We previously explored why Villány’s big-hearted reds bridge the gap between Bordeaux's precision and Napa's swagger. And earlier in this series we debunked the myth that Hungarian wine stops at sweet Tokaji. Today we jump from theory to table, specifically, the tables at Newton Circus, Old Airport Road and Jumbo Seafood. Hawker dishes are loud, oily and unapologetically fragrant, so if a wine can thrive here it can thrive anywhere.

Below are three pairings that prove Hungary is up to the challenge.

1. Chicken Rice + Dry Furmint

(Image credit: @manilafoodpics / Instagram)

Poached chicken, ginger-scallion dip and sesame-slicked rice look gentle, yet they can flatten a timid white. Dry Furmints from Tokaj supplies the antidote: green-apple snap, lime-zest acidity and a slate-like mineral edge that rinses the palate without shouting over the dish.

Prep: Serve it fridge-cold, let it warm a touch in the glass, and notice how the wine’s subtle honey and apricot notes echo the silky glaze of the chicken.

Try: Dry Furmint from BoundbyWine

2. Hokkien Mee + Egri Csillag

(Image credit: Hokkien Mee Hunting / Facebook)

Good Hokkien Mee is all about wok-hei + rich prawn stock caramelised around noodles, punctuated by squid, pork lard and sambal. It begs for both aromatics and grip.

Enter Egri Csillag, Eger’s white “Star of Eger” blend. A typical glass offers citrus blossom on the nose and grapefruit, stone fruit energy on the palate, wrapped in a saline twang that mirrors the seafood broth. Its lively acidity slices through lard while delicate florals refuse to clash with sambal. 

Prep: A quick ten minutes in ice is enough, too cold and you’ll mute the perfume that makes the pairing sing.

Try: St Andrea's Boldogsagos 2022 or Maria 2021

3. Crab Two Ways

(Image credit: Wikipedia)

Chilli Crab wears a sweet-spicy tomato based cloak, so it welcomes the same Dry Furmint you poured with chicken rice, but slightly less chilled. The wine’s electric acidity cools the chilli heat while hints of quince and ginger pick up the sauce’s aromatics.

Prep: None. Open straight out of the wine chiller.

Black Pepper Crab is another story. The punchy pepper rub demands a red with savoury bite. Look to Cabernet Franc from Hungary’s Villány region. Blackcurrant fruit, pepper spice and fine-grained tannins echo the dish’s flavour profile without burying the crab’s sweetness.

Prep: Serve at 16 °C. Cooler than Singapore’s “room temperature” for maximum lift.

Try: Gere Attila's Villanyi Franc 2019

Why these matches work?

All three wines share a through-line of high natural acidity and mineral freshness, assets when you’re battling heat, oil or pepper. Furmint’s razor edge slices through fat, Egri Csillag’s aromatic lift offsets smoke and seafood umami, and Villányi Franc’s savoury tannins hook neatly into pepper spice. None relies on residual sugar to cope with chilli, so the matches feel bright rather than cloying.