The faces of Balaton in 2014

Balázs Csapody, owner of Kistücsök

'Last time, I went to San Sebastian, where I saw a lot of new techniques. I also went to Italy, which inspired a tomato salad that includes pig's ear. This is a really simple dish, still it was very popular. Another great hit of the summer was the vitalo carpato, a variation of the Italian vitalo tonato from the ingredients available at Lake Balaton. It is a beef done rare, to which we served carp creme and confit tomato. '

Mary Popkids, the winner of the Nagyszínpad Talent Show

WLB: Is Széplak where you tend to hang out when you come to Lake Balaton?

Kama: Yes, Sanyi and I know each other from Balatonszéplak. The joint at the Balatonszéplakfelső train station (called resti in Hungarian) is our favourite place to this day.

Sanyóca: And the cheapest pub of the street.

Kama: Yeah, the pub not far from the resti. It is just a tiny stall with the cheapest possible drinks, but their grilled sausage is so good it always makes me cry.

Sanyóca: I paid HUF 580 for four hosszúlépés (Long Step) fröccses and a sausage, and all of them were freaking amazing. Our song Víztükörben (Reflection on the water) is actually about Lake Balaton. We have more or less grown up at Balaton, we have spent half of our lives here. We consider ourselves Balaton kids.

Margit Kelemen, manager of the Rege Confectionery in Tihany

"I'll tell you a story. There was this couple who came, ordered, and when they got to paying, the man stated he got a spoon of the wrong size with his coffee and went on to test my patience with insignificant, petty complaints. His tone told me that everything had been fine, he was just curious how far he could go. 'How come your wife hasn't killed you yet?', I answered. 'Are you the same at home, hen-pecking all the time?'
He was stunned, he didn't see that coming. They have been returning costumers since, we always have a good chat.'

Marcell Likó, singer of Vad Fruttik

'A friend, who played polo in the Káli Polo Club, invited us. It was a peculiar feeling to appear at the Club in second-hand clothes when others wore Gucci shoes. The contrast was all the more apparent as just before we had visited a noname bar where wine was 30 HUF per dl. It was a positive surprise that in a part of the bars around Balaton you can buy local wine - not just bottled - as well. In the above-mentioned bar, they took us for millionaires because we spent more than 300 HUF.'

Szabolcs Homola, originator of the Paloznak Jazz and Wine Picnic

WLB: You mentioned earlier that your aim is to turn Paloznak into a treasure box of culture.

Szabolcs Homola: Yes, and it is not by accident that we picked this direction: we want to inject some more colour into what Paloznak has to offer in terms of culture and gastronomy. We are also planning on opening a restaurant in Akác next year that is professionally run, but still fun and casual, and a reading nook in cooperation with the local library, where everyone could settle down with a free book whenever they feel like it. An exhibition space has already been opened across the road from the restaurant, showing that the village is interested in building a gastro-cult community with us in the shadow of Füred.

Dániel Gyana, the manager of Bortársaság's Füred joint

WLB: Northern or southern shore?

Dani: I spent my entire childhood near the Balaton, on the southern shore in Balatonfenyves, to be exact, and all of my best memories are connected to the lake. For the longest time I couldn’t imagine what people were digging about the northern side. Then I started exploring the area a bit more and took up a job in Füred, and I’ve been a northern shore convert every since - it is the most beautiful place.

Katti Zoób, fashion designer

Katti Zoób introduced her new collection in the frame of a 1-hour fashion show in Balatonfüred's Gyógy tér this may, and this fashion show also marked the 20th anniversary of the Katti Zoób brand. 'It was no small risk to take: we are not talking about a meticulously prepared commercial show in Budapest. I had had no idea how large my audience would be, but I had also known that I cannot o a 20-minute show in Füred, since those who dress up for the evening and attend would expect the program to last the entire evening. I had immediately fallen in love with Gyógy tér, this prestigious, still intimate open-air venue.The nearby spots had helped a lot with promotion; in the end, 1600 people attended the May show.'

Zoltán Molnár, owner of the Casanove buffet in Vonyarcvashegy

WLB: What was on the menu when you bought the buffet 26 years ago - and in what ways has it changed since?  

Z.M.: 26 years ago only the basics were on offer. We didn't sell a' la carte back then; true, there was neither demand for them. Black pudding, sausage and lángos (fried dough) were trending. Then demands evolved, especially when French fries came rocketing in. For years, guests only ordered fries. Then, with the kitchen upgrades, our options also expanded. Now you can choose from over 200 dishes. Foreign guests are still automatically looking for lángos, goulash and stuffed bell peppers.

Kelemen Kabátban

WLB: We've been informed that the video to 'A Keszthelyi Kikötőben' will be shot by Lake Balaton, perhaps in the Keszthely marina.

Kelemen Kabátban: We can reveal that this will be next song for which we'll shoot a video, because it is a great favourite of ours - but we cannot just go into details.

András Dobai, manager of Kredenc in Balatonfüred

WLB: What are your autumn/winter plans in terms of gastronomy?

A.D.: It used to be somewhat different originally, but now our food selection is deliberately more Mediterranean. We also have to keep an eye on the market. This fits well into our trademark sub-Mediterranean café atmosphere, and so people also know what they can expect. Of course, the selection follows the seasons. Our fresh mixed salads, for example, will be replaced by winter salads, which are just as delicious and healthy.

Bálint Kocsis, the creator of CSIKOS jams

'When a guest comes in off the street and sees all the ships in the harbour, they might immediately think that our menu only includes South American sirloin and other special, exotic dishes. But that’s not at all what holidaymakers here need, what they usually look for is home-made style flavours. They want such items on the menu as letscho and squash stew with a pinch of innovation and creativity. Traditional Hungarian dishes are also featured on the permanent menu, but the weekly special gives me enough room for experimentation. Just like in the case of CSIKOS jams, I prepare my dishes from simple, healthy Hungarian ingredients, which can produce completely new flavours with a few twists. I love to reinterpret food, that is why I flavour potato soup with ginger and coconut, and I prepare beetroot-raspberry risotto with grilled, caramelized pear and salmon with skin or steamed cow’s cheek. You wouldn't in a million years think that basil not only goes with Italian pasta, but also with the hot raspberry sauce we serve with vanilla ice cream, but it is true.

Sena, singer of Irie Maffia

'Back when my daughter was 6-moth-old, I had this flash, I packed a bag and the stroller and we headed down to Lake Balaton without any plans, spontaneously. We strolled around Balatonfüred, picked an accommodation at random, knocked on the door, asked for a room, we slept there and spent four days just the two of us there. This was our first girls' trip, but I'd like to make it a tradition, us going on waterside adventures.'