This medium sized place is open all day and so was perfect for us to visit as soon as we hit town around 2:00. It was the lobby of a hotel about 100 years ago. The staff were most gracious even though we were the only guests for a while. In fact both of the men who helped us spoke great English and were very helpful in selecting our meal and wines. Tigris is known for its selection of foie gras dishes which is another reason to get there.

The waiter told us how Hungary is the #2 producer of goose foie gras in the world but 90% of their production goes to France. They produce goose rather than duck foie gras and their producers have abandoned the force feed process for one that uses temperature control to naturally stimulate the geese to eat more. It was a wonderful, reasonable meal with such friendly and fun service – it was the perfect start to our trip and a first class introduction to Budapest.

We started our meal with an amuse bouche of tomato soup that was very tasty and adorned with a crispy piece of bread that added the needed texture to the dish. Their bread tray included a few selections that all were of a softer variety of bread.

 

Then the foie gras sampler that included a piece wrapped in fat (light round one) that was with spicy white cabbage and basil, a simple terrine, foie gras in dark chocolate and a brulee style foie gras which was whipped and had a hard sugar coating on the outside.  All were scrumptious but I think I liked the simple slab the best however the whipped style was a close second. Next we had the roasted foie gras smaller portion that was served with fruits and an exquisite sauce. The chocolate sauce here worked better that the foie coated with it.

 

The pork cheeks with ravioli had foie gras sauce on it but they also brought an extra bowl in case you wanted more and who wouldn’t? The pork was tender and moist and fat free. The cabbage filling in the pasta was almost sweet and made a perfect accompaniment to the dish. The lamb was very tasty and a small enough shank that you could eat it and not be overwhelmed. The cabbage was still slightly al dente and wrapped up tender potatoes that all together made a fun dish.

 

For dessert we ordered a traditional Hungarian cake, Dobos torte, which is milk chocolate with sponge cake. It was served with spun sugar and a divine caramel sauce. It was lovely!