World Food Thursdays

Country No. 21: Czech Republic

 

Czechoslovak Restaurant, West End Lane

 

Attendees: Becky, PK, Ben, Kim, Lee, Ellen (venue chosen by Lee)

 

£25 a head

 

It was all change for World Food Thursdays as Lee retook the helm. Distracted by the birth of their beautiful new-born Poppy and Maor made themselves unavailable for selection however we were delighted to welcome Becky and PK back into the fold. After a 5 month hiatus World Food’s most entertaining couple are back, and back with a bang.

 

The Czechoslovak Restaurant is located in a converted house steeped in history on a suburban stretch of West End Lane in West Hampstead. Most of the evenings attendees remarked that they had driven past the place numerous times, noticed the welcoming Czech statue and the Gambrinus sign outside, and been curious as to what was hidden inside. Finally they had an excuse to find out.

 

The restaurant is one of several attractions this Eastern European outpost has to offer, others include a bar and a meeting room. The restaurant itself, appropriately enough, takes up a space that would most likely have been intended to be the dining room if the building was used for its original purpose. A jovial atmosphere was maintained with several of the tables taken by young Czech couples and groups.

 

As attention turned towards the menu a tangible sense of excitement could be felt. Each attendee had at some point been to the Czech Republic and pouring over the numerous options brought back fond memories. The engaging waitress swiftly delivered glasses of white wine and both Dark and Light bottles of Budvar. The menu itself eschewed starters, or small plates, in favour of hefty portions of meat accompanied with bread or bready dumplings however we still managed to locate a few dishes that could be used to whet our appetites. Smoked sausage arrived swiftly after, a solitary sausage on a bed of lettuce served with a slice of thick bread. The sausage certainly lived up to its smoky billing however it may have benefit from a little more time out the frying pan and into the fire. The other options, potato pancakes (widely appreciated) and Langos (much less so, the overbearing mayonnaise taking away from the dish for some) set us up nicely for the mains.

 

Deciding to order together and share and share alike we ordered Chicken Schnitzel, Smoked Pork Knuckle, Beef Goulash, Roast Goose, Svickova and Halusky. As each dish was placed on in front of the eager gastronaughts the levels of enthusiasm visibly diminished, most likely because people were fearing for their stomachs as heavy, creamy, meaty plate was followed by heavy, creamy, meaty plate. The pork knuckle, partially covered by a thick black slab of fat melted in the mouth, although it has to be said it could have done with a sauce to provide a bit of lubrication. The Halusky was essentially macaroni cheese, a little bit disappointing given the English description was potato pasta lumps. The Goose, Goulash and Svickova were similar in their presentation, a tender, slow cooked piece of meat served in a thick sauce and accompanied by huge bready dumplings. The goulash lacked the kick expected from this famous dish while the Svickova was unsettlingly sweet – the goose however was delicious. Although clean plates were sent back to the kitchen the general consensus was that the kitchen staff could have been a bit more liberal with the salt.

 

Somewhat surprisingly we still had room for dessert, one a piece in fact. We ordered 3 helpings of apple strudel, 2 chocolate pancakes and one solitary apricot dumpling. Again the dishes themselves were a bit disappointing, most served cold. In spite of this plates were, again, sent back empty. Finally to finish the evening in style Ben, Lee and PK indulged in a shot of Becherovka – a widely consumed local spirit.

 

Czech Facts:

• The Czechs are consistently the biggest consumers of beer in the world drinking over half a pint per day per capita. They have held this title since records began.

• The Czechs are so fiercely protective of their beer that in the 13th century the theft of hops was punishable by death

• The city of Prague has twice been overthrown by an act of defenestration, literally throwing somebody out of a window