gerbeaud

well, enough of monuments and sights of budapest, for now, i will take you to a sweet treat and the name of the confectionery is called gerbeaud. apparently gerbeaud is a byword for excellence among budapesters. in fact i already know that i will come here to try out the cake even before my trip to budapest. gerbeaud is so famous and apparently a must visit, must try cafe in the guide book and according to many internet source.

it took me awhile to find this cafe, in fact i almost wanted to give up as i have been searching for awhile after i left saint stephen basilica. nonetheless, with the never give up attitude, i arrived!

i walk straight into the confectionery store and check out the cake counters, plenty pretty cakes enticing me....

gerbeaud also has its own name chocolate and packaging

a quick glance of the lustrous interior of rich stucco decoration, glittering chandeliers, marble topped tables, wood and brocade furnishings, i can imagine that the the superb delicacies only serve to enhance the sense of occasion felt by all the guests, here in the indoor sitting.

perhaps it is the season, no one sitting inside, i don't want to be the odd one out, so i settle at the outdoor terrace as well, which gives a bit of breeze in the late evening of summer day, i sit down and browsing through the menu, i am spoiled with choices and in fact i don't know what to choose from, and so i decided on something traditional and authentic....

i ordered flódni (pronounced as FLODE-NEE) a sweet pastry prepared with white wine layered with walnut, poppy seeds and apple filling. but i am totally disappointed, the flódni is so dry and so hard... perhaps it is truly traditional and authentic, perhaps the authentic recipe does not match up to my modern palette. perhaps gerbeaud is just a fame of the past glory? perhaps i am comparing the hungaricum pastry against the sophistication of french patisseries standard? i am not sure any more, but i just don't like what i have ordered and tasted.

perhaps i should just order the macarons or the cakes that on display at the cake counter instead of searching for the authentication and being let down.... but i must admit i do like the ambiance of this cafe, perhaps the exterior enjoyment is already worth this pilgrimage...

gerbeaud is situated in a 150 years the grand building dominating vorosmarty square and has functioned as the home for confectionery and café of world renown in the 19th century.

as i paid my bill and walk further and further away towards deak tér metro station, i turn back for one last glimpse of gerbeaud and vorosmarty square