Smazeny syr! An all-time classic. Like Kofola and Lentilky. And Studentska chocolate bars. You just have to know about it. I don’t even think you may not know it. Or don’t like it. For me, Czech smazeny syr brings back so many memories – lunches eaten somewhere on a slope in Czech Republic or Slovakia, camps somewhere near Poprad and quick trips to Czech Republic during our business trips to Bielsko-Biała. Because you can’t go to Czech Republic and not try smazeny syr. It has always been a crucial meal that made us visit Czech Republic. Hot, melting cheese with French fries and Tatar sauce.
Suddenly it turns out that you no longer have to go to Czech Republic. Smazeny syr and other Czech specialties can now be found in the centre of Warsaw on the corner of ul. Chmielna and Pasaż Wiecha. Restauracja Česká.
A large restaurant with wooden tables and a huge Pilsner’s logo on the wall. Staff wearing traditional clothing, cutlery provided in beer glasses. Is the vibe any Czech? During the day, in the lunchtime – don’t think so. Let’s have a look at the menu.
as soon as you look at the menu, you will feel like in Czech Republic!
Every fan of Czech cuisine will be happy with the menu. Starters/beer snacks include hermelin, utopenec and prazska sunka – all of which we ate and loved in Prague. Same goes for main courses – a must – smazeny syr, goulash with knedliki and svickova na smetane – roast beef stuffed with pork fat in vegetable and cream sauce served with knedlik and cranberry. They also have Pilsner Urquell poured in various manners – hladinka, sznyt or mliko which we learned about on our trip to Pilsner’s beer festival and could try again here. Drawbacks – no other beers apart from Pilsner and Książęce.
We’re reviewing the place so we can’t eat just smazeny syr. We need to try the starters too. I start with “nakladany hermelin” – marinated spicy camembert cheese in brine (PLN 15). I know it fom Prague, from our favourite place called Lokal which we recommend to anyone going to Prague. The one in Warsaw works well, it’s packed with onion, paprika and garlic and tastes good with fresh bread. Łukasz goes for prazska sunka – a kind of Czech ham served with horseradish flavoured cream (PLN 12). The ham is delicate and thinly sliced but it’s not that different from our own Polish ham. As far as we can remember it tasted similar to Polish ham in Prague as well. The cream is fluffy and light, however Łukasz says there’s not enough horseradish in it.
nakladany hermelin – PLN 15
prazska sunka – PLN 12
Let’s get to the main courses and the main reason we came here – smazeny syr with hranolky and tatarska omacka (PLN 24). How is it? Well.. not as good as in Lokal in Prague. Not a perfect one but good enough to make your mind drift to all these charming Czech places. French fries are good, cheese is soft and melty, the batter is crispy, yet a bit harsh. But it was the same in pretty much all the Czech restaurants we have visited. Only Lokal stands out and provides the ideal example of fried cheese. Łukasz orders a veal chop with potato salad (PLN 39) – he’s a bit disappointed since he counted on a Wiener Schnitzel while this one has nothing to do with it. But hey, there’s nothing in the menu about wiener. The meat is thin, delicate and tasty. Our friend orders hovezi gulas – a beef goulash with fresh onion and a knedlik (PLN 29). A bummer here – the sauce is hot but the meat isn’t… the waiter immediately suggests a replacement but our friend decides to keep it – it must be good since he eats it all, along with the knedliks.
a veal schnitzel with potato salad – PLN 39
a beef goulash with fresh onion and a knedlik – PLN 29.
Unfortunately we were too full to order desserts, even though some sounded particularly tempting – fried ice cream for instance which I am always happy to try out. Maybe someday.. Restauracja Ceska makes remembering Czech flavours easy. Indeed, they have all the Czech classics that were absent in Warsaw to this day. Classics served properly but not perfectly (like in Lokal – yes, I’m boring ;)) Can you fall in love with this restaurant? Don’t think so.. But you can pay a visit to bring back the memories of your Czech or Slovak adventures 🙂 I mean, smazeny syr eaten somewhere on the slope in Slovakia years ago tasted just like that!
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
ul Chmielna 35
email: ceska@ceska.pl
opening hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00-23:00
Fri-Sat 11:00-24:00
Sun 12:00-22:00
large lunch for 3
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