For our first day together (because yes that’s different from my first day which I spent mostly with Jen) in Budapest, PC and I decided to explore the Pest side of the city, that is the castle side. It’s to nobody’s surprise that we ended up doing just NOT that. Instead, we ended up getting lost in a cemetery and then at an alleged Chinese market, after which we thought it would just be best to take it easy and have a little-turned-into-long stroll along the banks of the Danube.
Budapest, simply put, was food heaven. Either that or I was always hungry (which I usually am – writing this as I stuff down a whole packet of Oreos). Contrary to my hilarious and overcomplicated Japanese experience, our eat-outs in Budapest went by without any mishaps. A quick look at Happy Cow for vegan-friendly restaurants in the city – so I wouldn’t starve – generated several possibilities, each that looked more tempting than the other. Our (my) original plan of cooking for ourselves, since our accommodation offered that possibility, just never happened, mostly because we were out till very late everyday and eating out wasn’t as expensive as we (I) initially thought it would be. I didn’t get to try out Hungarian cuisine; there was this place I read about which served a vegan version of the lángos, Hungarian fried bread usually topped with sour cream and grated cheese, but we never did make it there (excuse to go back?). We spent most of our time around Kálvin tér, so most of the places (listed below) we ate at tended to be not far from there or the sights. We did end up coming back home every single night stuffed as hell, so that’s a good sign right?
Hummus Bar
Jen took me to this one when I said I was starving and that I loved hummus. I’m not sure which one we went to but they have several branches and I learned you’re never far away from delicious hummus and falafel from anywhere you are in the city. Jen and I got to know each other even better over a bowl of Msabbaha (mine), what I would call a gourmet version of the hummus served with warm pita bread and a piece of chocolate baklava (hers).
I’ve been really bad at keeping up with the blog these days. Between travelling (still getting over that) when I usually don’t write anything to just catching up with life in general, it’s been quite hectic around here, not to say the very least. I spent a few days in Budapest last week, also met the amazing Jen from The Great Escape and had a blast basically. I fell in love with the city and really cannot wait to visit again (I know I say this for every single place I’ve been to but it’s hard not to). There is one thing (well many actually) however that still keeps me giggling whenever I think about our stay in Budapest.
For our last evening in Budapest last week, (mostly) PC and I decided to go for sushi but instead of the local sushi bar, we ended up at a very posh traditional Japanese restaurant, rightfully named Mt. Fuji, which probably is one of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been to (none of us usually makes this a habit) and where I’ve eaten one of the best Japanese food in my life. It did however end up in a very socially awkward and extremely enlightening evening which we’re not likely to forget anytime soon – same could be said for the staff. Without further ado, here’s what is NOT the norm at such a venue:
Tales of a Mauritian 