Really disappointed in everything about this experience. I'd been looking forward to trying Palanda after reading all the great reviews and was super excited to finally be heading into the center around lunch time. So we popped in, ready to enjoy "one of the finest burgers" in Prague.
Well, suffice it to say, that isn't what we found.
The place is small and not super welcoming. Tables are close together, and finding a parking space for our pram proved very tight. After dragging it up several steps, we didn't want to abandon ship quite yet, so we sat down.
The menu looked very interesting. I love blue cheese and onions, but hate mushrooms. There was a burger with blue cheese and mushrooms. The next burger on the menu included an onion compote. Great! I asked the waitress to sub the onion compote for the mushrooms. The response was as surprising as it was arrogant. "The chef has created these all perfectly, and we do not substitute any item because it will not be good as the perfection that is listed on the menu. This burger (she pointed at the first burger on the menu) took 8 months to create. It's perfect." Ah, so the chef knows what I like more than I do. Got it. Back to the drawing board, let's pick a different burger.
So after reviewing the menu for a few more minutes, I decided on the BBQ bacon cheeseburger. The waitress said it was the most-popular on the menu.
Next problem: "Would you like that cooked medium?" My response, no, medium rare. "We only offer rare, medium, and well. It's too hard to get medium rare and medium well." Another conundrum. Do I order rare, and get a burger that, given my experience in this country, is just short of steak tartar, or do I go for medium and get something dry and tasteless. The waitress said the medium was still juicy and slightly pink. Ok, medium it is.
I also asked if it was okay to have the blue cheese sauce they listed as a side on the menu. This was a real question. Given my experience this fair at the almighty Palanda, I wasn't sure it would be allowed. Regretfully (read on to find out why), it was permitted.
The food arrived quite quickly, and we dug in.
The burger was of course not pink at all. Slightly juicy, it had a compressed and rubbery grind that seemed to have been created by someone who had only ever seen a photo of a burger before. So disappointing, given that so many reviews comment positively about the grind. Go to Dish or Mozaika if you want to experience proper burger texture. Not this place. It was gross.
The bacon was forgettable, not crunchy at all. The BBQ sauce was overly sweet and thankfully barely there. Overall, this masterpiece--where no portion could be substituted--was a forgettable pile of crap. We both agreed that our food was disappointing, regardless of the clearly false hype.
The blue cheese sauce was a runny concoction that felt as if it had never even been brushed up against blue cheese, no chunks to be found and no taste for that matter either.
The included fries and mayo were quite good.
All in all, one of the worst burger experiences I've had in Prague. Go back to the drawing board, Palanda. Learn to respect your customers a bit more. Even blanking Burger King gives you a burger the way you want it! Your arrogance is not even justified...at least make an extraordinary product if your going to be so customer unfriendly.
So so so disappointing, especially given the other wonderful option that exist within Prague. I'll never go back, and I recommend you avoid the disappointment and avoid this place at all costs. Amazing to now hear all about how they've purchased their "best of" awards. Clearly, the only way they'd ever win such a thing. Pity. You can do so much better. read more