The most elegant part of the city, the diplomatic quarter and Heroes’ square, namely Andrássy út, has always been an area where beauty and culture come together. La Perle Noire, a French-style, modern gastronomy restaurant could not be in a better location; inside, refinement goes hand-in-hand with pure elegance.
The Black Pearl
The creative kitchen of La Perle Noire led by Chef László Koncz has become a trailblazer of top-notch Hungarian gastronomy with continuous innovations, drawing on the constant search and sourcing of quality ingredients and its unique food compositions on hand-crafted plates.
This chef from the north-eastern part of Hungary has visited Japan twice, and built up his knowledge by working in well-known Hungarian restaurants including the popular Bábel, Baldaszti’s Grand, and the majestic terrace of the Gerlóczy Café, before finally arriving at La Perle Noire just in time for the opening.
László learnt from his master, István Pesti, all there is to know about preparing and serving dishes at a refined, chic and elegant restaurant: a balanced and unique blend of flavours, with breath-taking colours and compositions on the plates.
The owners, Szilvia Szarvas and András Gendur, have found an ideal partner to entertain guests in the shape of bar pianist József Csikós, who plays several days a week in the restaurant with his musician friends – including Károly Ökrös from the Budapest Bár band, or Péter Kurzbelt
from the Showder Band – creating a true lounge-like atmosphere.
Health awareness at the highest level
The health-conscious menu is a remarkable feature, as the restaurant strives to be a popular place for those with a gluten and lactose intolerance, or who avoid sugar altogether. “Reform” dishes prepared specially for them were dreamt up by the attentive chef so that the flavours are of the same fine-dining quality as traditional dishes.
Montmartre and Budapest
“We imagined this all to be a top-category yet affordable French restaurant, somewhere in the dreamlike streets of Montmartre…even though our windows do not look onto the Sacre Coeur, the beauty of Andrássy út compensates for it all” – says András, recalling his memories of the very beginning.
Photos by László Balkányi