Bilanx

One of 2024’s greatest culinary surprises. As if sprung fully formed from the earth, it appeared with no prior fanfare – fresh, bold and brimming with intent. Bilanx is the Latin word for scales and is a nod to the address on Mérleg (i.e. Scales) Street. The entrance may perplex: we missed the door entirely and knocked sheepishly on a window before finding our way in. The concept had been simmering for years but recent upheavals helped bring it to the boil. Chef Péter Horváth sharpened his skills in top European kitchens, while his good friend and now business partner, Balázs Jobbágy, made his name in advertising. Together they pooled their creative energies – and Bilanx was born. The interior is unconventional, even enigmatic. Stepping inside feels like entering the set of an avant-garde art film: cool, cerebral, bordering on aloof. But the plot twist arrives swiftly: what first seems austere soon becomes warm and welcoming, thanks to a guest experience that quietly speaks volumes. It’s rare to find a place where humility, not ego, powers the ambition – in both kitchen and service alike. Plating follows a Nordic aesthetic, while the flavours roam freely across borders, rooted in French technique and rich, rounded tastes – never timid, never showy. Full-bodied, clear-headed, and firmly planted in the now. Even the slightly dystopian visual language softens once the first forkfuls arrive. A dish of “cucumber, almond, chilli oil” comes with instructions: slice, stir, enjoy. Visually surreal, but the flavours hit home. Mangalitsa with choron sauce (a tomato-laced béarnaise) is a fine lesson in balance – or bilanx. A dessert of key lime tuile, made from the feistier Mexican lime variety, is pure summer: cheeky, punchy, and refreshingly unphilosophical. Bilanx belongs to a new wave of fine dining, let it carry you on its currents.