Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
series of sweets; two of the tasting menus
include some savory dishes as well, if you
want to make a full meal. Wine pairings are
suggested for all of the menus.
Espai Sucre's innovative desserts intro-
duce surprising elements, defying expecta-
tions about what is sweet and what is
savory—you'll find items like a cold soup
with green apple and spicy yogurt ice
cream; an olive oil cake with white peach,
green olive, and cheese; vanilla cream with
coffee, black cardamom, and banana; or a
bread pudding with bacon ice cream and
pineapple. The idea is not to seek a glutton-
ous sugar high but to compare and con-
trast delicate distinctions of flavor. Of
course, Espai Sucre's desserts are spectac-
ular presentations—precisely cut slices of
dense cake stacked with an almost mathe-
matical precision, divided by crisp glossy
wafers, topped with scoops of cream or
sherbet, drizzled with jewel-colored sauces,
garnished with crystallized fruits or sprigs
of herbs, set in dreamy pools of chocolate
or butterscotch or lemon liqueur or what-
ever a creative patissier can dream up.
You don't just drop into Espai Sucre for
a quick nibble—it's the focus of your eve-
ning, an event to be taken seriously. If
you're one of those diners who regrets not
being able to do proper justice to dessert
after a full gourmet meal, then Espai
Sucre's the place for you: Here you can
skip the meal and go straight for the good
stuff.
C. Princesa 53 (
&
34/93/268-1523;
www.espaisucre.com).
(
El Prat (13km/8 miles).
L
$$$
Montecarlo,
Les Ramblas 124
(
&
34/93/412-0404;
www.montercarlo
bcn.com). $$
Duques de Bergara,
Berg-
ara 11 (
&
34/93/301-5151;
www.hoteles-
catalonia.com).
The Baker's Best
477
Gerbeaud Cukrászda
The Pastry Heart of Pest
Budapest, Hungary
Lit up at night, the front of this famous old
cafe on one of Pest's liveliest pedestrian
squares looks almost like a wedding cake,
all white stone arches and sculptural
swags. In days past, Gerbeaud was the
coffeehouse where Budapest's elite gath-
ered to see and be seen; it's much more
democratic these days, though still pricey
(don't expect to see students or ragged
poets occupying the tables for hours).
Sure, it's listed in just about every guide-
book to the city, but Gerbeaud's is one of
those tried-and-true culinary landmarks
that still deserves a visit.
Founded by confectioner Henrik Kugler
in 1858, the cafe moved into this stately
neobaroque building in 1870; it's now
named, however, after Emil Gerbeaud, a
Swiss patissier who was brought in as a
partner in the 1880s and propelled the
cafe to prominence. By adding French ele-
ments like cream fillings and chocolate
coatings to the traditional golden sponge
cakes and fruit fillings of Hungarian des-
serts, Gerbeaud almost single-handedly
transformed Budapest into one of the
pastry capitals of Europe.
The excellent Viennese-style coffees
come in a wide range of flavors, but the
pastries are still the draw, baked on prem-
ises to Gerbeaud's recipes. It's the defini-
tive place to sample classic Hungarian
desserts such as richly layered chocolate
Dobos torte, rum-soaked Punch torte,
salty
pogácsa,
szilvás lepény
(moist plum
pies),
somloi
(sponge cake with whipped
