La Méditerranée "Chez Michele"
Where: Šancová 70, Bratislava
Tel: 02/5262-5237,
Open: Mon-Sun, 10:00-22:00,
English menu: Yes,
Reservations: Yes,
Rating: 7 out of 10
VERY unfortunately located on one of Bratislava's busiest roads, hidden among many administrative buildings, Chez Michele has a hard time catching the attention of potential customers. But when you descend the stairs to the basement restaurant, you find a quiet and simple place with friendly wait staff, ready to satisfy your hunger for Mediterranean specialities.
Starters include goat cheese with avocado, tabbouleh, hummus, and other Mediterranean specialities, while the main courses include fish fillet with sesame sauce (samakah harrah), simple and balanced in taste, and the restaurant's version of the Middle Eastern staple kebab (yogurtlu kebab), in the form of balls of minced meat and served with yoghurt sauce. Also featured are two kinds of paella, several kinds of pasta, seafood dishes, and many meat dishes.
Despite the Mediterranean food, the basement is rather chilly and the decoration does not bring back too many holiday memories. Nevertheless, the menu and friendly service are inviting enough to get customers to return and try the other dishes on offer.
Restaurant Woch
Where: Františkánske námestie 7, Bratislava
Tel: 02/5443-2927,
Open: Mon-Sun, 11:00-24:00,
English menu: Yes,
Reservations: Yes,
Rating: 8 out of 10
AROUND the corner from the main square in Bratislava, the building that houses Woch has a 13th century medieval basement and upper floors from the baroque era. Its interior, which has an arched ceiling, keeps up the historic spirit of the place, and the chef has made it his task to revive traditional Bratislava cuisine.
The local fare is influenced by many countries of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, a characteristic example being schnitzel, which in Woch is made out of chicken. Dishes like the thick meat soup with vegetables called čorba show that food can travel from as far away as Bulgaria or Yugoslavia. The wine list is equally appealing, featuring well-known wine producers and small vineyards.
In the basement there is a music club with live concerts, mainly on weekends, and the F7 theatre is also on the premises, hosting among other performers the alternative Gunagu theatre group, making possible a pleasant combination of food and culture.
Chez David
Where: Zámocká 13, Bratislava
Tel: 02/5441-3824,
Open: Sun-Thu, 11:30-22:00, Fri 11:30-15:00,
English menu: Yes,
Reservations: Yes,
Rating: 8 out of 10
THE CHEF in this kosher restaurant has a rich local tradition of Jewish cuisine to build upon, and the restaurant offers specialities like chicken soup with matzoh balls, cholent (a stew with potatoes, beans, and meat), barkhes (sweet bread), and homemade strudel with apple and poppy seed.
The many poultry dishes on the menu are either sweet in flavour, made with apples and dates, or more spicy, with sauces that contain celery, olives, or spinach. From the vegetarian and fish parts of the menu, you could put together a fine lunch or dinner consisting of, lets say, a tomato filled with spinach and fried in olive oil as a starter, pumpkin soup, and then trout with garlic and horseradish if you are in the mood for fish. Or you could choose eggplant in pastry with basil sauce.
Located under the castle hill, close to the holocaust memorial in the area that used to be the Jewish quarter, the restaurant's one letdown is its interior decor. There are too many different styles combined together in a single room and they do not match each other.
- Saša Petrášová
