by Asa Bennett
As an hors d'Å—uvre for our next issue’s Total History piece on political dining around London, we present a review of The Gay Hussar, an establishment deeply affiliated with Labour and all sorts of left-wing figures, including Aneurin Bevan, Barbara Castle, Ian Mikardo, T.S Eliot and Michael Foot.
This Hungarian restaurant, located on Soho’s Greek Street, has barely changed since its 1953 opening, unlike the surrounding neighbourhood. Resting comfortably among the fashionable clubs, boutiques, and smart eateries that now litter the area is this distinguished and antiquated place, offering sumptuous, filling food with a dash of flair.
As we entered through the old wooden doors, the quiet intimate atmosphere in the small building, lending itself well to the many plots that were said to have been hatched at these tables, was a welcome contrast to the hustle and bustle of a Thursday night’s Soho outside. Since we were unfamiliar with Hungarian cuisine, the waiter was on hand to guide us through the extensive menu (full of "Magyar" delicacies).
The first course, a chilled wild cherry soup was a culinary mystery. It was surprisingly sweet, offset by a mild bitter taste and a sharp citrus twang. The cherry on the cake, or in this case, in the soup, was succulent and complimented the sweet cream with which it was mixed.
As a main course, we opted for a delicious roast duck with red cabbage, caraway potatoes and apple sauce. However the catfish we ordered, despite its paprika spice, was underwhelming, but it was saved by the artfully made cheese and bacon pasta accompaniment.
For dessert, we eschewed any of the foodstuffs and instead chose to sample some of the Hungarian Pálinka; the liqueur’s strong kick was offset by the mild apricot taste and provided a suitable end, in the true spirit of Hungarian cuisine, to the exquisite meal.
As a dining experience, The Gay Hussar (taking its name from a minor character in Gilbert and Sullivan’s "The Chieftain") may not be ultimately the best restaurant but it certainly ranks among London’s better dining options.
Comments
john problem / August 14 2009 7:23pm
Eliot was left-wing? I didn't know that. It puts an entirely new slant on ending not with a bang but a whimper.
Chris / August 14 2009 9:55pm
If you think T.S.Eliot was a left-wing figure, you need to do some reading.
Joe Oliver / August 15 2009 1:34am
Excellent review, although to be pernickety 'The Chieftain' was by Sullivan and F.C. Burnard not Gilbert.
John Simpson / November 15 2010 2:12pm
If you are familiar with real Hungarian cuisine you will be very disappointed with the Gay Hussar. Most of the dishes are poor copies of the real homemade Hungarian fare and to be honest I would feel embarrassed to bring somebody to this eatery and proclaim it as being real Hungarian restaurant.
The quality of the dishes is poor and the taste leaves allot to be desired. When I went there the other evening they had run out of Galuska (dumplings made of flour, eggs and water) that would be like a fish and chip shop running out of chips. The lame excuse from the waitress was that they had run out of eggs and they could not buy them locally as only very special organic eggs would be acceptable!! The Gulyas soup was over spiced, the gypsy pork medallions were over cooked without a hint of garlic or taste and the shredded liver was like rubber. Finally my partner decided to try and brighten up a miserable experience by ordering the Somloi Galuska, this tasty rum flavoured sponge bathing in lashings of chocolate sauce, raisins with fresh whipped cream on-top had been turned into a piece of stale dry cake with a few drops of chocolate sauce dripped over it.
The chef has apparently been there for 22 years, I think this guy has done more to destroy the identity of Hungarian food than anybody else. At £80 for two for such a disaster I would recommend that this place is avoided like the plague. Unfortunately, if you want to experience real Hungarian cuisine you have to travel to Hungary!