Mads W.
Yelp
I visited La Gare on a Wednesday evening, just before 8 pm. There was plenty of free tables, and it was a lovely summer evening, so I went for a table on the terrace, from where I could watch the endless herds of parading Asian tourists led by a guide holding a folded umbrella over her head.
Having passed by La Gare a couple of times and glanced at the menu heavily inspired by French cuisine left me with high expectations. In comparison with the average restaurant in Prague, La Gare's menu oozes with high culinary ambitions.
I chose the braised beef tongue with herb mustard, pickled onions and apple chutney for the starter. I am a sucker for beef tongue and unfortunately it is one of those dishes that has gone out of fashion.
When the plate arrived, it was stacked with five slightly grey thick slices of tongue. Unfortunately, the chef had not taken the trouble to take off the skin and the meat hadn't been salted before braising, hence the grey colour. This left the plate with a slightly indelicate impression.
Two of the slices had an intense beefy flavour and were tender as butter, just as they should be, but the remaining three slices were chewy. They had apparently not been braised long enough. The herb mustard was ok and well-balanced, but I could not taste any herbs, and the pickled onions were too vinegary for my taste. Definitely a more Czech than French taste. The apple chutney was excellent. Sweet and acidic at the same time with a distinct taste of apple.
The bread and butter that did not accompany my starter, but had to be ordered separately were fresh but had a distinct similarity with the bake-off bread the sell in the supermarket across the street from La Gare. At 35 CZK it was definitely not worth the money.
For the main course, I chose Beef Bourguignon. I asked the waiter, how it was served, and he explained that I could make a choice between French fries, green salad or "a variation of three seasonal side dishes". I chose the latter which was served in small cast iron pots along with a large plate of braised beef in a dark brown sauce. The small iron pots contained leeks stewed in cream, mashed potatoes and a vegetable risotto. The braised beef was nothing but divine. Tender as a ripe peach and with an intense and saturated punch of red wine, vegetables and meat. A small piece of smoked ham and a boiled but still crispy carrot made a very subtle contrast to the strong taste of the sauce. The creamed leeks and the mashed potatoes were excellent. Both alone and in combination with the Beef Bourguignon. The vegetable risotto, however, was a sheer disappointment. The vegetables were pickled red peppers and the rice were underboiled and had a crunchy centre. Not good!
The service was above average, for what you would typically experience in Prague's more touristy areas, but it was not up to the standard signalled by the menu, the decor and the prices. When I arrived, I had to wait almost 10 minutes for service even though the waiters were far from busy with anything else but a private conversation. Once they got their act together, service was prompt and efficient, but not overly attentive.
I ended up with a tab of 655 CZK excluding tips, which in Prague must be considered very expensive for what I had. Had the service and the preparation of the food been up to standard, it would not have been unreasonable, but with the numerous glitches, it was not ok. I doubt I will return to La Gare.
