Reštaurácia Veža has one of the nicest views in Bratislava but could improve its food and decor.photo: Ján Svrček
Reštaurácia Veža
Where:Kamzík radio tower
Open hours: daily 11:00-24:00
English menu: yes
Rating: 7 out of 10
Reštaurácia Veža has the best view of any restaurant in Bratislava, much fuller and grander than the view from the UFO bridge. Eating lunch on a table set on its revolving track (1 revolution per 40 minutes), I spotted Pezinok to the East, the Austrian hills across the border to the west and the Danube snaking Hungary-bound past Slovnaft to the south.
Because of the view, I was disappointed the restaurant turned out to be a typical psuedo-fancy Slovak restaurant (PFSR). A PFSR makes passing attempts at urbanity - waiters in vests and bow ties, silver serving dishes -undermined by tacky decorations and undistinguished food. Having said that, lunch had a few nice surprises, most notably the bill, on the small side for a PFSR, even a viewless one.
Reštaurácia Veža's menu has a whopping 58 entrees, mostly Slovak meat standards peppered with a few surprises, including bull testicles fried in beer batter. Rice and the standard potato variations constitute the side dishes. I was disappointed the ten appetisers didn't go much beyond ham and cheese plates. And again fried cheese with ham was listed as a vegetarian dish.
My friend and I started with two excellent soups, a thick creamy garlic and a tangy tomato. I ordered the Bulgarian dainty, sautéed beef, onions and peppers served piping hot in a ketchup sauce. The meat was expertly cooked - well done yet tender - but the sauce was ordinary.
My companion had the chicken with fruit, served with a generous dollop of whipped cream that made the dish slightly too sweet. And the canned pineapple, peaches and strawberry were a disappointment. Extremely thick fried potatoes served in a heap on the side were a meal in their own right.
The highlight of lunch was desert, chimney-sweep dumplings, cheesy balls of dough encasing a plum and rolled in poppy seed. We finished all three dumplings, even though we were full when we started.
Although we didn't have wine, I noticed an impressive selection of Tokaj, from two to six barrel (Sk450-980) grade.
As we spun around and ate I thought how Reštaurácia Veža would have been better if it had asserted its individuality instead of buying into the PFSR trappings. I especially disliked the artificial flowers and the clashing yellow of the table clothes with the violet place mats and blue ceiling.
On the other hand, the bill for two very full customers came to just over Sk600. But since the nearest trolleybus stop was two kilometres away, we needed a taxi to and from the city centre, Sk200 each way.
