1. 14 Wizz magazine october/november 2012
O
n the corner of Paulay Ede Street,
at no. 48, is a most unlikely
apparition – a shop that looks
as if it belongs more in a fairytale than a
side street in central Pest. In the centre of
Sugar! (+36 (0)1 321 6672, sugarshop.hu)
is a tree made of giant lollipops sprouts,
and along the walls candy dispensers are
crammed with sweets of every hue. “We
wanted to bring something contemporary,
cool and wild to Budapest’s sweet scene,”
says Sugar! CEO Gergely Lábady. Together
with cake designer Eszter Horváth, who
is from a well-known confectioner family,
she’s done just that. Horváth’s surreal
creations run from desserts shaped like
hamburgers to chocolatey ‘popcorn cakes’,
while the new Paris-themed collection
features Eiffel Towers, edible flowers and
playful cancan dancers.
The newest bakery-café on the block,
Lila Körte (Kecskeméti Street 2, +36
(0)1 501 1833, lilakorte.hu), takes a
similarly innovative approach. Its coolly
minimalist décor and sleek purple
chairs are a world away from the city’s
traditional coffeehouses – as are the
flavour combinations behind the counter.
“Everyone’s looking for something new
and exciting, and we can offer that,” says
Katalin Sipos, the designer and dessert
maven behind Lila Körte (its name means
‘the purple pear’). “There’s an exciting
dessert and pastry scene taking off now,
but this is just the cusp of it.” Sipos is a
master of unusual combinations: the
Rose-Mary is a rosemary and apricot
cake layered with Bavarian vanilla cream,
while the white chocolate cheesecake is
subtly spiked with dill. If those sound too
outré, the café also does a fine line
in classic cakes, such as rich Esterházy cake
and poppyseed-plum squares.
Another newcomer to the scene is
Péter Oczella. Last year he and his wife
Éva opened La Delizia (Jókai Street 13,
+36 (0)30 304 0531, ladelizia.hu),
Hungary’s first boutique biscuit producer.
“Our aim is to reignite our customers’
palates,” he explains. The pair’s revisionist
cookies and cakes often feature unusual
pairings such as rosemary and vanilla
or chocolate and chilli, while the giant
lavender-cream macaroons have a cult
following. First-rate, natural ingredients
and additive- and preservative-free recipes
are the secrets of the company’s success,
says Oczella. “And if it’s all natural, it’s not
cheating on your diet”
We couldn’t agree more.
food & drink
sweet success in budapest
Words by Anna J. Kutor
La Delizia Lila Korte
Sugar!