You won't be left Hungary

Published 6 Mar 2010 09:00 0 Comments

Food review by Mike Swift

A GROF Feje. Or if you live in the village of Sunninghill, you may know it better as The Dukes Head, a pub in Upper Village Road that was taken over in September last year by Krisztina Jando, Andras Rajk and their daughter, Reka, from Budapest.

Originally from Hungary but more recently from Oxford, they have introduced traditional Hungarian cuisine to the regular and pizza menu. A stark contrast for the former Thai restaurant.

The Guide sent us down to 'A Grof Feje' to try some of the Hungarian specialities on offer.

The first thing I look for on a Hungarian menu is goulash and there it was, "original Hungarian and homemade", as the first item.

It was served in a massive bowl with plenty of meat and potatoes and a side plate of white bread, which was absolutely magnificent on a cold lunchtime. At £6.95, it was an absolute bargain.

The other dish we tried was Bakony-style pork loin steak. It was served in a soured creamy and paprika sauce and came with gnocchi, a soft pasta made with potato. Again great value at £7.95.

For dessert we had chocolate-covered pancakes with a walnut filling and strawberries. Absolutely yummy.

There are a total of five traditional Hungarian dishes on the menu, the others being corn-fed chicken breast, made Hentes-style, which is with mushroom, gherkin, smoked bacon and ham in a creamy wholegrain mustard sauce. This is served with mashed potato and costs £7.95.

A soured cabbage and pork stew is served in the creamy paprika sauce with pork meat balls and white bread again at £7.95.

For the true carnivores, they have sirloin/rib-eye steak served in a Budapest ragout. A pepper, tomato and onion base (Lesco) cooked with smoked bacon, garden peas and chips. A steak a la Budapest for £11.45.

The Duke's Head is drawing customers from all the local towns and the Hungarian menu has been an immediate success.

The trio claim to have the nearest Hungarian restaurant to London. They can accommodate vegetarians on all the dishes except the goulash, as this word translates as 'somebody who looks after cows' in Hungarian.

The atmosphere in the bar/restaurant is relaxed and very homely with nice decor, sofas and soft lighting.

For those who do not want to try the Hungarian menu, there is a pizza menu and a traditional pub menu too. For me though it was the goulash all the way.

Location: 2 Upper Village Road, Sunninghill, Ascot, SL5 7AG.

Phone: 01344 873472 or see www.dukesheadpubascot.com

Open: Food is served Tuesday to Sunday, noon-3pm and 7-10.30pm.

Parking: Nearby.

Prices: Bar menu £4.25-£11.45, pizza menu £6.95-£7.95, Hungarian menu £6.95-£11.45.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 04 Mar 10

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