Chateau Mcely

Eating

The splendid Plate Hall, named after the oversized ceramic plates designed by Oto Blaha which line the walls, is an impressive setting for the hotel's restaurant, 'Piano Nobile'. Under the creative leadership of chef Jan Štìrba, the a la carte menu - which changes regularly to accommodate seasonal organic products - aims to reproduce historic dishes with a contemporary twist. A signature 4-course dinner might include venison marinated in red wine and served with puree of sweet potatoes, fresh spinach, sweet and sour celery and wild-rose sauce from the chateau's gardens.

When we visited, we enjoyed excellent service and generally good but not always outstanding cuisine: the beef (from Argentina) was pronounced excellent, my pheasant and apfel strudel a little disappointing by comparison. The wine list is undoubtedly impressive, but perhaps a little overpriced.

No such qualms about breakfast, which was as elegant as it was delightful. A tower of goodies - smoked salmon, cheeses, meats, cakes etc. - is placed on the table, orange juice is brought and you are offered various cooked breakfasts. I had poached eggs on butter bread and a sauce - a sort of Eggs Benedict, which was delicious. There is also a buffet with cereals, yoghurts, juices, dried fruit - the usual thing, but done well and very elegantly presented. If I'm being picky, I did have to ask for more coffee, but it then arrived promptly.

The final touch in recreating the aristocratic lifestyle is the afternoon tea: delicious little cupcakes served on white porcelain, whilst a harpsichord tinkles in the background. It's the stuff of 1920s films.