Café Lounge

At first glance, Café Lounge looks like it's just the lobby to a hotel, with cream-toned signage blending seamlessly with that of the Hunger Wall Residence. Peer closer, however, and a waiter might pop his head out the door and tell you, in jokingly stern terms, to come in out of the rain and have a coffee.

You won't regret it. Café Lounge is well-executed all around, a comfortable, cute place with a shady hidden garden where one could linger over a Sunday breakfast and a newspaper, meet a friend for coffee and cake, or sample wines in the evening. The prices are reasonable, and in the case of the rotating weekly menu of starters and hot meals, are a great deal considering the thoughtfulness of the preparation and fresh ingredients.

Café Lounge also succeeds in feeling like an open secret. While its tiny street, Plaská, is close to the busy Újezd crossroads at the bottom of Petřín and also home to such favorites as Ichnusa botega, 3+1 and the Zlatý had wine bar, it gets very little foot traffic. It might be getting a bit more traffic since last year, however, as Café Lounge won Best Café of 2010 from the Czech Bar Awards.

On two recent visits, however, the place was sociably full without being overcrowded. It was a rainy Sunday, so we sat inside, on a comfy perch in sturdy striped armchairs by a window, lit cozily by classy standing lamps. The cut-off for breakfast, 11 a.m., had just passed - slightly disappointing, as the breakfast special of the week was eggs Benedict for 85 Kč (Café Lounge also has a full breakfast menu, including an English breakfast platter for 120 Kč and multiple mix-and-match options of bagels, croissants, eggs and bacon and the like). But the main menu, as well as the weekly lunch and dinner specials, more than sufficed.   

The concise main menu is primarily comprised of starters, salads and sandwiches, as well as several items for children. The specials menu offers several types of quiche including Lorraine, and one made with eggplant, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella. It is easy to forget that quiche can taste this good: fluffy and creamy and crumbly-crusted and with a wonderful infusion of flavor from the ham in the Lorraine's case and, in the other, a thoughtful mix of veggies.

The sandwich with chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce was, surprisingly, a pretty authentic-looking club sandwich, layered between lightly toasted white bread and sliced into tall quadrants. In essence it was a twist on a club, as the chicken was seasoned mildly with Thai chili spice, and the toasts were buttered with a hint of pesto. The meat was juicy and the sandwich held together well, while the egg, nicely fried with crispy edges, was a good breakfast crossover. The only thing that could have been better was the bacon; it was merely the razor-thin, fat-addled Anglická slanina found at any shop's deli counter. Tesco, a few tram stops down the street, sells thick, English-style bacon, which would have been perfect.

At 175 Kč, the mixed salad with grilled chicken was one of the more expensive items on the menu, but was worth it. The chicken had the same tenderness and Thai spice as the sandwich, and went unexpectedly well with a creamy, garlicky dressing. Crisp croutons, fresh bite-size greens, plump halved cherry tomatoes and shards of tangy Parmesan made this a satisfying meal that wasn't over-filling.

On a second visit, the garden out back was open on account of the sun. The stone wall there is part of the original Hunger Wall, built by peasants under Charles IV, apparently on the king's hopes that the populace would realize that bread isn't free. It's a touching, historical element of Café Lounge's garden.

Several entrée specials proved delicious. Chicken breast, served on the bone and in skin, was juicy and sweet and a dollop of asparagus butter that slid across the meat and onto the surrounding grilled vegetables - zucchini, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and fennel - was unique and summery. For 130 Kč, it was a bargain.

Likewise, the pork steak baked with potatoes, Gouda and cream was tasty and a good deal at 115 Kč. The meat was slightly dry from cooking, but it tasted fine, and the potato mixture was a straight-up gratin: a creamy, cheesy layered square.  

A café wouldn't be a café without cakes, and Café Lounge has quite a few, both menu staples and weekly specials. The lemon cake was simple and light, a curd version of cheesecake that didn't sit heavily in the stomach and was the cherry on top of the meal, especially with a huge mug of smooth coffee, which Café Lounge prepares with imported Scarlatti espresso beans.

Malá Strana may be packed to the gills with restaurants and cafés, but Café Lounge can proudly stand its ground, any time of the day.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com