Pancake Day at the Gay Hussar

It is a rare thing in London to feel that where you’re eating is at the centre of something important. While you will spot the odd celebrity at places like the Ivy or the Cinnamon Club, this is not where the real action is taking place.

You will see no world-changing discussions going at these places. This is because those who are at the centre of the decisions that affect all of our lives don’t eat at these places. If you’re looking to watch some hot politician on politician action you come to the Gay Hussar.

This restaurant has long been a favourite with the movers and shakers of Westminster as is evident by the row of caricatures mounted on the walls. If you’re looking to give someone not from the UK a guide to British politics, you could simply come here and use these pictures as a guide to the last 30 years of political life.

But this restaurant is not just a place to be seen at. The only Hungarian restaurant in London serves up some delightful traditional fare. Given that Shrove Tuesday was yesterday, I decided to sample some of their pancakes, or as they are know in Hungary: palacsinta.

I started off with the Hortobagyi Husos Palacsinta. The palacsinta differs from the native pancake and French crepe in being a lot more sturdy. This is because they need to be given that they are stuffed full of different ingredients. The Hortobagyi Husos Palacsinta combines chicken with a delicious sauce. It’s light and a consummate way to start a meal.

For main course, along came something heftier. The Rantott Borjus Palacsinta was a deep-fried pancake with its filling of veal goulash and spinach being exceptionally flavoursome and combining well with the additional potato on the side.

For dessert, I was torn between going for the Gundel Palacsinta, which was walnut pancakes with chocolate sauce, and the more unorthodox Turos Palacsinta, which were sweet cheese pancakes. Eventually I plumped for the Turos Palacsinta, intrigued as I was about how they would turn out.

The revelation was that were very charming indeed, with the filling being light and citrusy.

You may find the atmosphere in the Gay Hussar a little haughty given the clientele. But the food is superb and very good value. Three courses will set you back around £30 and you get plenty of food for your money.

Gay Hussar
2 Greek Street
Soho
W1D 4NB

Tel: 020 7437 0973