Umami aims to provide healthy, diverse meals to the Hungarian and international student community, and has become much more than a university canteen: the restaurant, which serves Hungarian and international dishes, was included in the “444 Good Places in Hungary” gastronomic guidebook, which collected the best places in Hungary’s regions. We talked to Katalin Nagy, co-owner of the restaurant, which is popular among Pécs and the School citizens, about the beginnings, the past three years, and the goals.
Written by Hanga Kovács
“After the initial difficulties due to the Covid pandemic, we managed to open the restaurant in the new theoretical building of the University of Pécs Medical School at the end of summer 2021. My concept was different from that of the leadership of the School, I wanted to create not only a university canteen, but a community space where students can relax in a soothing environment with a coffee or a delicious lunch”, said Katalin Nagy, co-owner of Umami, who wanted the place to provide students with a kind of second home and community space.
The result is a restaurant that is richer and of higher quality than a canteen, attracting not only students but also people from the city who come every day for lunch or coffee.
The place recently gained national fame when 444.hu published its massive gastronomic guide, “444 Good Places in Hungary”, in which it was named the best Hungarian university canteen.
“Umami’s appearance, with its system of trays lined up at the counter, is reminiscent of well-known Hungarian canteens, but the similarities end there. While there are Hungarian classics on the menu, there are plenty of meat-free dishes to suit contemporary university tastes, and there is always a variety of more exotic dishes, from South Slavic cevapcici to Indonesian rice dishes. It is not fine dining, just a good and quick restaurant where the experience is enhanced by watching the colourful, international student crowd,” says the guide.
The news caught Katalin Nagy entirely off guard, not expecting to be referred to as the “best”, and surprised that a university restaurant would even be featured in a tourism publication. She is proud of the positive review anyway, but the most important feedback for her is the opinion of the students and staff who come to her restaurant every day to eat and drink.
“The weekly menu is written according to the season, consumption statistics and feedback. A 2021 survey initiated by HÖK (Hungarian Student Council) revealed that not only international students, but also Hungarian students would prefer to eat non-typical dishes, i.e. new flavours they cannot find in other restaurants in Pécs. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers, so we are constantly adding new world cuisine dishes to the lunch counter, in addition to the Hungarian ones, so that the offer does not become boring for the people who eat here every day. In addition to lunch, we also offer afternoon meals during the instruction period, which from 2022 until now have been a mezze, a healthy hot and cold buffet where guests can choose from a variety of dishes in small and large portions to suit their tastes.
Twenty-seven people work in the restaurant, starting at four in the morning, so that the salty and sweet pastries, sandwiches, bagels and chia puddings can be ready in time for the café and takeaway fridge, which are sold out every afternoon, as many people eat these dishes not only for breakfast but also for lunch or instead of lunch, especially when they are in a hurry and have no time to stand in a queue. Other staff members arrive at six in the morning and prepare the food for the lunch counter opening at eleven o’clock. The early start and the large number of colleagues are necessary: during the instruction period, 600 guests come to Umami for lunch on average in a day. This number drops to a third at the end of the exam period and in the summer, but the team is still busy: they are often hired to cater weddings, for example.
According to the owner, dishes are prepared from recipes from all over the world. There are Hungarian and other European, Mediterranean, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, American and Tex-Mex dishes. There are also vegan and vegetarian dishes, roasts, pasta dishes, sauced meat dishes and street food on the daily menu, and dairy- and gluten-free options are also available. Katalin Nagy also tries to bring in new soups and main courses every week, usually drawing inspiration from recipe books, international bloggers, and social media. She is also in good contact with international students who personally help her implement certain recipes in the Umami. For example, students from Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and India have taught the restaurant’s chefs how to prepare their favourite dishes. This is how the Palestinian Quidreh, Arayes, Mujadara and Mahshe, the African curry, the Indian Palak Paneer, Pakora and Punjabi chole, or the Korean Kimchi, Dwaejigogi-bokkeum and many other dishes you see at the lunch counter were made.
“For me, Umami is not only a workplace but also a big family because everyone here is accepting, kind and civilised, young people always say hello to me, and I am happy to contribute to making their everyday life better.”
Photos:
Dávid VERÉBI,