Mandula Étterem és Borbár

In the heart of Villány, Attila Gere and his family have been expanding and refining the Crocus Hotel and its restaurant, Mandula, for decades. What once began as a simple tasting cellar with a few guest rooms has since grown into a four-star hotel, complete with a wellness area, restaurant, terraces, and a wine bar. The wine list features exclusively wines from the Gere Winery, apart from a selection of sparkling wines and Champagne - and includes vintages that would intrigue even connoisseur wine enthusiasts. The winery also offers its own grape seed oil and verjus, which have been incorporated into the menu and also employed as ingredients for cocktails. The menu is well thought out, reflecting the family’s Swabian roots while drawing inspiration from great ideas picked up from around the world. It’s a delight to see Sülze (a type of aspic) with lentils on the menu—a true rarity in restaurants. The veal tongue with vegetable quiche and horseradish foam is another bold and flavourful pairing. The stifolder butter sauce had the potential to complement the char trout equally well, but the distinctive taste of this Swabian-style sausage just didn’t shine through enough. A bolder approach to seasoning would certainly elevate the kitchen’s rating. Restaurants like this - family-run ventures where warm hospitality meets Swabian precision - are much needed in the countryside.