Those automatic sliding doors on Rakovski Street have seen quite a lot of change – good change – pass over their threshold in the past couple of years. Out went the displays of Old World Bohemian crystal for sale, and in came buckets of purple paint, coffee tables, a bar and weekly live jazz. Things were going mighty fine – the crowd had transformed into a mix of both young and established artists, political figures and bohos; Thursday nights in the Purple Salon were often overflowing with people listening to live music and drinking Czech beer – when, in November 2008, the restaurant opened. In fact under the management of TV presenter Yavor Dachkov, in partnership with Nikolai Kirov and Martin Mladenov, the possibility to chow down on variations on the Czech cheese hermelin (think Camembert: breaded and pan-fried, or served cold in slices, or marinated in spices...) while washing it back with real Czech beer made in Eastern Bohemia (we love Bernard!) was something that the centre’s director, Michael Wellner-Pospisil, had long thought becoming. And so it came to be.

Granted, ‘long’ is relative – Wellner-Pospisil arrived to his position in Bulgaria in autumn of 2007. Thus, among the photographs or paintings from contemporary Czech artists (currently on display are ominous semi-lifelike tableaux by Jiri Sozansky), one can dine, because it really is more of a dining place than a hovel in which to throw back three or four pints – though such can be tempting – and admire all the other diners and anyone else who happens to enter the hind-part of the centre, because it is basically just an open, high-ceilinged room with about eight tables, plus the bar. We had been skeptical, like, ‘Where will they fit a kitchen in this space?’, but it works. And manages to stay classy.

Weekday lunches attract governmental employees, Sofia businesspersons and the odd literary figure (there is a daily lunch menu with more-Bulgarian items like shkembe chorba), while dinner time brings in the same, plus a younger, and/or more counterculture bunch, making it all something like ‘social activists versus the establishment’, in a completely civil, quiet, peaceful manner – probably because such is not in the forefront of most minds when relishing a Bernard (4 leva, large, for the light/4.50 leva, large, for the dark). Staropramen is nothing compared with this draught pivo.

There recently one night, we shared one of the stinky Czech cheeses before freeing up our seats for the private party that had reserved the place. All that we knew about our order of Olomouc (5.50 leva) was that 14th-century religious thinker and martyr Jan Hus had liked it (if the menu is to be believed), and that it was some type of Czech cheese. Well, it was perfect. The saltiness of the aged Olomoucke cheese (five slabs of this fat-free, slightly chewy delicacy) was perfectly tempered by the sweet pungency of the chopped onions, and the smoothness of the beer. Add to that toasted white bread and a slab of butter, and you’ll be recalling it fondly for days.

Part of the fun of Cafe Gallery Prague is reading the menu (Bulgarian and well-translated English versions available), where items like ‘devilish drowned men’ face off with their angelic counterpart, or the ‘environmental salad’ is available in an all vegetable version, or with tuna. Basically, the devil took form in four little pickled bratwurst (4 leva), served with sliced onions and a mustardy sauce, which one might expect to be spicy (given that there were, too, the angel sausages): remember that spicy food is not common to that region of the world.

The environmental salad, if ordered with the tuna (4.30 leva) does bring in many layers of our natural surroundings, with land (crisp green-leaf lettuce, corn, some other random vegetables) and sea (canned tuna). As to the Svaty Vaclav (aka, Wenceslas) turshiya, the pickled vegetables were a bit soft and sweet, without that nice acidic bite that local turshiya has.

For lunch one day, I ordered the pork, dumplings and cabbage (svinsko, knedlo, zelo, 8.80 leva), having become a huge fan of Czech dumplings after visiting Prague a few years ago. These sliced bread knedliky lived up to their home standard, and were accompanied by some slices of caraway seed-coated tender roast pork loin and not-too-sweet (this is positive) cooked sauerkraut. Add some mustard to it, and life is good.

At Cafe Gallery Prague, orders arrive relatively quickly, though not always at the same time. Staff are friendly and cheerful, a bit inexperienced, but accommodating. If you’re thinking of taking someone special there for dinner, best check to make sure that the restaurant is open that night – it’s proven popular to reserve the whole venue for private parties, on any night of the week. With good reason.

Overall 4/6
Service 3/6
Atmosphere 5/6
Food 3/6
Price $ ($ up to 12 leva a person for three courses; $$ 12 to 20 leva pp; $$$ 20 to 35 pp; $$$$ 35 and over pp)

Address:
Cafe Gallery Prague at the Czech Cultural Centre
100 GS Rakovski Str, Sofia
Tel: 02/ 815 54 30
Open: Mon-Fri 10am to midnight, Sat noon to midnight