Cucumber salad dumped into stew: Hungarian restaurant opens 10,000 km from Budapest!
Deep in Malaysian Borneo, in a coastal port town that once served as the seat of local rulers, a Reni and Gábor has launched a stunning Hungarian restaurant after moving there with their child to embrace life on this exotic equatorial island. At this spot for Hungarian delights, you can savour authentic home flavours – and even lend a hand or get help yourself if you’re in a bind.
Python on the roadside
Reni and Gábor’s jaw-dropping adventure was spotlighted by Szeretlek Magyarország. In 2022, after criss-crossing the island, the couple decided to settle in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, through the “Sarawak My Second Home” programme. However, their child’s student visa was delayed, pushing their move back to 2023.
They reckon they’re the only Europeans for miles around, so locals greet them warmly everywhere. Open-hearted themselves, they were welcomed with open arms. Nature threw curveballs, though – giant forest cockroaches darting across the floor is par for the course, and the local WhatsApp group buzzes with warnings about roadside pythons that school kids need to dodge.
Luckily, no mishaps struck, and they soon made mates. One friend’s rave reviews of their home-cooked Hungarian grub sparked the idea: open a local Hungarian eatery.
Hungarian paprika? Impossible to source
Neither had restaurant experience – Reni’s a drug researcher, Gábor spent 20 years at Hungary’s National Investigative Bureau. Undeterred, they teamed up with that friend to birth Paprika Paradise. Ironically, everyday TV peppers from home are nowhere to be found, so California peppers step in as the base. They even bake sourdough bread and whip up sour cream themselves – local versions just don’t cut it for flavour or quality.
Do they eat or drink the dumplings?
The menu brims with familiar Hungarian favourites: goulash, chicken stew with dumplings, Hortobágy crêpes, tarragon chicken ragout soup, and vegetarian paprika potatoes. Puds include Esterházy cake or chimney cake. Respecting Malaysia’s Muslim ways, no pork dishes – so anyone can pop in worry-free.
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Locals’ reactions? Mostly thrilled, though often puzzled. Hungarian cuisine feels lighter compared with the oily and sugary Malaysian and Chinese staples many are used to.
A true Malaysian oddity
Malaysians gawk at the dumplings, and most mix cucumber salad straight into the stew. So the owners make educating a mission, explaining the proper way to enjoy these treasures whenever they can.
The local Hungarian crowd is tiny but loyal, popping in regularly alongside tourists.
Reni and Gábor dream of the place running itself so they can step back – but that’s a pipe dream for now. It’s still losing money, so they both pitch in daily.
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Helping hands for all
The restaurant champions a social cause too. Partnering with Budapest’s Billog eatery, they serve the Angel Shot cocktail – a discreet signal for abuse victims to get help. Owners collaborate tightly with local groups and police. Diners can also pay it forward, buying for a stranger; the receipt goes on the Angel Board for anyone in need to claim at the till.
No homeward plans yet for Reni and Gábor. They’ll stay as long as Kuching feeds their souls and fuels growth. But a bet on being there in ten years? Don’t hold your breath.
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