A Taste of Home by Way of Langos

Currently in Slovakia visiting my grandfather, I have every possible Slovak food specialty at my disposal.  Langos, a fried dough delicacy, which actually hails from Hungary is also quite popular in this region, and I remember it fondly from my childhood.

Having a hard time finding authentic langos in Bratislava, I actually stumbled upon it in a small town called Pezinok, about 25 minutes North of the country's capital.  MM+K cafe, which housed this magical fry bread looked pretty ordinary, but had the word "langos" on its exterior signage, so I thought it was a sure thing.  I walked inside, asked about it and sure enough it was on the menu, with about 5 different varieties of toppings.

Atmosphere:
Situated in Pezinok's city center, which is quite humble and small, MM+K cafe is perfect for just stopping in quick and grabbing a hearty bite to tide you over.  That's just what I was doing as well, since I had some time before taking the train back to Bratislava.

There are a few tables and chairs in the front room (I'd say about 3) and more seating in a separate room that's off to the right.  The counter display shows off their supply of fresh veggies and the very impressive spit that holds all the gyro meat they serve throughout the day.  That's actually what this place is known for - kebabs and doners, which luckily also showed up in the langos offering.

Langos:
While I first thought I'd keep it simple and get the "classic" langos with garlic, I instead chose a fancy variety called "Turka," which was graced with gyro meat, cheese, a creamy white sauce and some fresh veggies.  After taking a quick look at the meat, I knew I couldn't pass it up and knew this would be a big hearty lunch to remember.

I was happy to see that everything was prepared fresh, including the langos of course, which was fried about a few seconds after I placed my order.  The whole thing was a tower of deliciousness, and I loved the pairing of salty, juicy meat with the soft and slightly crunchy langos.  Really needing the freshness of the veggies to cut all that richness, the whole thing felt like a really balanced and indulgent meal rolled into one.  Basically, it was everything I wanted and more, and I may have to make a suggestion to Koliba to perhaps do more of these.

Service and Cost:

Since the place wasn't crowded, as today is still technically another non-working day (2nd day of Christmas), I had their staff's undivided attention.  My langos was done in about 2 minutes time, and I felt comfortable to hang around for a bit before my train came.

For a pretty sizable meal, the cost was pretty minuscule, setting me back only 3 Euro or approximately $4.  That's what I call, great European value, which is pretty hard to find these days.

3 Mmmms

MM+K Obcerstvenie - Polubyho 26, Pezinok Slovakia
+421 904 594 211 

Back at Bistro Provence in Slovakia - and Still Happy!

When travelling to a familiar place, it's always nice to revisit restaurants where you've had good meals and where you know you'll be satisfied.  Bistro Petite Provence in Bratislava, Slovakia is one of these for me, and today was the third time I've been there, visiting it each time I come.  And although the service isn't worth its salt, the quality of the food always makes me happy.

You must be thinking it's a little strange to be visiting a French restaurant when in Slovakia, but if you're familiar with Slovak cuisine, you'll know it's pretty heavy and saucy, so it's nice to take a break with something a little different.  I continue to like Petite Provence because it offers lighter food options such as fresh salads, crepes, open faced sandwiches, good wine and such.  Here are some of the new items we tried:

Spinach and Zucchini Crepe - I was excited by their hefty crepe selection, boasting both savory and sweet ones.  Gravitating to the savory, I chose the spinach and zucchini crepe, which was thin and delicious and stuffed with good quality fresh spinach, crescents of soft, roasted garlic, blue cheese and zucchini.  The mix of flavors was lovely, mild spinach juxtaposed with sharp garlic, salty blue cheese compared to the sweet zucchini - it was all very delicious and not too heavy.  I also enjoyed the generous side of mixed green salad, coupled also with diced beets, sweet corn, slivered carrots, all glazed with a light balsamic vinaigrette.

Sandwich and Salad Combos - My brother and dad both got sandwich and salad combos, my dad going for an open faced variety, while my brother choosing a traditional closed ciabatta.  Comparatively speaking, my dad's looked better and he said he really enjoyed it.  It looked gorgeous, decked generously with bright tomato slices, covered with melted stringy mozzarella cheese, and then sprinkled with fresh basil.  And the salad was the same as mine.

Peter's sandwich also looked good, but he was disappointed that it wasn't warmed up.  We encouraged him to send it back, but he was pretty hungry so he had it anyway, and sadly wasn't enthused.

Wine - Peter and I ordered 1 deci of red wine, served in Bistro's beautiful tall stemmed wine glasses.  Even though I always enjoy the wine here, I have to admit that a tiny reason I get it is to drink out of those gorgeous glasses.  We both ordered a glass of the jagnet, a dry red local wine that comes from the Southern part of Slovakia.  It's smooth and dry, with notes of plums and cinnamon.

Service and Cost:
As I already hinted above, the service at Bistro Provence isn't the best, but I always come back for the quality of the food. The waiters are slow to approach you and you don't really feel like they pay that much attention overall.  This of course warrants a poor tip, which is more customary in this part of the world.  And as I always say, you work for your tips, they don't come without effort.

Prices are moderate for Americans but a bit pricey for Slovaks:

Crepes: 5.99 Euro
Sandwiches: 5.99 Euro
Wine: 1.99 Euro/Glass

Bistro Petite Provence - Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 25, Bratislava, Slovakia

02 5441 0340

http://www.petiteprovence.sk/