An out-of-this-world taste journey with a Hungarian voice, or we tasted the spring Balaton in the Kistücsök!

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Szabó Sára

Legendary products can be born from a well-chosen cast – when everyone does what they do best. To illustrate: when László Jahni and chef Roland Kasza are responsible for the fine dining tasting menu, Balázs Csapody, the owner of the Kistücsök Food&Room in Balatonszemes, provides the right milieu, and József Vinkó, editor-in-chief of the Magyar Konyha (Hungarian Cuisine), entertains the audience with his witty gastronomic stories, then something special is born. And what called this cast to the same stage: the Taste Balaton festival in the spring.

The first Taste Balaton festival took place in March 2024 with the collaboration of 26 wineries, restaurants, “gastrohotels” and museums on Lake Balaton. The experimental gastronomic and cultural event proved that one of our favourite lakes, perhaps for many of us, is not only exciting in summer, in fact, it shows perhaps one of its most beautiful faces in spring. The ten-day programme series was a unanimous success, so there was no question that it would be continued.

In 2025, Taste Balaton once again “kicked off the festival season” between 7 and 16 March: the series of events took place with even more participants and sold-out programmes, from morning brunches to cooking workshops to joint pottery making. The Balaton gastronomic festival showed again that the region's vibrant culinary and cultural life offers special experiences even in spring.

An out-of-this-world experience from local ingredients, in a local restaurant!

Among the more than a hundred events, the programme of the Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated Kistücsök Food&Room provided an outstanding experience, where during the interactive dinner evening called Hungarian Cuisine, guests could not only get to know the flavours of our country, but also its stories. The seven-course tasting menu, complemented by alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink pairings, guided the participants into the world of Hungarian gastronomy, with the witty and informative narration of József Vinkó, editor-in-chief of the Magyar Konyha (Hungarian Cuisine).

The event was hosted by the Chef's Room with a show kitchen at Kistücsök Food & Room, where guests could follow every move of chefs László Jahni and Roland Kasza up close. The space specially designed for this purpose not only allowed a look behind the scenes, but also gave participants the opportunity to ask questions directly about ingredients, kitchen technology solutions, or even drink pairings.

Seasonal and local ingredients have been given a prominent place in the menu such as Angus beef, quince, potatoes, beetroot, perch, wild garlic, cabbage, carrots and green apples. These dishes were served with carefully selected wine pairings from renowned Balaton wineries: Figula Winery, Garamvári Vineyard, Kékajtó Winery, Kislaki Wine Manufactory, Söptei Winery, Váli Winery and Villa Tolnay.

The non-alcoholic beverage line deserves special mention, which has been gaining more and more attention in Hungarian gastronomy in recent years. The bergamot water kefir, pine bud kombucha, and fermented kohlrabi lemonade not only provided a special taste experience, but also offered an exciting alternative for those who wanted to try something new in addition to or instead of wine.

“Not all of our drinks are made with fermentation, but we use fermented ingredients for all of them. For example, for the raspberry-beetroot drink, we add cider vinegar vinegar from Zöld Bagoly Farm in Pécsbagota, while for the kohlrabi lemonade, we use kohlrabi juice fermented in the restaurant. The fermented cabbage juice and the pine bud syrup used in the kombucha are also made on site.”

– says Rebeka Pélyi, sommelier at Kistücsök Food & Room.

For a long evening: comfortable rooms and a perfect breakfast

Those who come to the restaurant and programmes of the Kistücsök Food&Room will not have to wonder where to sleep after long evenings full of experiences. The accommodation, which opened in 2021, awaits those who want to relax with 19 modern, neat rooms and 2 elegant suites. The comfortable rooms provide perfect background for complete relaxation.

Mornings at Kistücsök in Balatonszemes can also offer a special experience: guests staying here can enjoy a breakfast made from fresh ingredients from local producers. In addition to cold dishes, we heartily recommend the “perfect soft-boiled egg”, the freshly baked cocoa roll, and the home-made jams, with which every bite evokes the flavours of the Balaton region. Breakfast is not only filling, but also a gastronomic experience, which is a worthy continuation of the evenings spent at Kistücsök Food & Room.