Fresh Chef Premiers New Menu: our visit at White Salon
A meeting point for past and present
An iconic Budapest building, the spectacular New York Palace was built in 1894. Today, the historical palace is home of Anantara New York Palace Hotel, as well as the world-renowned New York Café and gastro-haven White Salon.
Its lavishly decorated elegant interior features gilded details and soft, lush carpeting.
Both café and salon feature live music, heightening the fine dining experience with soft piano or vibrant Gypsy music.
While New York Café is the epitome of the traditional coffee house, White Salon is modern and features some more experimental gastronomy. White Salon’s cuisine is playful, an exciting combination of international as well as Hungarian inspirations. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Cooking up a storm: introducing executive chef Krisztián Kiss
2025 saw a change of guard at White Salon, when Krisztian Kiss took over the executive chef position. It is important to note that there are in fact two chefs collaborating on the menu, with András Wolf holding the position of corporate chef.
The reshuffle has given us good reason to reevaluate what the restaurant has to offer, and what new direction it is taking on the Budapest fine dining map.
Since that time he’d spent eight years in various positions on the kitchen staff, resulting in a thorough experience of the entire hotel’s operation, an invaluable advantage for this line of work.
Later on he took up an assistant chef position at the legendary Gundel Restaurant, and spent three years working there. With massive table turnover (up to 300 per day) and multiple simultaneous events (4 or 5 daily) it was a challenge just to keep up the pace. By his own account, he’d learned a lot during those years, even while working on the side as a private chef.
Making his return to White Salon as executive chef, he draws inspiration from well-known Hungarian flavors and global cuisine.
Elegance, complexity and a uniquely individual touch
Producing a menu for White Salon is a far more complex task than it might first sound. The challenge lies in playing up to hotel guest expectations on the one hand, and also to those who are drawn here by the Michelin certificate.
Krisztián compiled a gastronomical lineup keeping true to standard forms while giving space to creativity and his own personal style. As a result, some 8-10 new dishes are on the White Salon menu that show off his experimental side.
Chef knows and loves Hungarian cuisine, and it is his go-to for flavors and materials as well as techniques. Yet each dish must be crafted to appeal to international tastes as well.
It wouldn’t have made sense to go for overly elaborate compositions squeezed into tiny but decorative fine-dining portions, nor would traditional home-style platters do justice to these graceful walls.
Chef’s choice
Buffalo mozzarella and fennel, blood orange and toasted focaccia
This is a light, crisp salad dish that fuses Mediterranean flavors. Fennel salad with blood orange dressing, olives, toasted pine nuts and baby basil all harmonize in this flavorful blend.
Chef has brought a twist to the classic tomato-mozzarella combination, to surprise and delight guests.
Salmon trout with cauliflower cream, spring vegetables and saffron butter sauce
Grilled salmon trout with silky cauliflower puree, saffron butter sauce and selected vegetables (Romanesco, cauliflower, asparagus, soy beans, broccoli) perked up with a side of raw shredded cauliflower salad.
This dish showcases how attentive the White Salon is to detail, rendering a simple salmon dish into a special dining experience.
Venison loin and Jerusalem artichoke, parsnips, and sage-gooseberry jus
Venison loin garnished with artichoke puree, blanched and steamed new parsnips in popped quinoa coating, with sage-gooseberry jus.
Using authentic Hungarian ingredients to appeal to an international palate is the essential White Salon concept. Krisztián reckons this is easily accessible cuisine that will engage Asian and Italian guests alike.
There has been a major reshuffle in the desserts department too: many desserts used to be delivered from specialist patissiers, but Krisztián has moved to produce all headlining desserts in-house.
Two of the dessert items are especially enticing lemon tart and cottage cheese dumpling.
The first of the two brings out the menu’s international aspect with an intense and classical dessert, which will be familiar to guests from all corners of the world. Krisztián’s version of this popular treat is elegant, crisp and unpretentious, a perfect fit for the summer season.
Distinctive but uncomplicated, this is a great example of how a genuine Hungarian ingredient like cottage cheese can be presented in a modern and innovative manner.
These are after all essential foods in Hungarian cuisine.
The new menu showcases Krisztián’s own creativity as well. True to his grounding Hungarian foundations, he brings technological precision and a sensitivity to international tastes, bringing a well-rounded balance to this exciting new menu.
Not only is White Salon at the service of hotel guests, but is also open to the general public and welcomes everyone. It is advised to book a table in advance though, at the following contacts:
+36 1 886 6111
guestrelations@cafeandevent.eu
Opening hours:
Monday through Sunday 12:00 - 23:00
