Rumour by Rácz Jenő — Restaurant in Budapest

Food quality: 6/10, service: 6/10, value for money: 3/10. Would I return or recommend it to others? The answer is no.

They call it magic, but it’s just a series of cheap tricks – this is how I would describe my visit to the RUMOR restaurant led by Jenő Rácz. It started all shiny, then came the twist: the bar feeling (more like dangling legs towards the end), and the champagne presented as a “gift,” only to appear on the bill at 16,900 HUF/dl – surprise, a little “extra” of 33,800 HUF!

Later, an 8.5 euro retail wine appeared, priced at 2,950 HUF/dl, whose mood-breaking “screw cap” opening even shattered the illusion of a Michelin-starred restaurant. At dinner, we chose a more expensive menu, where the dishes were eye-pleasing - sometimes thimble-sized - but we didn’t find them coherent: Asian, Indian, Hungarian dishes arrived one after another without a concept. The burnt cauliflower and the foie gras were good but not outstanding.

Sitting at the high counter, the waiters struggled to place the dishes – not exactly an elegant sight. Moreover, the staff didn’t have a uniform dress code, which further disturbed the environment’s unity and professionalism. And here’s our ringmaster, the Rolex, I mean the Hublot ambassador – He’s the one who flatters the gold-watch-wearing, pot-bellied entrepreneurs and their lip-augmented companions. His attentiveness has a particular “selectiveness”: only the brightest shine gets the necessary attention. Quite a special circus where the clown doesn’t entertain but shines in the light of gold watches.

At the end of the evening, the bill was 204,000 HUF for two, excluding wine pairings. It’s worth knowing that it’s better to eat before dinner because otherwise, the guest might stay hungry. I felt it was a complete rip-off, a poorly put together show with hidden costs. Instead, I would recommend the SALT restaurant, where we paid about 140,000 HUF for 15 items with a full wine pairing, more intimate service, and a much better atmosphere. After RUMOR, one would rightfully knock at the ticket office for their money back – but this is not a circus, just a restaurant that sadly does not live up to...

We were deeply disappointed with our experience at this restaurant. We came with high expectations, excited to dine at a Michelin-starred establishment, and were fully prepared to pay the listed price of 40,000 HUF per person as stated in the menu.

At the beginning of the meal, two bottles of aperitif were presented to us, and we were asked to choose which one we would like. The way it was offered made it seem like a complimentary gesture to start the meal. The courses then started arriving. Unfortunately, the food was a major letdown. While a few dishes were passable, many were barely edible, and not a single dish truly stood out as enjoyable or memorable. For a restaurant of this caliber, we expected exceptional flavors and creative dishes, but instead, the meal was underwhelming and at times unpleasant.

Throughout the meal, the staff poured water for us without mentioning that it would come at an additional cost. When we received the bill, we were shocked to discover that we had been charged for two bottles of water. At no point were we informed that we were being served bottled water or that opening an additional bottle would incur another charge.

The real shock came with the aperitif and hot beverage charges. It turned out that the aperitif served at the beginning was not complimentary but cost 8,400 HUF per glass. Similarly, the hot beverage offered with dessert was also charged separately. None of these charges were explained to us in advance. Adding to the frustration, the menu provided to us was only in Hungarian, making it impossible for us to fully understand what we were served.

In the end, we paid 1.5 times more than we had anticipated. The only redeeming factor was the friendly and polite service from the staff, who were attentive and professional.

However, the overall experience was extremely disappointing. We left feeling overcharged and deceived. This was far from the level of quality and integrity we expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant. We will not be returning, nor can we recommend this...

I feel I must disclose, first, that the amuse bouche served before the courses was particularly fantastic, and really did a great deal to set the mood for appreciating the food to come.

The atmosphere of the restaurant, in both the physicality and the art selection, unfortunately puts off the kind of pretentious vibe of many restaurants of this calibur. This made it all the more enjoyable when I had the treat of later hearing the chef discuss how such restaurants can often lose the point in their pretension. His intention is to focus first on the deliciousness of each dish, which is sought in balance rather than potency or exoticism of flavor. I believe that this mission serves to ground the flavors here, such that I would credit the chef with being experimental but without requiring the patron to be particularly adventurous in their pallette.

There were many dishes throughout that either my partner or I would generally not be particularly keen on, or would consider perhaps polarizing or divisive. Rather than simply engaging exotic flavors for the purpose of "showing off", the clearly well-traveled chef instead incorporates from the pallette of his experiences. The chef himself admitted that he would be very unlikely to order a cauliflower dish from the menu of a restaurant that would offer a more promising entree, such as a steak or a schnitzel. But here, the cauliflower is served with a beef cheek that is so thoroughly cared for as to make the bites not only as flavorful as if from a steak, but done in a manner that is surprising to the pallette as the beef is dehydrated and grated over the cauliflower, and only truly 'activates' when coming into contact with saliva.

This, to me, is what makes the cuisine particularly commendable: that the intention of deliciousness is pursued with this careful attention to detail.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed some of the dishes, and surprised by how much I enjoyed Rumour. I wish them great success, and eagerly anticipate when I can...