Tasting and sharing Mediterranean-style

With night-time views across the Danube over to Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge, dining at the Marriott after dark feels like a special occasion in itself. However, the “Friday Night Selection on the Duna Corso” combines all the freshest flavours from the Mediterranean Grill coupled with locally sourced ingredients, top-quality meat and seafood, and a concept that combines a tapas-style tasting menu with á la carte dining, turning a group dinner at the Peppers! Restaurant into a festive affair.

 

Diners are seated and treated to a selection of aperitifs, which can include a Sparkling Cosmo, which combines gin, sparkling wine and cranberry juice to get the buzz going, or a non-alcoholic cocktail. Yet, for wine purists in search of something a little more classic, there is the choice between a dry Chardonnay and a glass of sparkling wine.

 

The concept of the Friday Night Selection is not a tasting menu in the traditional sense of the word, but in fact it offers a relaxed dining experience that allows you to sample the best the chef has to offer, while still retaining a sense of control over your meal.

 

 

 

First, an appetiser selection is served “to share” on the table. The Friday night menu is ideal for groups – either big or small – since a multi-tiered tray of bite-sized portions is set down to sample. This keeps your flavour palette on its toes with new explosions of aromas and textures, while stimulating conversation with those around you about what you have just eaten.

 

A mouthful of a succulent goose liver slice, garnished with sautéed orange and dried prunes in red wine, uses the tartness of the fruit to cut through the richness of the liver, as the ingredients complement each other’s textures and tastes.

 

The marinated pear with honey and ginger wrapped in a slice of Serrano ham and coriander maple syrup is a conversation starter if treated as a blind taste test, since its complex flavour pairing makes it hard to discern the ingredients.

 

 

 

 

For winter comfort, the shot of nutty pumpkin cream soup helps to blast the outside cold away. The starters are a continuous experience of tantalising flavour pairings and textures, where the Mediterranean kitchen plays with the fringes of avant-garde. This sharing table embodies the communal atmosphere of the Spanish tapas tradition, while maintaining a sense of relaxed elegance.

 

The main courses, however, are chosen à la carte from a list of dishes, including roasted duck breast, cranberry sauce garnished with fresh apple salad, almonds and served up with homemade fries; grilled seabass fillet topped with lemon dressing accompanied with pumpkin risotto and salad; or the vegetarian-friendly seared white polenta cakes with paprika purée and garden vegetables, among other choices.

 

As with the starters, the dessert is served up in a similar vein to the appetiser plate, complete with a selection of sweet bites and cakes from the master pastry chef at the Peppers! Restaurant, complemented with a selection of assorted cheese. Bursts of hazelnut truffle, a raspberry gateau, lemon cake and many more that vary in flavour on a daily basis, make the perfect end to the meal. For those who are a fan of cheese, slices of Savarin, goats cheese, Stilton and Camembert are served up alongside a spicy, horseradish chutney and fruit.