabbits, Santa Clauses, etc. “The sculpture is within the block, one has just to remove the superfluous ice” he quotes (somewhat modified) Michaelangelo’s famous dictum. Kopcsik’s and Manger’s artwork is often used at events arranged outside of the restaurant.

Finally a visit at the ‘deli’ of Magnate’s Garden was my ultimate gastronomic experience. Beyond the customary delicatessen, the dishes of the restaurant are available there to take home, at half a price. There are 200 wines on the wine list of the restaurant and most of them are available in the deli.

For these reasons and more one realizes that Magnate’s Garden is much like Rick’s American Bar; an oasis of class and decorum in the metaphorical desert.