We had booked Villa Basilea for our stay in Karlovy Vary and decided to spend one evening dining at Le Marché, a Gourmet restaurant that has earned a recommendation from the Michelin Guide. The restaurant is part of the villa and is tiny, with only a handful of tables inside. There is, however, a large terrace right next to the river. When the weather is warm, it must be wonderful to sit underneath the old trees and dine.
Villa Basilea @Karlovy Vary
inside @Le Marché
Le Marché offers a daily menu based on the season and whatever is available at the market. There are six courses to choose from, which can be combined in any way to create either a three or six course meal. The only caveat is that the entire table has to choose the same number of courses. Since the kitchen is tiny and looks almost like a ship’s galley, being located in the passage to the hotel, this makes perfect sense. Otherwise, I doubt the logistics would work.
We settled on the three course menu and everyone placed their orders. We started with three different spreads: whipped butter, a herb cheese curd and an olive spread. I particularly liked the olive spread, which had a lovely texture and a delicate flavor. Olive spreads can sometimes be rather overpowering, but this one was not. I could have done without the whipped butter, but at least there was enough variety to choose from.
amuse gueule @Le Marché
For my starter I chose beef, goose liver and tomatoes. It is always a bit of a surprise when only the main ingredients are listed on a menu and you have no idea what will actually arrive on the plate. This was a lovely dish, rich and creamy, with tender beef cut into bite sized pieces. I am not entirely sure where the goose liver made its appearance, as I could not detect it within the creamy concoction, but it tasted delicious nonetheless and I was happy with my choice.
beef, goose liver, and tomatoes @Le Marché
Another starter ordered at our table was mushroom, potato and truffle. This is where we encountered the first problem with the menu. Hidden underneath the sauce and shavings of truffle was a poached egg. One of my friends does not like the texture of runny eggs and would never have ordered this dish had the egg been listed. I have heard from others that the dish was excellent, but that is exactly why all the main ingredients should be mentioned. An egg can be a rather important detail.
mushroom, potato, and truffle @Le Marché
For the main course, there was a choice between fish and meat. I would probably have ordered the fish had I not noticed what was happening at the neighboring table. All four diners tasted the fish at roughly the same time, then put down their cutlery and started discussing it. Nobody looked particularly happy, so I decided to go for the meat instead.
And what a wise decision that turned out to be.
The fish was cod poached in herbal oil with a curry sauce. Personally, I am not a huge fan of fish with curry sauce, particularly when the sauce is as rich and creamy as this one appeared to be. But that was not actually the problem. The cod had been brined beforehand and was simply far too salty. Combined with the already rich and salty curry sauce, it became almost impossible to eat.
cod in curry sauce @Le Marché
Two of my friends disliked it so much that they sent their dishes back. The kitchen apologized but could not really fix the problem, as all the fish had already been brined. They did offer the meat dish instead, which I thought was very good.
The veal filet was sheer perfection. It came with chanterelles, roasted eggplant and a very nice demi glace, along with something else that unfortunately did not translate correctly for me. Maybe the foam on top was meant by it? The meat was beautifully seared with a large, perfectly pink interior, while the tiny chanterelles looked as if they had come straight from the woods. I absolutely loved this dish. This was really good cooking.
veal filet and chanterelles @Le Marché
For dessert, there was chocolate cake with raspberry cream, sorbet or a cheese plate. With my sweet tooth, the choice was easy. Of course I went for the chocolate cake.
It arrived with a dollop of raspberry cream, which was very light on raspberry and rather heavy on the cream, along with a few fresh raspberries and sauce. The chocolate cake itself was more like a very rich, dense brownie. Half the portion would have been more than enough, as it had an intense chocolate flavor. Thankfully the acidity of the raspberries worked beautifully with it. The cream made the whole thing a little lighter and more manageable. Still, eating the entire piece was probably not my best decision. Naturally, I finished it anyway.
chocolate cake with raspberries @Le Marché
I really enjoyed my meal at Le Marché Gourmet restaurant and have also heard only good things about their lunch menu. The service was friendly and attentive, and every dish I personally ate was lovely. My friends were considerably less enthusiastic about the experience, and I understand their disappointment. The fish was simply ruined by the excessive salt from the brining.
Despite that, I would definitely return if I am in the area. There is some very good cooking happening in this tiny restaurant, and the setting next to the river is hard to beat. Reservations are strongly advised. Yours, Pollybert
Le Marché Gourmet restaurant
360 01 Karlovy Vary, Mariánskolázěnská 4
tel: +420 730 133 695
Email: info@le-marche.cz
Mon-Sun: 12:00-22:00
https://le-marche.cz/en/uvodni-stranka-english/
