I’m pulling a fairly long bow here by adding Kurtosh to my Doughnut Blog, DomNuts. However, I’m willing to include them here because they do have distinct doughnut qualities.
Kürtősh is a small chain of Hungarian coffee shops that make their own pastries. Drop in for a cake and coffee. The ambiance is nice and rather trendy, welcoming and friendly. Having said that, the staff at the Surry Hills store when I went were a bit ragged, I’d say a few uni students making a living, and good for them, but they could be a bit more like they want to be there. They should wear, for example, all black, but the staff were just in very plain clothes, and by very plain I mean unprofessional.
They cleverly cook the Kurtosh chimney cakes in the front window – a smart piece of marketing – very eye catching as you walk past.
The Kurtosh chimney cake is cooked while you wait, so mine took about 10 minutes to arrive, and was worth the wait. It was warm and the aroma was lovely. I chose the cinnamon, but they have a choice of about 6 flavours.
The shell was crispy with a light cinnamon sugar coating. It worked well with the bread-like interior. In fact as I was eating it, I couldn’t help but feel that it looked like someone got a slice of bread and squashed it with a rolling pin – that’s how much like bread it looked.
My first thought was that it was bigger than I really wanted, and I was right. Before I finished I had had enough. I think it is best eaten with a coffee to break up the taste. I felt like another taste in my mouth would have helped, so it would have been nice if they were served with say an ice-cream side, or a bit of custard filling, like a cannoli.
They sell other cakes and pastries that are sold by weight, and all look very plain but somehow tempting, perhaps because they aren’t overly vamped up with coloured icing, nor do they look too perfect. I am always wary of a sweet that looks too perfect – I prefer that homemade appearance.
A few more words about the overall experience…
The plate my Kurtosh arrived on was cracked and chipped – not a good look. They have stools for chairs, so obviously want a younger clientele. They had samples of their cakes and pastries on the service tops, and people were taking hands full to have with their coffee – why buy a cake when the samplers are there in abundance?
Another word about the store – I have been searching for the Wollongong store for some time. Every time I travel there, I look for Kürtősh but I can’t find it. I have stood in front of the exact spot where the maps say it is – maps being the Westfield store directory and Google Maps. It’s not there. Where are you, Wollongong Kürtősh, where are you? If you can give me a pinpoint direction, please add it below.
Kurtosh, 604-606 Crown St, Surry Hills
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