Purchasing is no challenge today even for specialised restaurants

There are a great number of materials used in kitchens of specialised restaurants which are not easy to purchase, even if they are sold in Hungary or in one of the neighbouring countries. Most of the restaurants referred to as “exotic” mainly use materials which are available here and the sources are not too exotic either. Bukhara Bar, the first Uzbeg restaurant in Budapest purchases all materials in Budapest . According to restaurant manager Erika Kartenkó, Hungarian lamb is of very good quality and the vegetables and fruits available in Hungary are also suitable for use in Uzbeg dishes. They can also find all the spices they need in Vásárcsarnok. The Indian restaurant Maharaja, the Nepalese Himalaya, or the Indonesian Nusantara all purchase spices abroad, but get their meat from local sources. Pampas Argentin Steakhouse is a place where meat itself is the speciality, which needs to be bought in Vienna. Sometimes – in an emergency – they also buy tenderloin in Hungary which is from Uruguay or Brazil, but it is not the same stuff. Vienna is not only a source of Argentine tenderloin. Far Eastern restaurants usually also buy their spices in Vienna and even Hungarian chefs and purchasers travel to Vienna regularly, as if we still had the Monarchy. The same goes for premium restaurants with an international cuisine which only use the best materials. Palapa, the Mexican restaurant in Szentendre is a special example. They are supplied with spices by a Slovakian business which makes deliveries across the border. The vegetarian restaurant Éden uses the same materials as conventional restaurants, only a lot more fresh vegetables and practically no frozen ones. The only real challenge would be to supply restaurants specialising in bio-meals using ecologically produced materials. There are not many of them in Hungary, however.
Ilona Stüberl, a Hungarian restaurant in Vienna buys many of its materials in Hungary. According to Mária Fodor, manager of the restaurant, they purchase granulated pastry with eggs from Tesco or Interfruct, plates, cups and ashtrays from Kalocsa, and crackling cones from Első Magyar Pékpont-rendszer Kft. in Szigetszentmiklós. Unicum Next and premium pálinkas are purchased in Budapest or Mosonmagyaróvár, from the wholesalers Family-Friss.