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Szimpla Bar (Budapest, Hungary)
by flodombey
Szimpla is a bar which we stumbled on quite by accident (and great luck) whilst visiting Budapest a couple of weeks ago. The hostel we were supposed to have been staying in was unexpectedly double booked and so the owner had found us an alternative which was much nearer the centre of town in a residential street just 10 minutes walk from ... the shopping mecca of Andrassy.
This street was Kertesz, we were staying at number 7 and across the road (inexplicably at number 48) was Szimpla. Immediately on arriving at the accomodation our guide had pointed it out and stated it was 'one of the most famous bars in Budapest'. However, looking at the small, darkened doorway with a rather small neon sign hanging over it we were not entirely convinced of this and thought he was just bigging up the benefits of our new and unexpected location...turned out he was pretty much bang on.
So, having chucked our belongings into the room we were staying in we decided to go and investigate the bar we had been recommended. We had arrived in Budapest on a Friday night and so a beer across the road seemed like a great starting place from which to get our bearings and make initial plans of action for our city break weekend.
We ventured across the road and pushed open the door, this building is in the Jewish quarter, full of identikit maze-like buildings which are about 4 storeys of flats surrounding an inner courtyard. They are much of a muchness to be honest and the courtyards become a magnet for discarded bikes, wheelie bins and all manner of other odds and ends - but this courtyard had been turned into the most magnificent bar.
Coming off the street you have to push your way through a couple of doorways which are lined with heavy duty plastic sheeting (we assume to keep the heat in and the cold out), with arrows pointing the way further into the courtyard area. And once you get through its a bit like Alice through the looking glass - the courtyard itself has been transformed into a full on drinking space, covered over in parts with a massive bar along one side and a warren of rooms coming off the central space.
It transpires that this is no longer a residential block and the whole ground floor has now been taken over to form a 'kert' or beer garden area, Budapest is known for them but this is literally one of the biggest and best known.
We walked all the way through the building to the back, amazed at the sheer size of it, there are another two bars towards the rear, an outdoor area covered with marquee type ceilings and with plenty of patio heaters roaring to bring the temperature up. Each room seems to have its own theme and kooky style.
Our favourite room was just behind the first bar as you walk in, all the chairs were reclaimed from vintage cars and the walls were littered with screens which were linked and played hypnotic videos over the funky house music. The walls were completely covered in graffitti which seemed to be encouraged and the ceiling was a deliberate tangle of wires, it felt like having a drink in the bowels of a supercomputer. Weird and definitely wonderful.
The beer was actually some of the best we had the whole time we were in Hungary, Dreher on draft for around 600 FT a pint (about £2) which was super chilled and very tasty.
This place really is all about the atmosphere and the 'scene' and for that we absolutely loved it. Quirky does not even come close, the room we sat in most had a bath which had been turned into a couch, other rooms had half cars turned into tables, an olympic horse just begging to be jumped on and eclectic bunches of furniture, no two tables are the same. Large screens hang from the walls playing odd short films and muted music videos, DJs come and go, playing sets at the back of the main room which ranged from funky house to 80s britrock to trance.
The young and with it students drink here, they come in crowds and take over the tables and smoke (still allowed in Budapest) and drink and laugh, but the place is also frequented by older people just wanting somewhere interesting to meet for a drink, we saw many different types of patrons and it makes for great people watching. It is also so dark of an evening that no one pays any attention to anyone else and there is an air of comfortable annonymity.
Apparently in the summer the upstairs balcony is open and serves food, we would have loved to have tried this but the weather was nothing short of arctic on our visit. We ended up in here at least once a day on our trip though because it was just such a great, interesting and welcoming place to be.
They do have a proper website (google Szimpla Budapest and you will find it) which says they open 10am til 2am on weekdays and 12pm til 2am on weekends. It also says that they have a couple of other locations in Budapest and interestingly one in Berlin (which we are visiting later this year and will certainly attempt to locate this place).
The 'About Us' section of the website says that they try to support alternative culture and this is patently obvious within the flagship branch we visited, unlike any other bar I have ever been to. This place stuck in my mind as one of the real highlights of our trip to Budapest and I would recommend looking it up if you are lucky enough to visit this city.
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Trisha's Pies (Wellington, New Zealand)
by larsbaby
INTRODUCTION
Myself and Ms Larsbaby like a pie. So when the opportunity arose to try a New Zealand variant, recommended in the Lonely Planet, we took it unhesitatingly. As a Winner of Best Takeaway Pie - Capital Times Best of Wellington Awards 2008, it had a lot to live up to. Would it be able to?
TRISHA'S ... PIES
The shop itself is nothing special; an unspectacular shop in a row of retail shops that you could easily pass without noticing, save for the bright red sign above the door. Located at the end of Cambridge Terrance, it's just outside the city centre, about a 10 minute walk from Te Papa museum. As you enter, the till is right in front of you, with a chilled drinks cabinet to the left. You are treated to various rows of pies in heated glass cabinets to the left and right of the counter, and a shop which to my eye looked quite old fashioned and untouched by the last 30 years or so, but in a wholly positive way. Behind the counter is a list of the pie varieties on offer, of which there was several, available in regular or large sizes.
We were served by a middle aged lady who may or may not have been Trisha. Whoever she was, she was friendly and looked like she was used to tourists strolling in. As we deliberated over the various options, such as chicken and apricot and steak and cheese, she watched us with faint amusement. As it was about 2pm the shop was empty and so we had as much time as we pleased to procrastinate.
I had a large steak and cheese pie (well, we had to go for large didn't we, we were on holiday), which had proper chunks of lean steak, packed to the rafters and enclosed in a large, thick circular pastry casing, with a nice gooey mix of cheese and gravy. It was one of the best takeaway pies I've ever had, which is pretty much what I expected; I had previously encountered the Australasian pie experience some years earlier on the east coast of Australia. This had taught me that down under, if they say steak pie, they really mean it. And this one had a rich taste of gravy and meat.
Ms Larsbaby had a chicken curry pie, which was very spicy, surprising spicy compared to anything similar in the UK, which would have had a mild curry taste to it. I had to finish it off for her as her eyes were beginning to water (the spicier the better in my book). It was packed with chunks of chicken and lovely rich golden curry sauce. I liked it a lot. I'm sure Ms Larsbaby would have been fine had she expected such a spicy concoction.
As we stood outside another building further down the street, ducking under a canopy for protection from the rain that had suddenly appeared, we munched contentedly on our lunches warming us from the cold. It occurred to me that the shopkeeper might not have minded if we'd have stood in the shop and eaten them there and then, though I didn't see any spaces in the shop where you'd be encouraged to loiter.
CONCLUSION
For a quick meal that is a local favourite, try Trishas. If you're used to UK pies, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. I'd say it certainly lived up to its 2008 title.
CONTACT DETAILS
Trishas Pies,
32 Cambridge Terrace,
Te Aro,
Wellington, 6011
New Zealand
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Hard Rock Cafe (Orlando, Florida)
by alliebeth
Mmmm Hard Rock Nachos, followed by Red White and Blue Burger, and, appetite permitting, Hot Fudge Brownie, yum! I love Hard Rock Cafe!
Hard Rock is a chain of themed restaurants, with around 140 locations in over 40 countries. It was in the late 70's when they started adding the rock and roll memorabilia to the restaurant ... walls, and has one of the largest collections in the world.
I've visited a few Hard Rock Cafes around the world, and appart from the Times Square location, the one in Orlando has to be my favourite.
The Orlando Hard Rock, one of the largest in the chain, is located in City Walk, between the two Universal parks, Universal Island of Adventure and Universal Studio's, so if you don't want to eat in one of the parks, this makes a nice cool and interesting place to dine. The cafe is built in the style of a Roman Coliseum, which makes it rather unusal and quite unlike other Hard Rock's. As well as the multi-level restaurant, the site also includes Hard Rock Live which is a 3000 person capacity concert venue, which unfortunately, I've not yet experienced.
The interior is mind blowing, hanging above the bar is a pink cadillac, and amongst the many rock and roll items you will find, Buddy Holly's horn rimmed glasses, Pete Townsend from the Who's guitar and Sir Paul McCartney's suit from the film 'A Hard Day's Night'. The ceiling is painted as if it the sky, neat!
The food is pretty awesome too, the menu is what you would expect of an American restaurant, plenty of steak, ribs, chicken along with humongous burgers with every kind of topping imaginable. For those of you with a smaller appetite there are some amazing salads such as the Haystack Chicken Salad, delicious. Don't forget dessert, even if it's just to share, they are heavenly.
When my family and I go, it's generally after visiting one of the parks, so its so nice to sit, take in the atmosphere with an ice cold coke (or cocktail sometimes!) and enjoy the great food and excellent service.
Price wise, its not to expensive considering the quality and quantity of food you get per serving. Even the kids meals are quite some size. The servers are very attentive without being too obtrusive. Service in the US is very different to what you get here in the UK, they are always on hand to refill drinks without being asked, and just seem to be there when you need them. I've never had a bad experience here and I'm really looking forward to going again, bring on those burgers!
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