I arrive in Budapest on the 13th of May 2023, at around 9AM. My Happy Cow app displays many vegan restaurants, but only two open on Saturday, so early in the morning. Both within a 30 minute walk from the train station. The need to use a restroom almost determines me to give up and just enter the nearest cafe. I have later congratulated myself that I didn't.

Mishto Cafe & Deli is a small cafe located on Eotvos Street. I enter and observe that the hosts are sitting at the only existing table on the ground floor. Next to them, there are many flower pots, undergoing a rearrangement or maybe just regular watering. Later on I discover they were actually part of a small zen corner that was being set up under the stairs leading to the first floor, by the owner himself. He is a former sociologist who spent a year in Bucharest, on a Roma integration project. Now he's a vegan chef and makes all the dishes in the display fridge.

Among the sweet sandwiches and tarts, a fake salmon and broccoli quiche catches my attention, so I order one slice. Since they don't have decaffeinated coffee, I order a spirulina latte and go upstairs. Six tables for two, a socket and perfect silence. Great for organizing my next stops. But until then, let's see what's up with that quiche.

How was the food at Mishto Cafe & Deli

The soft dough is thin enough so you don't feel like you're eating too much bread. Although it is not raw, I would have broiled it a little more. On top, there is an interesting composition: broccoli with its predominant taste, strips of carrot, probably pre-cooked, all coming together due to a cream that I could not precisely identify: it could be a vegetable milk thickened with starch or tapioca? Although the creamy filling complements the vegetables very well, I would say the taste is too mild if it weren't for the surprise element: the greenish sauce on top, probably wassabi or horseradish-based. Together, they create a nice balance and the sprouts add a touch of fine dining.

What about the latte, you ask? Sweet, with a gorgeous color and a foam that I envy, knowing it was made out of vegan milk. I would have added some more spices, but I am known for exaggerating when it comes to flavors. In addition to the latte, I also received filtered water. This always brings me joy, because access to water is a fundamental right and should not be turned into a business, in my opinion.

After I finish eating and charging my phone, I spend some time taking some pictures and admiring the local products on the walls. Then, I start heading towards the next culinary destination.

What about the vegan salmon?

You might recall that at the beginning I mentioned the faux salmon and broccoli tart. But in the dish description, there was no salmon. Well, in vegan cuisine, fake salmon is made of cooked thin carrot slices. 

The owner of the place shared the cooking method: he marinated the slices with soy sauce and seaweed and only then added them to the tart. As for the taste, it didn't really resemble salmon, and I'm glad that's the case, because I'm no longer nostalgic for the taste of dead animals. An interesting clarification from him would change my perception again. "I would say that rather the fish tastes like algae, and not the other way around." Of course, he is right. The fish has its specific taste because of the omega 3 fatty acids he gets from the algae. Otherwise, no omega, no fish taste.

But why would we name the marinated carrot - fake salmon, you wonder? Initially, I was also quite annoyed by this practice from the vegan cuisine. But having read an article by Day Radley, a vegan chef from the UK, I understood the perspective: she says that in order to convince as many people as possible to eat vegan food, it is necessary to appeal to various memories that people already have about food. For example, when you say amaranth roe salad instead of amaranth paste, people can more easily evoke a certain taste. And amaranth roe really tastes like fish roe. Similarly, smoked carrot is similar to salmon, but I've had feedback from omnivores that it resembles bacon more than salmon. 

Either way, as long as one more omnivore tries a vegan dish and likes it, I'm happy. No matter what the dish is called and no matter who is offended by that name.