Five dishes were selected for the final round of Balaton's Beach Food of the Year contest. The winner was created by a bistro that could stand its ground at many of the world's popular waterside spots.
The Beach Food of the Year competition has been organised since 2015 to reward places that serve innovative snacks around Lake Balaton. Due to culinary improvements in recent years, this year there were more than ten contestants, a record. Here are the results:
The winner of Beach Food of the Year for 2018:
Gofcsi – A Konyhám, Balatonfenyves
The winner of the Discovery of the Year special prize for 2018:
Tiki Beach Bistro – Zamárdi (with the brains on toast course)
The winner
Opened last year, A Konyhám operates on the premises of Balatonfenyves Main Public Beach. Last year they won the Discovery of the Year award with their dish tortizza. This year, they won with gofcsi: a cross between a waffle and a latkes potato pancake. The dough is grilled in a waffle iron and topped with Emmental and goats' cheeses, dried tomatoes, a dollop of sour-cream mousse, then sprinkled with sausage crumbs and duck crackling.
Discovery of the Year
Tiki Beach Bistro is a colourful addition to Zamárdi's public beach. Their brains on toast has a base made with onions and red wine. Tiki won the special prize mostly for its tranquil and friendly atmosphere: the owners are enthusiastic and thorough, both with their cocktails and their unique dishes. The watermelon gazpacho is worth a try on any hot day.
Beach gastronomy at Lake Balaton still has a long way to go, but it seems like it is getting better and better every year. The buffet revolution started out on the north shore – but four out of the five finalists in 2018 were from the south shore.
