Where Gilvesy wines are accompanied by community

We can now say that you are experienced, as this is your third season at Plant B. What have the past years taught you that you were able to incorporate into this year's operations?

In the first year, we were just trying to see what the place could do with two days a week open. At that time, we mostly saw it as a wine shop, a wine bar, with a snack or two and sometimes parties. Last year was the year when a good system was established, a great regular staff, and we realized how much demand there was for everything. A lot of local people, people who live in the same area, became our regulars, for whom we also extended our opening hours a little.

Last year was also the first year that we opened for breakfast: we noticed that during the summer months, guests almost disappear from places that are not on the waterfront during the day. This is understandable, of course, since they don't like to sit out on a concrete floor in 35-degree heat. So we figured out how to do what had already worked before, in Vánkos: we had a morning service and an evening service, bridged by a siesta. What we expected happened: the morning café and brunch period became popular, and then at five o'clock, when we reopened with the dinner concept, guests also showed up.

In addition to these, we went in the direction of comfort foods. We noticed that our audience does not necessarily want to eat a six-course menu with wine pairings in a seated system, in silence. In a fast-paced world, it works better to let off steam together, have a good conversation and eat comfort foods, all in a relaxed atmosphere.

How did this season start for you?

It absolutely exploded! Easter was our first pop-up weekend, which went incredibly well, and then on May 1st we had the official season opening, with a great weekend. Perhaps the biggest feedback: those guests who only found us in July last year wrote to us this spring to ask when we would be open or what the menu would be. It's a wonderful feeling that there are people who come to us every day: for a coffee, a cookie, a little lunch. We are very happy about this, because we thought that Lake Balaton might not be able to give us this, but B-plant managed to do it.

So far, it has been a colorful community space with an exciting program calendar. Will there be any changes to the organized events this year, or will the old favorites return?

A little bit of both. Those who know us are already used to the Thursday themed evenings, this year these will be aperitivo parties at the Gilvesy estate, where we are also planning cozy sunset picnics. But we are also preparing for the Until Dawn program series, and on Pentecost we will throw a big party with the BUDABEATS team. This year, Hungarian DJs will be coming to us all summer, thanks to Attila Papp, our music curator, who is responsible for the music programs of the B-plant, but more people are coming from abroad as well. Last year, Nikola, who runs the electronic music club Lift Bar in Belgrade, played for us, and it came up that we should do a series together, and we are also very excited about this, because the last party was awesome!

Also, something that has been incorporated into our operations, although we didn't plan it, are weddings. Out of the blue, we've received inquiries from couples who usually want to hold the ceremony upstairs on the estate with a small reception, and then the party until dawn downstairs in the B-plant. This is an absolutely unique concept in the area, especially since the two locations complement each other perfectly.

Tell us a little more about the aperitivo events!

These weekly themed evenings will start in June: last year the theme was the mountain, the year before that it was friends, this year it's aperitivo parties. We'll be serving light snacks, wine and wine-based cocktails, but of course records can't be left out either: at our party every time we play a record, we think that adds to the atmosphere.

If you have already mentioned the Gilvesy estate: why are the wines that come from the volcanic-basalt soil of Mount St. George special?

All the wines are very mineral, you can feel the saltiness of the mountain, and they have a high acidity. We mostly bring white wines, they form the backbone of the offer, but the big crowd favorite is a Kadarka Furmint blend, which when chilled behaves like an exciting rosé, full of beautiful fruity notes, but as it warms in the glass, the spiciness of the Kadarka explodes, and then it shows its red wine side. This year we would like to bring even more volcanic wines, there will be guest wines from other volcanic wine regions, so that we can better demonstrate how the wines of the regions differ.

Will there be a new Gilvesy wine that guests haven't been able to taste yet?

The first rosé Pét-Nat Rougette is already in the cellar, it will debut sometime in the summer. We can also tell you that experimental batches are almost always the first to appear here, so there is always something exciting to taste. Another thing that guests love is that we have a tap where, being a wine place, we do not serve beer, but wine. For example, we started the season with a '25 Furmint, which is the base for Váradi Furmint, but still fresh. Before they put it in barrels, we were given a few kegs, which is a curiosity, because this way you can now taste this very creamy, full-bodied wine in a light, juicy, unfiltered form.

Since non-alcoholic beverages are becoming increasingly popular, I have to ask: what are you doing in this area?

Naturally non-alcoholic drinks are very popular: we have been making Genki water kefir for years as a substitute for pét-nats. We are constantly experimenting with these, and currently we have 3 permanent flavors, Hortobágy wild chamomile, Persian lime, and the hibiscus version. We are now preparing a cascara soda, as well as other small-bottle fermented soft drinks and lemonades. The final acid in these is always provided by verjus, but we try to use grapes and grape leaves as raw materials in other forms.

And what is changing in the food offering, and what is it that you will definitely keep?

Last year, our fried chicken sandwich, the Nemesgulács Fried Chicken (NFC), became a big hit, which we already told you about in the previous conversation. This year, we also added its counterpart, the spicy and kimchi version (KFC), to the menu. These became so popular that we had to put them on the breakfast menu as well. In addition, there are always one or two seasonal vegetable dishes, but favorites such as kimchi-cheese toast, croquetas or stewed fruit juice remain. With these, we have reached the problem that there is nothing left to remove from the menu to add new dishes. We can say in quotation marks that we are struggling with this, because we are actually very happy that guests demand their favorites. What's also new is that we've beefed up our breakfast offerings a bit, and in the winter we experimented with our slow-rising sourdough bread, but we've also kept our gluten-free rice bread from last year.

This year, you have extended opening hours, from spring to autumn. Do you have any other plans in this regard?

Since we've been here, we've been struggling with seasonality. Since Plant B is an industrial building, we felt we had to let go of winter opening hours because we couldn't heat the building. But since we believe that Lake Balaton should be seen in all seasons, we're already working on meeting as many people as possible in winter, not just at the Advent market.

We can see that the area around Szent György-hegy is becoming more and more exciting, for example in terms of programs and the emerging community. How do you experience this from the inside?

We can say that a truly cohesive community has developed here. For example, recently we gathered with the wineries in the area, burned vines together, while roasting potatoes, bacon, and vegetables in the fire while drinking wine. Of course, we have fewer opportunities for this in the summer months, and there is more of a kind of reverse seasonality among us. But in the fall and winter, when the harvest is over and there is less work in the restaurants, we can meet more people who live here all year round or have two homes.

What would you say is missing from the Nemesgulács-Kisapáti-Hegymagas triangle that would be in demand?

Actually, a lot of things. The good restaurants are quite worn out, and this is true not only for this triangle, but for the whole of Lake Balaton. Since we have lived here, two or three good places close every year, and a new one opens in its place. But there would be a demand for it, and we would be happy about it: we do not see each other as competitors here, but rather feel that together we can attract as many people as possible. It would also be great if a good gastronomic community were to develop from people who think similarly to us. Of course, this is very difficult due to seasonality, which is why we encourage everyone to visit here out of season.

Let's jump ahead a bit: 3 years from now, what is different in Plant B and what is unchanged?

The fried chicken sandwich certainly won't change! But let's hope that the number of regulars we have won't either. As we look back at the pictures from two years ago, we see that we are developing organically, starting to populate the space and find what this place is best suited for. In addition, of course, we are also consciously trying to build: this year, for example, a permanent DJ station and a dance floor are being built outside, as well as outdoor sound systems. We will definitely maintain this kind of development, but the backbone of the B-plant – delicious food, good wines and our Oatly ice cream – will not change, and we will build on this.