Good cuisine but service with limited attention: Restaurant Candela (13. March 2017)
I started the evening with an “Indian curry soup (served with mango and a lentil ‘chocolate’)” (CHF 15.50). The soup had an intense taste of curry which was a bit balanced off by the mango. The lentil ‘chocolate’ was a bit too dry for my personal gusto but in combination with the soup it gave it a nice crunchy texture.
As a main, I went for the “beef filet, 200gr, served with spinach, fried rice, and herb butter” (CHF 48.00). The meat was perfectly tender and perfectly cooked to my request (‘medium’) and went well with the herb butter. The fried rice for my palate was not entirely what I was looking for. I can’t say it wasn’t good, it just wasn’t what my palate wanted.
The Candela itself is quite a nice restaurant with regards to its interior – it is spacious, modern, generally nice. When it comes to the service, it was great at first – very attentive, very friendly. But towards the end, attention just kind of disappeared. The waitress was busy with whatever in other corners of the restaurant or in the back. And the head of the restaurant (or at least she appeared to be the head) discussed jovially with two guest at the table next to mine about how bad bloggers are and what they allow themselves to critique a restaurant. Well, I get it, if you encounter people who eat out once a year, fine. But then again, you are just reinforcing bad publicity – discussing with other guests for a solid 10 minutes until realizing that my table has been ignored – right in front of me. All fine not saying, she shouldn’t be discussing, but frankly, before complaining you should maybe make sure there is nothing to complain about.
Besides that little episode, which was – once again as in so many restaurants – the moment when the bill was supposed to be coming and afterwards paid, the experience at the Candela which I haven’t paid a visit for more than 7 years, was a pleasant one. There is some room for improvement with regards to the service but overall, it is a good place which serves good food for overall decent prices.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Candela
Sonnenstrasse 5
9000 St. Gallen (CH)
Tel.: +41 71 246 46 46
E-Mail: info@restaurantcandela.ch
Homepage: http://www.restaurantcandela.ch
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
