This week we'll take a little break concerning specific international cuisine and we'll have an overview of what we have learned and what is yet to come. Naturally, I found the perfect shop for that occasion! Culinaris is located in the very heart of Budapest, in Balassi Bálint utca, a minute away from our beautiful Parliament building. The characteristic of this colorful food store is that it offers delicacies from almost every national cuisine. It can be very handy for a gastro-geek like me to find everything at the same place and not having to fish specific ingredients from different delis scattered around the city. Let us now get carried away with the diverse tastes of Culinaris!
The fact that this store is often labeled as "The Academy of Flavors" is not an accident, as the first thing you see when you enter Culinaris is the welcoming atmosphere of the small and comfy restaurant attached to the delicatessen shop. I know this is an unusual start and I should concentrate on the ingredients, but I promise we'll get there. With this I only want to highlight the opportunity of tasting some specialties of this restaurant for two reasons: firstly, because they are not as expensive as you would expect it to be; and secondly, because most of the ingredients they use are freshly acquired from the store right next door, and you can get new ideas and interesting recipes from the menu. Personally, although I LOVE cooking for myself and other people, I really enjoyed relaxing next to a great meal that someone else prepared for me.
Now let us move towards the offer of the store itself! The first thing I must say about the interior design is that I find it very logical and decorative at the same time. There are three "chambers" of shelves on the left hand side, all of them containing specific types of ingredients. The first row right after entering offers coffee specialties, all sorts of chocolate, and several types of sweets from different countries. On the right hand side there is a floor to ceiling shelf covered with all sorts of wines and alcoholic beverages from various parts of the world. Here you can find anything from the thick and sweet wines of the tropical belt to the sourer and complex flavors of northern colder climates. It is also a very good thing that you can find many types of wines ranging from a variety of prices, so you don't necessarily have to pay tens of thousands of Forints to get something tasty served in or with your meal.
The second "chamber" reveals dry ingredients, different types of flours, peas, beans, and other grains on the left hand shelf. In the center you can find a wide selection of different types of teas. Now, there are brands that you can actually find in The British Store or Asia Shop, too, but each of these shops has some brands that the others don't sell. So, if you really want to make decision based on a thorough inspection of all the different types of teas sold in Budapest, I suggest you visit all of them and look around. On the right shelf there are thicker fluid-based ingredients like sauces, pastes, and tinned food. Here you can find anything from barbecue to mole, just pick any international meal!
On the third "chamber's" left shelf there are the packaged baked goods of different nations like tortillas and naans. The center shelf is again the highlight: the spices. Okay, it is probably not as big as the one in Asia Shop, but each and every one of them is a quality ingredient, and also the ones with green wrapping are organic. The right shelf contains less dense fluids, for example, different oils and vinegars. This shelf is also very useful, because there are many types of superb quality olive oils from the full-flavored denser version to the clear extra virgin for salad dressings.
Meanwhile, on the right hand side of the shop itself begins the long refrigerator shelf with its frozen ice-creams and other goodies and ends with the dairy section which leads us to our final "chamber" on the left hand side. On the left shelf of this one there are different types of fizzy non-alcoholic beverages, like Dr.Pepper or ginger beers, and various fruity syrups (again, most of them are organic). In the center and back shelf there are different types of seasonal fruits and vegetables that can rarely be found in regular markets. I have to note that because of their shipping they can become expensive, but if you need specific legumes like sweet potatoes or avocadoes this is definitely the place for you. On the right refrigerated shelf there are additional fresh herbs and salad ingredients as well as special fruits like blueberries.
And it is not over here, because if you enter the next room you find yourself in front of a twenty-meter-long counter. On the left side there are different types of very fine hams, salamis, and cold cuts and opposite that part of the counter you can find freshly baked pastry in the baskets on the wall. The center of the counter right in front of the entrance of this room has a variety of different types of olives, capers and other southern oily berries. On the right hand side you can find many types of cheeses from different parts of the world, again, with a variety of prices. I have to say that I was highly impressed with the staff behind this counter as they are truly a 100% helpful with all customers. They are really good at suggesting different types of ingredients for the food you want to cook and they even offer a small bite of everything if you want to taste the goods.
All in all, I think Culinaris is a wonderful delicatessen shop on many levels: it sells many types of products from all parts of the world at one place, it has prices to suit everyone's pocket, a very logical and easy-to-get-by arrangement, a very friendly and helpful staff, and a restaurant where you can try out the meals that can be cooked using the ingredients from the store. I believe this type of store is very convenient to any person who is on the rush and yet wants to cook something unique and delicious. Culinaris truly deserves to be called "The Academy of Flavors".
Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 9:00-20:00
Sunday: 10:00-18:00
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