Hungary tide

A tiny Juhu eatery celebrates a unique culinary legacy that is straight out of the street food markets of this central European nation

Food: Tasty
Ambience: Cosy
Service: Efficient
Cost: Inexpensive
Verdict: 1/5

ONE of the last places we flew to just before the pandemic clipped our travel-happy wings was to the Hungarian capital of Budapest. And while this beautiful central European city may be better known for its grand architecture and for the serpentine Danube that bisects it into the Buda and Pest sides, there is something to be said about the city’s food as well.

Chicken goulash rice bowl

Redolent with copious amounts of the de facto national spice of smoky paprika, the goulashes that we indulged in were just as memorable as the spit-roasted kurtoshes and deep-fried langos that make for perfect snacks to munch on a chilly winter’s day. So, imagine our delight when we chanced upon Kurtosshhh, a tiny (and dare we say numerologically-inclined) eatery in Juhu that claims to serve Hungarian street food, albeit with a twist.

With barely enough room for a couple of people to sit at its wooden tables and chairs, with a cosy mezzanine level housing a single table, we realised that dining in at Kurtosshhh in these times may not be such a great idea. So, we opted for the takeaway option; the dishes came packed in regular aluminium foil containers and paper boxes.

Cinnamon sugar trdelnik

The eponymous kurtosh that is the eatery’s flag-bearing dish is a conical spit cake that’s also known multifariously as a chimney cake, a baumstriezel in Germany and a trdelnik in the Czech Republic. Generally served in its sweet avatar, all dusted with sugar and cinnamon, at Kurtosshhh you can also try a number of savoury iterations — ranging from grilled vegetables to cottage cheese-filled ones. Our eight-inch tall chipotle chicken kurtosh (R189) was composed of a buttery, blistered dough that we were told was made with a mixture of 18 secret flours. It held forth creamy, well-seasoned succulent bits of chicken with diced onions and peppers.

Served in individual rings and piping hot, the sweet cinnamon trdelnik (R189) was decadently more-ish, all doused in chocolate and caramel sauce. We also tried the open-faced grilled cottage cheese kartoos kurtosh (R229) that was quite different in taste and texture from its conical cousin. And while it may seem similar to a flatbread, the deep fried langos topped with molten cheese and olives, dusted with smoky paprika (R199), took us straight back to Budapest’s Central Food Market Hall, where we had tried langos for the first time.

Olive and cheese langos

We decided to wash all this down with the thick and creamy safrany kulfi shake (R169), served in the now-ubiquitous mini milk bottle. As a parting shot, we decided to succumb to a cliché and called for the chicken goulash rice bowl (R249) which, though quite tasty and satisfying, fell a tad short in the authenticity department, missing that all-important paprika hit. We’ll have to wait for our global travels to resume, to relish the real deal. Until then, we’re happy to savour this little slice of Hungary in amchi Mumbai.

At Kurtosshhh, Shop 12, Juhu Ruturaj CHS, Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz West. 
Time 11 am to 11 pm 
Call 9321055321 
Log on to Swiggy or Zomato to order

1/5 Exceptional, 3/5 Excellent, 2/5 very Good, 1/5 Good, 0.5/5 Average. Kurtosshhh didn’t know we had ordered. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

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