Everything began many years ago in Belgium in a family with Spanish grandmother and Italian grandfather on one side and peasant grandparents that made cheese, butter and delicious Vervier cakes for living on the other side. When you grow up in a family where you learn to appreciate high quality food, you are close to start to cook. Philippe started his career at school in Liege. However, he was missing the needed dedication, then. Later on he met a cook that inspired him and influenced his further career orientation.

He got a chance to work in excellent restaurants, such as “L’hostellerie Saint Roch”, where he started as “comis de cuisine”. It was there where he cooked with Jean Cawé, the holder of two Michelin stars. At the age of 27 he got his first job as a chef in Ardennes. Afterwards he was getting better and better offers at home or abroad. He worked in Paris, on Caribbean Islands, in beloved Périgord, where he cooked also with famous Roland Mazere in “Le Centenaire”. This restaurant holds also two Michelin stars. In 2001 he moved to Hungary. He cooks what he likes to eat. That is his own characteristic of his own cuisine. He says that if you want to cook well, you have to give the best from yourself. You have to cook with love and appreciate foodstuff that nature provides you.

Unlike other restaurants I rated, I have known Philippe for many years and he has been for me the top. Moreover, he inspired my interest in truffles. Many years passed since I first visited his restaurant that was in Esztergom before. Since then I was lucky to visit excellent restaurants around the world. In March I decided that I would like to write an article about him and his restaurant. So, I visited him in a long time.

It was Saturday evening and full house at Philippe. Because of objectivity I was in company of good friends, gourmets. Philippe was very busy. But when he saw us coming in from behind counter of his open kitchen, he welcomed us warmly. “You haven’t been here for a long time Dodi!” he said. “I am busy and there are better restaurants, too.” I joked. He hugged me and said “I have a fresh veal thymus, you have to try it!” Then he returned to his work, what appreciated his busy helpers. Waiter seated us, handed us the menus and asked what we wanted for drink. He suggested vine to wash down “dust from the road”. In a while we chose Gourmand menu. We knew we were going to get seven courses based on availability of foodstuff in that particular season. I believe that chefs are artists. Their masterpiece was going to be the seven course menu and the result depended also on their mood. Chef decides whether the menu will be of fish, red meat or other combinations. It is all about trust. Guest trusts the cook and the cook appreciates that and takes the responsibility for a good result. It is a game. Details are important. The only thing I wanted to be in our menu was the thymus.
We started with a deciliter of wine. It was Riesling from Csopak from Jásadi. I know Jásadi's wines. Acidity characteristic for Csopak is a dream of many winemakers. The wine was very fresh ale pri tom malo telo and taste staid in mouth for a long time. Along with the wine we got „amuse-bouche“. It comes from Russia most likely and started in times when tsardom was close to French empire. Amuse-bouche was a trio: a dense carrot broth and sea fish in two ways. Home-made bread was still warm as we spread salty butter on top of it. Belgian and French cuisine is similar, so goose liver is a must in both of them. Philippe can prepare goose liver in many ways, and I have always liked it. In a while we got terrine out of soft veal cheeks and “foie gras“. Strange, but very good combination. One could taste Philippe's bound to Italian roots out of the second cold starter. It was carpaccio. The meat was well-defined and juicy. He used olive oil of premium quality. We tasted also beautiful taste of black pepper. Handful of quickly fried vegetables was a variation, but a very nice one. As waiters were taking away our plates someone from the next table found a photo of Philippe with Belgian monarch Albert II. “He must be an excellent cook, when he cooks for celebrities like Albert II.” they said. “No doubt about that” I thought to myself. The first warm starter confirmed my opinion about him. It was scallops, which is one of my favorite and Philippe prepares it fantastic. They were fresh and big. First class! The sauce tasted extremely good. The mixture of tastes sends us very close to heaven. If that was the last course, I would have no problem with that. The only problem was that I run out of wine. I ordered Chablis. It was a good decision. Chablis matches the second warm starter – lobster, too. Lobsters are also weakness of Belgians. Philippe has a tank with lobsters in his restaurant, so he can be sure, they are always fresh. In another tank he keeps blue mussels. One can see emphasis on fresh foodstuff here.
After four starters I needed a sorbet, so that I could continue. This time it was orange but you could taste mango as well. Then came peek of the evening along with a glass of red Cotes du Rhone. Waiters served thymus that the chef recommended. Many people neither know that this gland exists, nor that it is eatable. Thymus lies below breastbone and while maturing it is replaced by a fat tissue. Our host's version of thymus was great. By its texture, it resembled more butter than meat. Tastes were in perfect harmony. Ladies at our table were full and felt sorry that they were unable to finish it. I managed to finish this delicacy, but the sixth course – three kinds of cheese, seemed to be “A mission Impossible” for me. I tried them just to be polite. Dessert looked like little funfair. It was a selection of desserts from the menu. My favorites were: chocolate cake of real Belgian chocolate and crème brulée, freshly flambéed at our table. We closed evening with a digestive. We had cognac from a young and for me unknown producer. Philippe said it was better and cheaper than the famous ones. “You pay for quality and not marketing” he added. What else to say? You can reach Budapest in two hours by car or in three by train...

My rating:

The author does not visit rated restaurants at the invitation, but chooses them himself. Impressions and evaluation are based on single one visit. All expenses are covered by the author.

Text and photos: Dodi Fodor