Knedliky Etc

Relaunch as 'Dobrou Chut!''

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 08:12:00 +0000

"Knedliky Etc" has now been officially re-launched as "Dobrou Chut'!" on a new domain.

You will now be automatically redirected - please update your bookmarks for the future!

Thanks for the understanding and hopefully see you soon on the new and improved site!

Knedlikova

The Noodle Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 02:09:00 +0000

It’s been a good year or more since my last visit to The Noodle Bar in Nové Město.

I really don’t know why - the place has been one of my long-standing Prague favourites since it first opened back in 2007, on account of its friendly service, funky interior, and delicious range of pan-Asian noodle dishes.

Still, absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say. As it stood, the Noodle Bar and I were long overdue a reunion, so I invited new friends M and B to accompany me there on a recent visit.

Food-wise we all found it hard to choose - the menu at the Noodle Bar is pretty varied, incorporating noodle, soup and curry dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan, among others. Handy symbols for chilli and coconut content make it easier to tailor the dishes to your personal tastes in terms of sugar and spice.

In the end, M went for a small portion of Tom Kha Kai (110 CZK), with chicken, mushrooms, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal and coriander.

Her praise here was high indeed. M’s gauge for any good Thai restaurant is apparently always their rendition of the Tom Kha Kai, and this version rated up among the best of them on her personal scale. Like me, she also welcomed the fact that The Noodle Bar doesn’t shy away from spice like so many other places in the Czech Republic, and even features additional pots of dried chilli flakes, crushed peanut and soy sauce on every table for those that wish to top up the heat levels - a welcome change from the usual bog-standard sweet chili sauce bottles usually on offer, that’s for sure.

To accompany her soup, she also had a pot of Mighty Leaf Vietnamese tea, which came served in a tie-off bag with real tea leaves - at 65 CZK deemed expensive but nice.

B opted for the Pad Sen with pork (195 CZK), a large dish of wok-fried noodles with pak choi and beansprouts.

Another satisfied customer here - B commented that these tasted like noodles from a local Chinese food stand, i.e. fresh, delicious and (unlike most faux Asian food in Prague) not at all greasy. It was an enormous portion though, and despite his best efforts, B couldn’t quite get through it all.

As for me, I went for one of my traditional favourites in the Prawn Laksa (255 CZK), which consisted of rice noodles with spicy coconut soup, prawns, fish balls, bean sprouts, shallots, chilli and Thai basil.

This was practically as good as any versions in all my years in South-East Asia, and even better doused in the additional dried chilli flakes and crushed peanut. Not that my laksa wasn’t already sufficiently spicy by most people’s standards as it was - I just have a particularly high heat threshold, and don’t feel happy with a noodles / curry dish unless my lips are tingling afterwards. If I had one minor criticism to make, it would be that the cucumber here was slightly out of place and a bit on the dry side.

So two Noodle Bar converts down so far, another two to go with my next visit a week or so later with Liverpudlian mates, Prague Ginge and Mr T.

Prague Ginge was immediately won over by our shared starter of Corn Cakes with sweet pepper and coriander with spiced cucumber pickle (85 CZK).

Mr T and I also partook, and both found them to be pretty crispy and fresh, though not necessarily something we’d go for again. I did think the cucumber pickle was a bit on the bland side, but maybe that’s just me.

For her main, Prague Ginge pushed the boat out with the Seared Tuna on Soba Noodles, at 275 CZK one of the most expensive items on the menu.

I have to say (and Prague Ginge more than agreed), the price was well worth it. As you can see from the photo, the tuna was perfectly rare and coated with two-tone sesame seeds, with fragrant sesame and sweet chili sauce to the side to jazz it up further. The noodles were also very flavoursome too - slightly on the claggy side maybe, but (and don’t tell anyone here) actually that is just the way I like them.

Mr T scored another success with his vegetarian Thai Green Curry (180 CZK) with coconut milk, tofu, sweet potato, aubergine and Thai basil. Jasmine rice had to be ordered separately at 45 CZK (sadly they didn’t have the more traditionally Thai sticky rice option on the menu).

All three of us had a taste here and unanimously declared this to be one of the best Thai curries we’ve had in Prague, with a thick, creamy sauce infused with the flavour of copious amounts of basil and coconut milk. It’s a shame they don’t do a chicken or prawn version of it, as with some of their other dishes, as personally speaking I’m not really into tofu type ingredients. I’d be persuaded to go for it again in this case just on the basis of the sauce alone, however.

Seemingly more acquainted with my dietary preferences than ever I knew, Prague Ginge had secretly bet herself a glass of wine already that I would go for the Chicken Pho option at 185 CZK. In actual fact I was very much torn here between the pho and my other traditional favourite here of the Chiang Mai noodles, but ultimately proved Prague Ginge’s confidence in my apparent culinary predictability justified. She got her additional glass of wine out of it at any rate, and naturally I insisted I also do penance for unwittingly losing by also partaking in another glass myself.

I’ve had this pho before, and - aside from it being chicken rather than the more typically Vietnamese beef variety - with its generous quantities of rice noodles, beansprouts, fresh chilli, coriander and lime, always found it to be pretty authentic. Not quite on the level of Holešovice market perhaps, but with the compensatory advantage of eating it in a nice warm restaurant with glass of wine in hand rather than shivering on a cold wooden bench at a chilly market stall.

We did um and ah over Noodle Bar’s range of sweet sticky rice and coconut based desserts, but in the end decided we were already more than content with our delicious dinners so far.

With food and service so consistently good, I’ve often wondered why The Noodle Bar is practically empty on weekday and weekend evenings alike. Given that the kitchen closes at 9pm (earlier or later depending on the whim of the chef), I can only imagine it is more frequented during the day, when I am across town at work. On both visits, I did note quite a few customers coming in to pick up take-away orders, so perhaps the lack of bums on seats of an evening is deceptive in terms of the place’s true popularity.

Either way, me and my fellow four visitors (all Noodle Bar first timers) were all well and truly impressed with our experiences there, and one things for sure at any rate – this time I definitely won’t be leaving it another year until my next visit!

The Noodle Bar

Plavecká 4

Praha 2

Phone: (+420) 602 370 984

Lehka Hlava

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:46:00 +0000

I remember with fond nostalgia simpler times, when birthdays were much-anticipated festive events involving nothing more profound than a boisterous children's party at McDonald's or a trip to Singapore Zoo. These days, however, these seemingly ever-more-accelerated anniversaries of existence serve for me (a neurotic at the best of times) more and more as occasions to panic and brood in the face of the unrelenting onslaught towards full-blown adulthood (i.e. thirty) and ultimately the terrifying prospect of my own impending mortality - the one major downside to my otherwise determinedly Dawkins-ist disposition.

On the upside, it is at least an excuse to organise a party.

And so to commiserate my latest not-quite-thirty-yet anniversary, I rounded up the girls and headed to Lehká hlava (or "Clear Head"), a well-known vegetarian restaurant in Prague 1, selected after much deliberation for the occasion due to its laidback vibe and established popularity among the group.

Located down a little side-street in Old Town, in the historic building formerly occupied by my much beloved Dobrá čajovna (just never quite the same since its sadly sanitizing move to Wenceslas Square), Lehká hlava is not exactly easy to initially locate. Nevertheless, the place is still packed out each and every lunchtime and evening with diners presumably also on the hunt for something a little different from the glut of mediocre, over-priced "Old Bohemia" tourist traps that otherwise populate the area.

The big pull of Lehká hlava - apart from the novel menu and non-smoking policy - is undoubtedly its atmospheric interior, which at various locations of the restaurant includes bamboo-covered corridors, glass-beaded table tops, and of course the unique "star room", with domed blue ceiling lit up by hundreds of little fairy lights. My photos didn't really do the place justice, so I nabbed some off the website. (Food ones are, as ever, still all my own, though.)

Lehká hlava's menu is made up of various salads, dips, pastas, and other tofu-, bean- or dairy-based vegetarian main courses (vegan options also available - and no preachy Supreme Master in sight this time!), as well as a wide range of freshly blended fruit juices and loose-leaf teas.

On this occasion, most of us kicked off with either Italian Chardonnay (at 50 CZK, one of the few wines they have by the glass) or the wine of the day, which was a rosé of some description. (I was still a bit preoccupied opening presents at this stage of the evening - thanks, ladies!) Both went down very well and, needless to say, a follow-up round was soon ordered.

Our one abstentious member of the group, L, went for a fresh ginger tea with honey (45 CZK), which came steaming hot with plentiful slices of fresh ginger added.

After much deliberation over the menu, we finally got round to ordering our food.

L and S both decided to go for the Thai red curry with tofu and rice (145 CZK). Sorry about the slight blur.

I had a bite and found this surprisingly good. The red curry sauce tasted more authentically Thai than I would have expected from a non-Asian restaurant, while the rice was cooked in such a way that, if not quite traditionally sticky in the Thai style, it was at least pleasantly halfway there. I for one was surprisingly impressed, and L and S both echoed the sentiment.

After much umming and ahhing, Prague Ginge opted for the bulgar wheat risotto with stir-fried tempeh, spring vegetables and sun-dried tomato and peanut pesto.

I've had this on previous occasions and not been the greatest fan. (Despite my decade of teenage vegetarianism, tofu or tempeh type dishes are still not really my culinary cup of tea.) Prague Ginge, on the other hand, raved about the smoky flavor of the tempeh and the tastiness of the pesto topping, so a definite hit here. Mind you, she was just about four sheets to the wind before she even turned up at the restaurant, so I wouldn’t take her word for it entirely here… :-)

M went for one of the lighter options with the couscous patties with feta cheese, sundried tomatoes and celery, served on a bed of lettuce with a spicy soy dip and bread at 135 CZK.

I didn't try these myself, but comments from her direction were positive, at least. I noticed the dip was the same as for the Thai curry sauce.

Our second L of the table ordered one of my own long-standing Lehká hlava faves in the grilled vegetable kebabs served with potatoes au gratin, tomato salsa and a small spring salad with lemon-honey dressing (145 CZK).

Simple but delicious, with perfectly done courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), red pepper and mushroom skewers accompanied by two generous hunks of lovely squidgy squishy potato gratin.

As for me, I went for my usual burrito with pinto beans, avocado salad with goat cheese, tomato salsa, sour cream and rice (210 CZK).

I preferred the significantly cheaper (150 CZK) black bean rendition I'd previously had at sister restaurant Maitrea (reviewed in a separate post here), which, as I recall, was much spicier, better presented, and came with more generously portioned condiments - including, on that occasion, guacamole. On the other hand, I also liked the avocado salad with goat cheese accompaniment served at Lehká hlava, though felt it could have done with a stronger dressing or at least some kind of oil / balsamico extras on the side. In short - okay, but not as good as I remembered from previous visits.

A couple of our party also went for desserts, with L's carrot cake made with millet, grated coconut and ginger, served with chocolate sauce and a physalis berry (70 CZK) arriving first to the table.

Opinion across the group was very much divided on this one, terms used here being "bitty" and "like birdseed" - certainly it wasn't the spongy, icing-topped variety of carrot cake most of us would normally imagine. On the other hand, it was doused in copious amounts of hot dark chocolate, which is a great redeeming feature in pretty much any scenario. My thoughts here are that a bite or two was nice enough, but, the cake in question being quite this fibrous and dense, any more than that would probably have done very bad things to my digestive system.

More chocolate soon followed in the shape of Prague Ginge's chocolate fondue with a variety of fresh fruit (80 CZK), which, given the quantities involved here, she practically implored us to help her get through.

Needless to say, the rest of us were more than happy to assist...

So overall, yet another win here for Lehká hlava, in our collective view still justifiably popular on the basis of its atmospheric interiors, friendly service and varied range of simple-yet-tasty vegetarian fare at reasonable prices.

In fact, my only minor niggle with the place is that it is to some extent a victim of its own success. Spontaneous visits are practically an impossibility here, whilst on ringing to reserve, you are asked upfront how long you think your table will need and imperiously informed that your reservation will only be held for 15 minutes max. Groups of over seven people are similarly restricted to choosing only a few different items off the menu, so as not to "overload" the kitchen - a seemingly somewhat overzealous limitation which I've never encountered in any other restaurant before.

We ourselves unwittingly fell foul of the Lehká hlava rules on this occasion, when we were (very politely of course) asked please to hurry up on the fondue as our allotted two hours were now up and another group was waiting for our table - it can't be all that many restaurants in Prague that still boast full-house reservations even getting on for 10 o'clock at night...

As for us, after hurriedly scraping the last of the chocolate from the fondue dish, we diligently vacated the table and moved on to drinking pastures new for a further birthday round or two - needless to say, by the end of that particular evening, not many people's heads were all that clear anymore...

Lehká hlava
Boršov 2
Prague 1
Phone: (+420) 222 220 665

Republika

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:17:00 +0000

A week or two back, my good friend Prague Ginge's own best mate Hairy Dave was over on a visit from the UK, and - in spite of recent inclement climes - my copper-colored comrade was eager to impress on the Prague culinary front, at the very least.

Having already done the usual round of traditional Czech hospodas and pivnices over the previous few days, Prague Ginge therefore decided to go a bit more upmarket on one night with a visit to one of her long-time favorite restaurants / dance halls / cafés - the two-story Republika just off Náměstí Republiky. I can't remember if I was officially invited for this occasion, or whether I simply invited myself along for blogging purposes, but either way I was definitely along for the ride.

I hadn't been to this particular restaurant since its previous incarnation as the atmospheric Dinitz Café, and, on first impressions, I have to say I preferred the old menu, with its platters of internationally themed nibbles and gigantic sandwiches, over the comparatively standard fare on offer at Republika.

One thing hasn't changed, though, and that is the regular performances of live music - primarily jazz- or blues-based. Incongruous as it may seem for a middle-class girl from the Home Counties, personally speaking, I'm not really into any music that doesn't focus primarily on pimping, crack, hoes and the conscience-free merking of your enemies, so admittedly I am not best placed to comment on the quality of the evening's particular jazz-themed performance (to me just vociferous muzak sorely lacking in both bragging or bloodshed). The marginally more highbrow Prague Ginge and Hairy Dave professed to enjoy it, at least, though both agreed it was a bit on the loud side and did drown out conversation somewhat.

Anyway, I digress.

Back on the subject of food and drink, which - like this article - in this case was a frustratingly long time coming. Our table sat notably unattended for about 15-or-so minutes, with waiter after waiter conspicuously failing to catch our eye, and in fact, it was only after I resorted to making the international distress signal - kept up for a good 30 seconds (much to Prague Ginge's and Hairy Dave's presumed embarrassment) - that we finally managed to get our drinks order in, a 0.2-liter glass of Veltlínské zelené white wine for me (45 CZK) and an Italian Merlot (70 CZK) each for Hairy Dave and Prague Ginge.

Along with the wine, a basket of brown and white bread with garlic butter was brought to the table, which Hairy Dave and Prague Ginge both practically fell upon, despite having apparently put away big plates of vepřo-knedlo-zelo just a few hours earlier in the day. Apparently they'd been drinking solidly ever since, so probably it was a good thing for a straight-from-work-and-therefore-as-yet-still-sober me that they were at least soaking up the alcohol somehow... ;-)

I myself wasn't massively hungry on this occasion, so decided to skip on a starter, contenting myself with just a bite each of Prague Ginge's and Hairy Dave's choices instead. These were namely the tartar of marinated salmon on endive (165 CZK) and beef carpaccio with rucola (195 CZK) respectively.

Of the two, I definitely preferred the salmon tartar, which I found really tasty with definite undertones of red onion and dill. Presentation was a bit on the lazy side, but Prague Ginge was still a fan of the crunchy endive. By comparison, I found the carpaccio was pretty standard, really, though it did come with a variety of toppings for Hairy Dave to jazz it up a bit.

For mains I went for the vegetable lasagna at 165 CZK.

I know I said earlier that I wasn't particularly hungry, but still, I did think this was a bit on the miserly side, portion-wise, and in the event it was all but gone-and-forgotten in just a few short bites. Pleasant enough, if again a bit sloppily presented, with pesto and tomato sauces seemingly just dolloped on with indifferent abandon.

Luckily, Prague Ginge's risotto with parma ham, tomatoes in white wine, thyme, cream and parmesan (165 CZK) was more than enough to make up for the puniness of the lasagna, however.

I will confess to having more than a few bites of this huge mountain of creamy, sticky, cheesy risotto of unashamedly stodgy loveliness, and still between us we couldn't finish it. True comfort food at its best, if maybe not necessarily the most strictly "gourmet" in true risotto terms...

As for Hairy Dave, he ordered the beef sirloin with cream sauce and bread dumplings (175 CZK).

Had I been paying closer attention when ordering, I'd have probably cottoned on to the fact that this was actually the English description for svíčková rather than the standard hunk of sirloin steak that Hairy Dave (unfamiliar with the wonderful world of Czech cuisine) had been expecting. An easy enough mistake for a visitor to make, I suppose, but in the interests of culinary adventurism (or possibly just to avoid kicking up a fuss), Hairy Dave decided to just roll with it anyway, in the process gamely putting away his second pile of meat and dumplings of the day - I'm officially impressed.

I had a quick taste of the sauce, which would have just about rated as average, had it not also been decidedly cold. I didn't feel I knew Hairy Dave well enough to request further permission to pilfer various parts of his dinner, but I didn't think overall it looked particularly nice... Hairy Dave commented that it was "okay," but, yes, admittedly somewhat on the chilly side.

After a bit of a break, conversation naturally turned to dessert - understandable perhaps given that we were seated directly next to their tempting-looking revolving cake display.

In the end we went on Prague Ginge's recommendation from her last visit, namely the chocolate soufflé at 75 CZK. And just to be "good," we decided to belatedly show restraint and share just the one between the three of us.

Needless to say, these initial good intentions quickly descended into a soufflé fight to the death practically the minute the three-spooned dessert was set down on the table. After all, with a cupful of hot, squishy chocolate fondant encased in a (possibly ever-so-slightly overdone) lovely cakey crust - what's genuinely not to like...?

A welcome sweet end then to an in-all-honesty somewhat hit-and-miss meal.

I'm sorry, Prague Ginge, to speak ill of one of your long-standing culinary faves, but with its decidedly shoddy service and - apart from the risotto and soufflé - mostly underwhelming food (the two key tells that you may be in a Prague 1 tourist trap), Republika simply didn't impress enough to warrant a second visit on my part. If, on the other hand, you are a) a tourist in search of reasonably priced, central eats in nice environs or b) a lover of jazz / other live music (neither of which, admittedly, I happen to be), then this place might just float your boat.

As for me, however, there are definitely better places to be found in Česko than Republika.

Republika
Na Poříčí 12
Prague 1
Phone: ( +420) 242 481 655

Ouky Douky

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:48:00 +0000

Until recently, mine and Mr. K's gastronomic weekend routine has been pretty much set in stone over the last two years - a decadent croissant brunch at Bakeshop Praha on Saturday, a visit to our beloved Robert's for pre-dinner drinkies followed by a meal out somewhere nice in the evening, a light breakfast bite at Zanzibar on the Sunday, rounding off by relaxing on the sofa with a bottle of wine and a takeaway before the working week starts all over again the next day.

But such established patterns of culinary behaviour just won't do when you have a food-and-drink blog to keep up every week. And it was for this reason that - much to Mr. K's initial chagrin - I insisted on swapping Zanzibar for Holešovice-based bookshop-café Ouky Douky for brunch/lunch on our last two weekends together.

Despite the fact that - coincidentally enough - Mr. K used to live just round the corner from here and me just a couple of tram stops away, for no particular reason neither of us had ever yet been in before.

First impressions were good, however - Ouky Douky has a pleasant, unhurried café vibe, with tables and chairs sprawling from the food section through into the eclectic second-hand bookshop to the side. I was pleased to note that there was quite a good selection of cheap German books here, a language which I purportedly speak and do occasionally try to make the effort to keep up. They also have a small internet section here, with the rest of the café hooked up to free wifi.

For this reason, Ouky Douky is pretty packed with internet users hunched over their laptops, nursing their one espresso for several hours, without seemingly any pressure to pay up and move from the staff.

The menu itself is pretty basic, being mainly made up of sandwiches, baguettes, various omelettes and the odd cake or two. Their website has photos up for most of its dishes, though admittedly they don't always look at their most appealing there...

On this occasion, Mr. K went for a Mexican omelette and me for the daily soup, which on this occasion was broccoli. Unfortunately I didn't note exact prices, but they were pretty reasonable - something in the range of 40-50 CZK for the soup and 130-odd CZK for the omelette.

In accordance with Ouky Douky's unhurried atmosphere, these did take quite a while to come out from the kitchen, but eventually both arrived served with a basket of Czech bread.

Mr. K was very happy with his omelette, which in this case was rendered "Mexican" by the addition of red and green peppers plus jalapeno / chilli powder toppings. I also had a bite and found it perfectly nice, as omelettes go.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for my soup, which I found really unpleasantly salty and with a strange stringy texture, the origin of which I could not quite discern. On the other hand, there was plenty of it - the bowl was deceptively large, and in the end I had to pass it over to foodbag Mr. K to polish off on my behalf.

On our second brunch visit a weekend or two later, Mr. K went for a coffee and croissant, while - not feeling particularly hungry on this occasion - I went for a small banana milkshake.

The croissant itself was nothing special (and certainly not a patch on our traditional croissant place of choice, Bakeshop Praha), but I really enjoyed my milkshake, which was very creamy, frothy and refreshing. Next time I'll definitely order it in large version.

Mr. K was still hungry at this point, so ordered a couple of rounds of toast with jam.

These came barely toasted and with no butter. Not much more to say on the subject than that really.

Equally as uninspiring, toast-wise, was Prague Ginge's cheese-and-ham melt on another occasion. Note dreaded cabbage leaf (as opposed to lettuce) in the middle...

Having now made a couple of pleasant, if - from a culinary perspective - not particularly inspiring afternoon visits here, I decided to make a later solo trip one weekday evening to check out the vibe later in the day.

I'd naively thought that by the time I swung by at 9pm, the place would be more or less empty, but in fact quite the opposite was the case - Ouky Douky is clearly the place to be in Holešovice on a Tuesday night, and all the tables were well and truly taken. In my dire post-work state of hunger and thirst, the resident laptop-using table-hoggers suddenly seemed a lot more irritating, and in the event it was only after a period of targeted hovering in the bookshop section that I finally managed to bag myself a place. Over the course of the evening, I saw several people stick their heads round the door in search of a table, but having to leave again in search of Holešovice drinking/eating holes elsewhere.

Having finally secured myself a seat, I now only needed a little service and all would be well with the world.

I mentioned earlier that Ouky Douky adopts something of an unrushed approach to service, which in the right context is not necessarily a negative, but in this case definitely crossed the line from leisurely to downright lax. I'd not have minded so much had the two wait staff on duty been clearly overloaded, but in this case they seemed to spend more time talking between themselves than serving their actual customers, which was probably fine for the entrenched wifi refugees, but not for an increasingly hunger-irritable me (and as Mr. K will attest, I am really not at my best when blood sugar is low). In the end I had to stride up to the counter to put in my food-and-drink order - my usual glass of white wine and a chicken burrito, again somewhere around the 30 and 150 CZK price marks respectively.

Here's the wine, pictured with crockery from the table's last two occupants still placed on the chair in the background. No one bothered to remove it over the course of my evening there, and for all I know it is still sitting there now...

Once ordered, the burrito came out of the kitchen pretty quickly - almost within minutes - and on receipt it was pretty self-evident why.

Being in a laidback bookshop-café and not an actual Mexican restaurant, I of course hadn't been expecting anything particularly authentic here, but, I have to say, by any standards this was just dire. Lukewarm at best, stuffed with such incongruous burrito ingredients as diced carrots, potatoes and peas (but, notably, very little actual chicken), and clearly seasoned with supermarket mixed spice, this was really not impressive - in fact I could easily have rustled up better with a bit of meat and a packet of Old El Paso myself at home... In its favor, however, I will say that the burrito was at least filling.

Admittedly on this fourth and final visit, I did leave slightly miffed at the poor food and even poorer service I'd experienced on this occasion.

However, to be fair, outstanding food and uber-efficient service are really not the point of a place like Ouky Douky. Rather, Ouky Douky is best judged for what it is, namely as a welcome Holešovice oasis in which to browse old books, surf the internet at your leisure, enjoy a light bite by day or drink by evening with friends, all without the feeling of having to vacate the table immediately after you've finished your meal.

For Mr K and I, Ouky Douky hasn't quite replaced traditional the aforementioned weekend favorites of Bakeshop Praha and Zanzibar, but I'd definitely recommend it as a relaxed daytime/evening spot if you happen to be in the area - just be prepared to fight for a table (and possibly your order as well) first!

Ouky Douky
Janovskeho 14
Prague 7
Phone: (+420) 266 711 531

Susharna

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:37:00 +0000

Obsessive economizing being hardwired into my Knedlík family DNA (see recent article on Lidl), it was with great enthusiasm that I recently stumbled upon new bargain sites mydeals.cz, Slevomat and Bony Bony, which all frequently offer various featured restaurant vouchers at often quite heavily discounted rates.

A week or two back I bagged one such voucher for a meal at Japanese restaurant Susharna near Malostranské náměstí, paying 450 CZK online for a 1,000 CZK value coupon - a saving of 55%. Hooray!

Knowing his liking for sushi, I invited Tangoman along on this occasion as well - a first-time visit here for both of us.

The restaurant area itself was quite small, with only about 10 booths on the inside and a couple of lounge-style sofas and coffee tables placed along the corridor leading in from the street.

Interior was warmly decorated with oriental lanterns, Japanese swords, and - for some unknown reason - a string of incongruously tacky paper fish hanging from the ceiling. Apart from us, only the one booth was occupied on the weekday evening we were there.

We started off the meal with a bottle of Corinto Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (320 CZK) and a freebie amuse-bouche of battered salmon purée. It brought to mind a kind of posh fish finger, but was pretty bland for my tastes. Luckily the two-tone sesame seeds helped liven it up a bit though.

Even before I'd sat down here, I was quite adamant from viewing their handy photo menu online previously that I absolutely had to have the Tokashiki Maguro, i.e. tuna steak on seaweed, lightly roasted with rice Nishiki with Shitake mushrooms.

This is what it looks like on the Susharna picture menu.

And here is the decidedly less lurid reality...

Plus points here were that the tuna was perfectly rare (a rarity itself in Prague) and the dish as a whole nicely presented, with a creative salad garnish on the side. On the other hand, I found the fish lacked any kind of seasoning, and the sauce on the Shitake mushrooms was rather cloyingly sweet. It was nice enough, but I remember the tuna I'd had recently at Le Patio as being much more flavoursome.

There were many other tempting-looking mains on the menu (the Hirekatzu and Yaki Soba particularly caught my eye), but we instead decided to choose our additional courses from the sushi selection. This actually proved something of a mission in itself, given Susharna's eclectic range of sushi creations, ranging from the (admittedly rather bizarre-looking) Volcano Roll to the Maki Dynamite Roll made with scallops, mayonnaise and kimchi paste.

In the end, we plumped for the Mexico Maguro eight-piece set, made with salmon, tuna, shrimp, asparagus and chilli at 350 CZK, and the Cuba Maki with tuna, grilled smoked conger, cucumber, seaweed and chilli paste at 360 CZK. Neither particularly "authentically" Japanese perhaps, but both pretty tasty nevertheless.

I thought a couple of the Maguro pieces looked a little clumsily made, and the Cuba conger was ever so slightly on the chewy side, but on the whole Tangoman and I were both pretty happy with our somewhat unorthodox choices here.

I like to get in my daily quota of vegetables, so also suggested we order a Nagashimi salad at 105 CZK.

The salad mix itself was nothing particularly special, but was really saved in this case by the delicious sesame and soy sauce dressing served with it. Tangoman wasn't keen but, salad fan that I am, I really enjoyed it.

By this point we were too full for desserts, which was a shame as Susharna offers some extremely tempting sweet options, in particular the Kushi Mango (fruit-topped rice in banana leaf) and Saito coconut balls.

So instead we asked for the bill, which with another couple of glasses of wine thrown in finally came to 1,780 CZK. This is the point at which the evening took a decided turn to the sour, as our (hitherto perfectly polite) waitress reacted to my mydeals.cz voucher as if it were Einstein's theory of relativity written in upside-down Chinese. Even with Tangoman's admirable Czech skills and the hard fact of a printed voucher in her hand, it was only after copious negotiations, a few raised voices, and finally a call to the owner that our apprehensive waitress finally saw fit to accept its validity. A failing on management's side in failing to originally communicate the details of the deal to its service staff perhaps, but also undeniably on the part of the waitress in question, who hardly handled the situation in the most professional manner either...

This is the first time I've used a voucher in any restaurant (fellow food blogger Laus Sørensen did not apparently encounter any similar problems with his recent Bony Bony-based visit to Palantino), so I don't know how typical an experience this is likely to be - in future I'll perhaps make known the presence of said coupon at start of meal to prevent any unpleasantness further down the line...

Sting in the tail over coupon aside, however, overall verdict on Susharna was that it was a perfectly respectable sushi joint with a great selection of Japanese mains and desserts, not to mention a few outlandish variations on the usual standard maki/nigiri/sashimi sets. Without the 55% discount, it's a bit out of my price range for regular dining, but I'll definitely be keeping it in mind for future "push the boat out"-type meals.

Either way, if another discount voucher happens to come my way I'll definitely be making use of it - only next time I hope without all the drama when it comes to paying the bill!

Susharna
Tržiště 12
Prague 1
Phone: (+420) 257 219 759

Choco Café

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:34:00 +0000

When I mentioned the prospect of paying a visit to a café in the Old Town dedicated almost entirely to chocolate, needless to say, it did not take much persuasion for the girls to join me for a drink and a bite at the simply but accurately entitled Choco Café a day or two later.

First impressions on our initial Saturday morning were very positive, based on their cosy, relaxed interior and tempting range of cakes and other chocolate-based goodies all out on display.

Choco Café's speciality is its long list of hot spooning chocolate varieties, which come served with everything from ginger to sea salt to rum or fresh fruits.

On this occasion, I went for a cup of hot chocolate and chilli (59 CZK), while Prague Ginge and Girl in Czechland just went for a plain each (55 CZK).

Oh.... My.... God...

With 100 decadent, delicious grams of thick spooning chocolate in every cup, these little devils seriously packed a punch, and, only a few spoonfuls in, all of us were on a serious sugar rush. On reflection, just one of these between the three of us would have been more than enough - they really were that intense. None of us were actually able to get through more than half before initial head-rush turned to headache/cocoa-induced nausea, leaving us all with lasting sugar hangovers for the rest of the afternoon. In short, highly recommended, but don't say you haven’t been warned!

And if we hadn't packed in enough empty calories already with the hot chocolates, we also ordered a chocolate croissant and chocolate-chip muffin to share between us as well (as I recall about 30-40 CZK each).

Rather than the traditional pain au chocolat we'd been expecting, the plain croissant came served with a little jug of hot spooning chocolate - as if we needed more of the stuff! It was nice enough, but not a patch on the truly god-sent croissants served at long-standing favourite Bakeshop Praha.

The muffin was also pretty standard really, though I noticed at the counter that they also served little pre-packaged bags of the same chocolate chips as mixed in here.

By the end of our two-hour visit here, we'd all well and truly sugar-crashed and burned, but consensus was still that it had all definitely been worth it, and we'd be heading back again once we'd collectively recovered from round one...

In the event, my next visit was with Mr. K one day on his latest Prague sojourn. Mr. K actually claims not to particularly like chocolate, but judging by the amount of times I've woken up to find my stock of Ritter Sport (not to mention the best part of my good wine) nocturnally consumed on his part, I know this statement to be not entirely true...

We noticed on this occasion that most of the tables were reserved though the place was still more or less empty, and soon found out why when a pre-booked tour group turned up en masse to populate them. I'm not sure how regular an occurrence this is, but might be worth ringing ahead to reserve a spot, particularly at the weekends.

It was getting on for lunchtime and Mr. K was in a savory mood, so went for one of their range of bruschettas, with the prosciutto variety at 89 CZK.

This was a seriously sizeable portion, coming served with copious amount of ham, rocket, olives and sundried tomato - definitely good value and quality for the price. Mr. K declared himself more than happy with his choice at any rate.

He accompanied it with an espresso, while I (not feeling overly hungry on this occasion) just went for a freshly blended banana milkshake - pretty nice, but I prefer my milkshakes a little more milky and creamy than this primarily fruit-based version.

On our third and final visit, Mr. K and I stopped by again for afternoon coffee - or "afternoon chocolate," I should say.

This time round we shared a mug of their drinking chocolate at 65 CZK.

This came really nicely presented, and, for my taste, went down much more easily with the thick spooning chocolate at the bottom diluted this time by the layers of milk and milk foam. Sharing it with Mr. K also at least helped dissipate the previous sugar high/hangover somewhat as well.

Mr. K also spotted the tiramisu out on display and felt compelled to give it a try.

For my taste, this was a little too creamy, but Mr. K had no such qualms and quickly polished off the lot, his conscience enviably clear afterwards, commenting only that he found it very self-indulgent and rich. Damn him and his unfairly high metabolic rate...

In short, Choco Café is certainly not a place for the health-conscious or calorie-counters, and - falling into the latter two categories myself - for me can but remain a very special treat. However, for all you Czech-based chocoholics out there, Choco Café is definitely one of the more deliciously decadent places in Prague to over-indulge!

Choco Café

Liliová 4

Prague 1

Phone: (+420) 222 222 519

Prague Food Festivals

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:20:00 +0000

It seems Prague is in the throes of full-blown food and drink festivities this weekend, so of course it’s bloody typical here that I am both a) working Saturday and Sunday and b) ill.

Still, on my day off today I valiantly roused myself from my sickbed to do a quick reckie of some of the epicurean events on offer this weekend, starting of course with the main event of the Prague Wine Festival on Manes Island from 17 – 19th September.

Tickets are 220 CZK for the whole three-day event, which includes a taster glass and introductory booklet detailing all the 51 various food and drink stands on offer.

On top of the ticket price, you have to purchase additional tokens (available in denominations of 10 / 15 in either 150 / 200 CZK bags) in order to buy any actual wine or nibbly bits here.

The emphasis here is on Moravian wine, but there are also stands serving wine from Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Germany and France. Token price per tasting glass seemed to fall mainly within the 20 – 60 CZK range.

There were also several stands serving posh cheeses and salamis, as well as a Jan Paukert stall selling chlebíčky and other snacks and a main restaurant marquee run by the team from Ristorante Prosecco. Being there pretty early in the afternoon, I didn’t see the latter preparing any hot food yet, though they did have a deli corner where you could request combination dishes of various cheeses and cold cuts.

Feeling a bit under the weather myself, for once I didn’t actually sample any of the wonderful wine wares on offer, though will hopefully manage to squeeze a visit in before Sunday to make up for it – certainly there are more than enough varieties to choose from here!!

Across town over on Kampa is also the Česká chuťovka or “Slow Food” festival (no entrance fees required), a surprisingly small collection of stands serving – often apparently not particularly slow – Czech snack food and some cheese / meat / dairy produce from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (a deceptively long list of participants can be found here).

To be honest, there didn't seem to be much more here than at the usual Czech market stalls, though the Staročeská Kuchyné stand run by Paní Marušky had some tasty-looking meat and potato pancake options, which I might have gone for had I not still been feeling nauseous as hell at the time.

A neighbouring stand also did dishes of poppy-seed covered ovocné knedliky, though have to say they did not look particularly inspiring...

Over at Náměstí Míru (and upping sticks across to Havlíčkovy Sady on the Saturday), the annual autumn festival of Vinobraní na Grébovce was also in full swing when I stopped by today.

The main tent was manned by the good folk of Viniční Altán, one of my favourite wine spots in Prague (previously reviewed here), but again I was not really in a position to partake here...

I did enjoy having a potter round the various other arts and crafts / food and drink stands lining the square though, which included a seriously nice-looking bakery stall, various meat and cheese options, and a great spice market, not to mention of course all the usual sausage / burčak / trdelník etc options as well.

And last but not least, I also hear that the Česká hotovka cook-off is on this Saturday and Sunday over at Dom u Pinkasů in Prague 1.

From what I can make out via Google Translate, various restaurants will be competing in some kind of a svíčková cooking championship here, with visitors able to sample different versions on a token basis for an initial 250 CZK (but please don’t take me at my word here!).

As for me, having dragged myself all about town to check out three various culinary events and report back to you, dear reader, not having actually partaken in food or drink at any one of them myself, I finally tottered dizzily off home again for an (as I write ongoing) unenviable evening of snot, soup, and copious paracetemol instead...

Hopefully will be sufficiently on form again and find time between shifts to make proper use of my three-day Prague Wine Festival ticket at the very least; as for the rest of you out there, I hope you’re able to better enjoy than I… ;-)))))

Kebab of the Month - Chez Amis

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Back in my early days of Prague existence, Chez Amis on Spálená 15 used to be one of my favourite places to go when I had the kebab urge. It wasn’t ever a patch on the delicious döner I knew and loved in Germany, but (along with the now defunct Dahab fast food outlet) it was among the closest to it I could find at the time...

Since then, the kebab market has expanded over the years, and I moved on to new döner dining spots Arslan and Istanbul instead. Still, I was in the neighbourhood the other day, and – bearing in mind my ongoing quest to find the best kebab place in Prague – after at least three years since my last Chez Amis stop, thought the place might be worth a re-visit.

In short – it wasn’t.

Granted, they do a brilliant range of Middle Eastern packaged products, matched only by Fatah delicatessen on Myslíková (I did wonder given the proximity if there is a connection with the place).

They also have a variety of decent-looking hot dishes out on display, including fresh houmous. I didn’t see it this time round, but I remember their börek of three years ago as being some of the best I’ve ever had.

I’d have taken a picture or two more, but at this point I was roundly scolded for my photographic temerity here.

But oh dear – the kebab itself...

Admittedly my falafel sandwich was pretty cheap at just 55 CZK, but in this case I definitely got what I paid for.

The falafel itself was OK, but the bread was just awful – all crust, horribly dry and unpleasantly chewy. I also didn’t like the fact that Chez Amis succumbed to the unfortunate habit of using shredded cabbage rather than lettuce in the salad. I’m not sure exactly what the pickled purple thingy was, but either way it definitely shouldn’t have been there...

I genuinely don’t remember them as ever being even nearly this bad (and am not just saying that cause the staff there told me off! ;-)) ) – in short, a paltry 3/10 on the kebab scale.

I guess there must have been an initial reason that Chez Amis first fell out of favour in my kebab books, and I do realize that I may be going against the grain of current popular opinion in my döner damnation here.

Let’s just summarize here by saying that in this case, absence from Chez Amis has not made the heart grow fonder, and next time I get the kebab munchies in this neck of the woods, I’ll definitely be walking those extra five minute to the far superior Pasha instead....

Kardamon Klub

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:29:00 +0000

Kardamon Klub in the Old Town (sister restaurant to previously reviewed favourite K aravan Seraj ) makes the rather presumptuous claim on their website to being "the only restaurant in Prague with a story."

The manifold other restaurant-owners in town would be better placed to comment on the veracity of this statement than I; however, Kardamon Klub is certainly the only place I know with a gimmick - namely that of the dubious "legend" of the "Cardamom King".

Story here goes that Lebanese spice merchant Ha Sim ibn Labíb ben Busayrí, while drinking cardamom tea one day back in the ninth century, was randomly seized with the feverish desire - apparently inspired by said mythical King - to travel forth to all countries featured on the Kardamon Klub menu. Or something. The blurb on the menu puts it in rather flowerier - and, at least to my decidedly no-nonsense, cynical tastes, more nauseating - prose.

In practice, this means that on each visit to the Kardamon Klub, the diner is presented with one of a series of menus in order of Mr. ben Busayrí's purported route through Asia and the Middle East, starting with Lebanon, then on to Iran, Yemen and Zanzibar, before finally completing the Cardamom King culinary quest in Southern India with visit number six. According to their website, at the end of this gastronomic journey you will supposedly meet with an Indian magician who will ask you three philosophical questions, which, if answered correctly, will admit you as permanent members of the Kardamon Klub, at which point you can presumably order á la carte without having to sit through the clearly embarrassed waitresses' belabored enquiries as to what stage of the quest you're currently at and what therefore you are, according to the legend, permitted to eat.

Knowing how busy Karavan Seraj often gets, I'd booked a table for Mr. K and myself for Kardamon Klub earlier in the day, only to find just two other tables occupied at 8:30pm on a Saturday night. Either the side-street location wasn't attracting enough visitors in the way of passing trade, or potential customers were as put off by the blatant over-thematization here as I was.

As it happened, we were both in the mood for Lebanese, so, on this occasion, were happy to go with set menu number one at 795 CZK for the two of us. Had we not been, we'd have asked for the four other menus to browse through instead - though with at least five separate menus on the table this would probably have proven a little on the laborious side.

Quantity, quality and variety in terms of food were all very similar to Karavan Seraj here, as was the unfortunate tendency to bring out all the dishes from starter to main at pretty much the same time, rather than spreading the meal out at a more leisurely pace.

Within minutes, it seemed, we had a plate of hummus and pita bread brought to our table (hummus good as ever, pita as at Karavan Seraj - rather too brittle and dry for my taste);

some black olives and olive oil (a token bowl of cardamom seeds were already on the table when we arrived);

a glass of overly herby ayran each (which both of us felt would have been better served as a sauce than a drink);

plates of tasty lamb-stuffed sambousek lahme and spinach-stuffed fatayer;

a bowl of fatoush (essentially just a normal salad topped with chunks of fried pita bread);

a couple of rounds of delicious falafel (great wrapped in pita with hummus);

some sojok, a hot dish of sliced Lebanese sausage (kind of like a cross between chorizo and frankfurter) in a thin tomato sauce;

and last (and also very much least) a bowl of sawda, which essentially consisted of chunks of chicken liver served in what both looked and tasted like dishwater sauce - pretty unappealing at the best of times, but particularly so to Mr. K, he being of the generation that was force-fed offal-based Great British school dinners on practically a daily basis.

Apart from the sawda, we really enjoyed everything here - favorites being the sambousek lahme, fatayer, falafel and hummus - though between us we barely got through even half.

The waitress was quick to ask if we wanted our set coffee and dessert right away, but this time we insisted on a bit of break to enjoy another glass of wine (Frankovka for Mr. K, Chardonnay for me) and pace out the evening a bit.

Only a bit later did we get round to our dessert of katayef, i.e. sweet Lebanese pancakes stuffed with honey and nuts, and cardamom-laced coffee.

The coffee seriously packed a punch - probably the unorthodox thing to do here, but I had to ask for some milk to tone it down a bit for my tastes.

Overall, we both really enjoyed the food here, and at just under 400 CZK per person (not including drinks) it was undeniably quite a feast. I'd be interested to come back again to sample some of their Persian kebabs, Yemeni omelets, southern Indian dhosas and Zanzibari curry - only next time I'll be ordering what I like and when, and not according to what supposed stage I'm at on their silly quest. Going during the day for their lunch menu also seems another good way of bypassing the bull...

Great as I think the food and service here genuinely are, all in all I can't help but think that if Kardamon Klub would just focus on the cuisine rather than the contrivance, and consolidate their various menus into one standard document (as Karavan Seraj does in its own endearingly epic tome), then it would ultimately prove a much more authentic, appealing and deservedly popular place to be.

Kardamon Klub

U Dobřenských 3
Praha 1
Phone: (+420) 222 222 14

Troja Wine Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:55:00 +0000

When long-standing partner-in-wine Prague Ginge suggested "wine festival" and "Troja" (one of my favourite places in Prague - previous review here) as a pleasant way to while away the rest of yesterday afternoon, it was hardly like I needed much persuasion to join her, especially as the weather was uncharacteristically warm and sunny after all these recent chilly days of unrelenting grey...

Clearly we were not the only ones who thought so either, as the place was packed with fellow wine drinkers out en force enjoying the last of the day's sun.

The hill leading up to St. Klara's vineyard was lined with several little stalls, all offering wine or snack food in multiple varieties.

As for Prague Ginge and I, we kicked off with a tasting glass of some very un-Czech Portuguese Calvas white port at 35 CZK a pop.

Cheers!! :-))

This was seriously nice and sweet, but all too quickly gone...

Heading down the path to Trojský zámek, we therefore stopped in at the official St. Klara vineyard stand, where we both had a 0,2l glass of Müller Thurgau at another 35 CZK each.

This was my sneaky artistic shot of someone else's drinks.

Prague Ginge had never yet tasted burčák, so picked up a sample glass from one of the stands.

I have never been one for burčák (sorry to all the fans out there), and as it turns out neither was Prague Ginge.

Still, here's my attempt at a second artistic shot of said burčák glass by one of Trojský zámek's several fountains.

As per usual, Prague Ginge and I were drinking rather than eating, but we did clock a few tasty treats on offer, from koláče and klobása to goulash and gouda...

And of course, there were the pre-requisite Czech folksy bands (whose names I never know) on hand to add a bit of music and oom-pah-pah joviality to the day as well...

A beautiful sunset over Troja rounded off a highly enjoyable afternoon and evening, as we both parted ways in order to sensibly go and line our stomachs at our respective abodes in preparation for the next working day.

So it's thanks Prague Ginge for the tip-off and the company - needless to say, you can count on me for next year's attendance as well!!

mama coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:17:00 +0000

Finding ourselves both somewhat at a loose end this weekend, Prague Ginge and I randomly decided to meet up for a natter at the Londýnská branch of the inexplicably uncapitalized mama coffee (there is another one on Vodičkova that I've not been to myself yet).

We like this place for its atmospheric interior and cosy vibe (think dinky crockery, sewing machine chairs, and pleasant garden area), plus it has the benefit of providing Fair Trade coffee and chocolate.

On this occasion Prague Ginge had a couple of Americanos with about six sugars each (45 CZK), and was soon bouncing off the walls.

It being a rare nice day, I went for an iced coffee (49 CZK), which came nicely presented in a long glass.

We both eyed up the small counter of home-made cakes and snacks (including brownies, cookies, spinach rolls), but decided to be good - at least for the time being...

Plenty of time to be bad later - after all, Prague Ginge and I can never have a meeting that doesn't descend into excessive red wine drinking sooner or later, and - needless to say - today was no exception either... ;-))

Au Gourmand

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:37:00 +0000

Of the many cafés in town,

Of which I'm rather fond,

Next to Praha Bakeshop and Paul's,

The third is Au Gourmand.

They’ve several branches round the city,

Rytířská, Palladium, Old Town,

The Dlouhá one has a chocolaterie,

One of the better ones around.

Personally I love their quiches,

Which come in varieties galore,

Their yummy cakes and croissants,

Leave me always wanting more.

The bread used in their sandwiches,

Is all rustic-like and fresh,

The croque monsieurs and madames,

Are among the very best.

They do a small range of pastas,

Of which the lasagnes are great,

Their range of soups and salads,

Are good if you’re watching weight.

Like most posh patisseries in town,

The goods are rather dear,

But for you gourmands (or just greedies),

Then I recommend - head here!

Thai Oishi

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:03:00 +0000

I had been planning to do a full review of part-Thai, part-sushi restaurant Thai Oishi at Palmovka (a second branch has since opened in Nusle), but as per usual Brewsta managed to pip me to the post here a month or so back... :-))

Still, a second look can never hurt, especially since I’ve got all the photos of my original visit with friends and fellow bloggers Prague Ginge and Girl in Czechland currently burning a hole in my hard drive still...

Interior is pretty basic, with the occasional tatty Thailand tourism poster stapled to the wall and the obligatory picture of the revered Thai king and queen clearly taking pride of place on the far side. Clearly the onus is more on the "Thai" here rather than the "Oishi".

It was pretty busy on the weekday evening we went, so we were glad to have booked in advance.

As per usual, Prague Ginge and I were on our house white at 35 CZK per glass, while Girl in Czechland decided to go with a 0,3l glass of Holba at 30 CZK. All fine here, except that it took rather a while for the (otherwise unfailingly polite) server to get round to taking our drinks order first time round.

Food-wise we decided to start out with a shared plate of mixed vegetable tempura at 160 CZK, though in the event this was actually brought out some time after all the other dishes had been served.

This comprised of a platter of battered onion, sweet potato, yellow pepper, broccoli and cauliflower, which was pretty good if a little on the greasy side. The accompanying sauce was unfortunately rather watery and bland, however, while personally I could have done with a bit of aubergine thrown into the mix – my personal favourite when it comes to fried veggie pieces.

For mains, Prague Ginge and Girl in Czechland split a selection of sushi, choices being tekka / kappa maki (110 CZK / 60 CZK each for six pieces) and a California salmon roll at 180 CZK.

I tried a piece of the salmon roll and thought the quality and quantity were both really good value for the price. The fish tasted pretty fresh, and the sushi as a whole came very nicely presented. Prague Ginge and Girl in Czechland also declared themselves as more than happy with their choices.

As for me, I was in a Thai mood that night, so went for one of my traditional favourites in the kaeng kiaw wan gai (or green chicken curry to you and me) with sticky rice at 160 CZK collectively.

Again Thai Oishi’s timings proved a little off here, as this came out sometime before the sushi platter, and I felt a bit bad starting before the others (on their insistence, of course!).

Apart from the rather incongruous chunks of red and green pepper in the curry, this was actually pretty much spot on – lovely and creamy, with just the perfect balance of Thai flavourings in the predominant lemongrass, kaffir leaves and galangal. Admittedly it could have done with being a couple of rungs up on the spice ladder for my tastes, but oh well, can’t have it all, and at least the sticky rice was authentic at any rate...

After his many and various meals at Thai Oishi, Brewsta concluded that the food here wasn’t necessarily good enough to go out of your way for, but it did constitute pretty good value for money and would definitely be a place he’d welcome to his neighbourhood.

As it just so happens, Palmovka is actually pretty much the current stamping ground for most of our current circle of friends, which by default seemingly makes Thai Oishi, with its casual atmosphere, decent food and reasonable prices, one of our new collective faves for a girlie get-together over plentiful wasabi and wine... :-))))

Thai Oishi
Novákových 9
Prague 8 - Palmovka
Phone: (+420) 775 217 919

Baterka

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:26:00 +0000

As a long-standing resident of Holešovice (not the trendy part east of the Argentinská tracks - the dingy bit next to Libeňský most), I have often wished for a decent mid-range restaurant in the neighbourhood to fill the gap between the sublime but unaffordable except on special occasions SaSaZu and the bog-standard pizzerias / čínský bistros that otherwise populate the area (the all-style-no-substance Molo 22 on U Průhonu just doesn't do it for me).

And so it was with interest that I first read Brewsta's review of Baterka on Delnička a few months back, and since then the place has become something of a local for me on those occasions when I just can't be bothered to venture more than five minutes in any direction beyond my own front door.

And clearly the rest of Holešovice feels the same way, or that's at least judging by the number of bums on seats on a nightly basis here (should point out that the below photo was taken on a lunchtime visit when it wasn't so busy).

I really like the bread they serve here with every meal, which is warm, dense, and spongy - in short, just how I like it.

On our first visit, Mr Smorgasbord went for the steak with spinach and sour cherry sauce.

This came very nicely presented, and Mr S claimed to enjoy the contrast of the juicy steak with the sharp fruit sauce.

As for me, I had to give the Maxi Burger (168 CZK) a try.

I have to agree with Brewsta's verdict on this one - the meat was fairly bland and uninspiring, the bun pretty dry, and the other fillings not particularly flavorsome either. I could also have done with a serious mustard / ketchup injection here, but maybe that's just condiment addict me.

More successful was the salmon with roasted vegetables and cous cous (245 CZK) on a subsequent solo visit.

The fish was very fresh and flavoursome, tinged on the outside and just ever so slightly on the rare side in the middle (which I like). I appreciated the wedges of lemon and lime to jazz the dish up a bit.

I also got a side salad (55 CZK) on this occasion - nothing particularly to write home about, but it did come served with balsamic and olive oil to dress it with. Once again I lamented the lack of fresh black pepper - my personal seasoning of choice.

On my latest visit, I stopped in for a quickie lunch of cream of spinach soup with smoked salmon and sour cream (45 CZK).

I actually thought this was fantastic - possibly the nicest thing I've tried from the menu yet. The soup was thick and tasty, and the flavour of the smoked salmon fillet infused nicely through the whole dish. It would have been too much for me as a starter, but with bread made for a nice and tasty light lunch.

Brewsta's conclusion on Baterka was that it was a welcome addition to the area, but not necessarily a place you'd bother to seek out if you don't live / work locally.

Falling into the latter category myself, I can only concur - Baterka (or "Torch" in Czech) may not be the best in terms of what Prague has to offer, but from a local point of view at any rate has certainly gone some way towards brightening up the otherwise dark and dismal dining options in my neck of the woods at the very least!

Baterka

Dělnická 71

Prague 7

Phone: (+420) 266 711 185

Dynamo

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:52:00 +0000

dy•na•mo

/ˈdaɪnəˌmoʊ/ [dahy-nuh-moh]
–noun, plural -mos.
1. an electric generator, esp. for direct current.
2. an energetic, hardworking, industrious person.

Blogging aside, I actually do hold down a "proper" corporate job as well, and that both I and all the other members of my zany, eclectic, international team of office-based superheroes fall under the latter dynamic definition obviously goes without saying here. (Especially, boss, if you're reading...)

Still, "work hard play hard" they say - hence last week's collective decision on the part of we female dynamos of team to ditch the menfolk and organise a long overdue girls' night out the other week.

After much discussion, location of choice was finally agreed upon as Dynamo, a stylish international restaurant on Pštrossova. This was going on my recommendation, as I vaguely remembered having gone in for a drink once there and finding the menu pretty varied and reasonably priced.

Already in the know as to my secret "Miss Knedlíkova" identity, the - far more creatively gifted than I - Miss C and Miss T (initials assigned according to nationality on this occasion!) both volunteered to do the photos for this review, which explains why the actual food photos are infinitely better than my standard blurry "point-and-shoot" shots. Thanks, ladies!

Kicking off with drinks, Miss U went for a Bloody Mary, Miss C for an iced ginger tea, Miss R for an American lemonade, while the rest of us just plumped for wine red or white - as I recall, a glass of Chilean Chardonnay for me, Rulandské bílé for Miss C, and a carafe of Vavřinecké for Miss T.

I didn't include the prices because half the drinks listed on the Dynamo website don't seem to tally with the menu in actuality, and, well, I couldn't be bothered to brave the current miserable climes to go back and personally check. Expect pretty standard price range anyway.

Miss C commented that the ginger tea was very refreshing and not too sweet, while Miss R also really liked the generous chunks of fresh fruit in her American lemonade. Miss U, on the other hand, would like to go on record as saying that her Bloody Mary was far too peppery, to the point of being undrinkable. I had a sip and unfortunately have to agree with her on this one.

Anyway, moving on from drinks and on to the actual food.

Miss R and one of our Miss C's went for the Tuscan chicken on a bed of roasted vegetables and olives (155 CZK).

This went down very well with both ladies. The chicken was reported to be very moist and well-seasoned, and it certainly looked very aesthetically arranged on the plate.

Less good was the side of vegetables (50 CZK) Miss R ordered along with it, which looked and tasted like it had come direct out of a freezer bag.

Miss U opted for the grilled duck breast with cream spinach and mushrooms (185 CZK).

This also came well presented, with the duck nicely tender on the inside and crispy on the out, while the spinach was also seasoned nicely with large chunks of garlic and plentiful butter. Miss U pronounced herself pleased with the dish, and - having had a bite or two myself - I also thought it a good choice.

Miss T went for the medallions of lamb served with rosemary and cranberry sauce (195 CZK).

These came served with a side of roasted pepper, eggplant, zucchini and onion, which Miss T loved. The lamb, on the other hand, she said was complimented very well by the sauce, but slightly underdone for her taste - another 10 minutes apparently and all would have been perfect with the dish.

Miss T also ordered a side dish of potato gratin at 45 CZK.

I am a sucker for carbs and cream at the best of times, but these two wedges were simply pure unadulterated stodge (in the best possible sense of the word!), and I couldn't resist stealing a rather sizeable bite... Next time I come I am definitely ordering this.

As for me, I was torn between so many things on the menu... The eggplant chutney with red pepper, served on fresh toasts with rocket salad, basil pesto and cherry tomatoes? The mixed salad with mozzarella, cashews, pear and sundried tomatoes? The goat's cheese served on sautéed spinach, walnuts, and potato dauphinoise? All sounded so good...

In the end I opted for the spaghetti with artichoke hearts, shallots, garlic and smoked bacon (139 CZK), while our other Miss C also went for the pasta option in the penne Padova with bacon, oyster mushrooms, sage sauce and parmesan (same price).

Both of these were a disappointment in comparison to the other meat dishes so far.

Miss C and I both felt that the gargantuan quantities (too much for either of us to finish) didn't make up for some of the collective failings here, namely the excess of pasta over sauce ingredients (bacon in particular being notably sparse here) and over-oiliness in both cases. Miss C was annoyed that that the oyster mushrooms as advertised on the menu turned out to be just normal bog-standard žampiony, while the artichokes in mine had obviously come straight from a jar, being inevitably oily and greasy as a result.

Neither dish was terrible, by any means, but in comparison to the other three superior meals, Miss C and I definitely felt somewhat short-changed. I'll have to come back at some point to redress the balance - I have a feeling that, if I just avoid the pasta next time, I won't be disappointed.

A word on service and that word is "surly".

Which pretty much rounds it up for our girlie dinner at Dynamo - the idea of further after-dinner drinks was temporarily floated, but of course we all had to maintain our own dynamic demeanour the next working day... I would also like to go on record at this point here in stating that, contrary to current male misconception among the remaining XY members of the team, we did not in fact spend the whole entire night talking about them. Sorry to disappoint, guys.

Overall verdict on Dynamo itself was that it was a little more AC than DC, with several highs in terms of food and drinks produced, but equally as many lows - particularly with the frozen vegetables and two below-bar pasta dishes.

Back in my secondary school Physics class, I vaguely recall being taught that the classic example of a dynamo is that of the pedal-powered bicycle light, whereby the cyclist's physical energy is turned into electrical energy. If Dynamo could only put a little more energy into some of its dishes and service overall, then the place could really go from one that generates a decent but not particularly electrifying output to one that really has spark!

Dynamo
Pštrossova 29
Praha 1
Phone: (+420) 224 932 020

Artisan

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:46:00 +0000

Once upon a time, in the distant days of "Before Blog", my long-standing partner-in-dine Sir Svoboda and I embarked on an epic quest to collectively sample each and every item on the menu at Artisan , our joint second-favorite eatery in Prague (first, needless to say, being the sacred temple of SaSaZu) since our first of many visits, from early 2010 onwards.

However, sadly for me, Sir Svoboda set forth on adventures new in foreign lands a few months ago, leaving our ongoing culinary crusade only half complete. Still, I soldiered bravely on with our mission in Sir Svoboda's honor, roping in personal knight-in-shining-armor Mr. K, a fellow maiden or two here and there, and most recently my visiting kinfolk the other week to further advance towards this self-set gastronomic goal.

Over the months I've steadily seen Artisan pick up custom, from initially deserted and seemingly bound for backstreet oblivion (the obscure Rošických location is certainly not one you'd stumble upon accidentally) to now-buzzing venue on a Friday or Saturday night, with tables respectably full even on most weekday evenings as well. Word has clearly gotten round, and deservedly so - there are few places in Prague I know that offer such consistently high quality food and service for such comparatively modest prices as Artisan.

The low-lit, warm environs always make for a pleasant indoor ambience, while the small outside garden provides frequently idiosyncratic views directly into a residential courtyard - if you want a full panorama of washing lines strewn with granny's various undergarments and heated wars of words across windows between feuding neighbors (one of many occasions where I wished I better understood colloquial Czech), then this is the place to sit.

This time round, tabled safely inside away from the evening's intemperate climes, Uncle K started us off on a bottle of 2008 Sauvignon Blanc at 485 CZK, which came served in an ice bucket. I didn't take a photo as, well, you all know what wine in an ice bucket looks like, and besides, I wanted to actually drink it sooner rather than later.

At the same time, a basket of fresh bread with butter, olive oil and balsamic was brought to our table. Artisan usually varies its daily bread basket, and on previous occasions it's been cheese, sundried tomato or, as I recall, onion. Today, though, we got just plain, but still nicely fresh.

I've learnt from previous visits here that several of Artisan's starters tend to be rather on the hefty side and, particularly with the bruschetta, salmon ceviche on fried bread, and Portobello mushrooms with blue cheese sauce, have fallen into that all-too-familiar trap of filling up too much before the main course arrives.

As it happened, on this occasion we decided to split a couple of the lighter starters (so as to leave room for dessert later, of course).

Mother K and I shared a portion of scallops with pea purée, vegetable emulsion and port wine reduction (165 CZK).

For this quite modest price, we received two large scallops and one rather smaller one on a creamy pea purée base. We both thought this was fantastic, and it was gone in just a few quick bites.

Uncle and Aunty K split a starter portion of steamed mussels in white wine with garlic bread (105 CZK).

Again, a pretty generous portion for the price, and one which went down well with teta and strejda. I am not overly keen on mussels (at least not while still in their shells), so didn't ask for a taste.

For mains, on my recommendation Aunty K went for the chicken saltimbocca with sage, prosciutto and sweet potato sauce (185 CZK).

The two previous occasions I've had this dish, I've found the chicken remarkably tender and succulent, with a tasty sage stuffing inside and a creamy bed of sweet potato purée setting the dish off perfectly. Aunty K also voiced approval, thankfully.

Mummy K went for a dish I've been meaning to try for some time, the tomato and basil risotto with Italian sausage (185 CZK).

I had a taste and this was great. So great I immediately demanded another bite. The spiciness of the thick chorizo slices infused right through the rest of the creamy risotto rice, lending the dish as a whole a hearty, meaty flavor. I'd previously had the pumpkin and arugula risotto here, and - while also nice - this was infinitely the more flavorsome of the two.

Traditional pasta fan Uncle K went for good old spag bog (170 CZK).

There was a minor hiccup here in that the pasta dish he was brought was notably meat-free - a later check back to the menu revealed it to have likely been the spaghetti aglio olio with spinach and tomato concasse. If it had been me I'd have probably just gone with the flow and taken it, but Uncle K has old-fashioned views on food and considers all meals without meat "anemic" (his words not mine), so politely sent it back.

Mistakes happen, of course, and how a restaurant reacts to fix them is arguably more telling than the initial slip-up itself. To Artisan's credit, in this case the waitresses in question were both terribly apologetic, offering immediately to bring a replacement and "naturally" take it off the bill.

About 15 minutes later the real thing turned up (accompanied by yet more heartfelt apologies), and Uncle K was happy to be restored to his natural carnivorous state.

As for me, I went for my absolute favorite (and, at 425 CZK, coincidentally also the most expensive) Artisan dish of filet Mignon au poivre with garlic pureed potato and haricot verts.

I've had this twice before and was previously enamored with the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness of the thick cut of the filet -- and that's coming from someone who is not traditionally into great slabs of bloody meat. By comparison, this rendition was vaguely disappointing -- it had been better presented on previous occasions (more like the photos on the Artisan website), and this time the steak was thinner, flatter and therefore less juicy and pink in the center than it had been served before. It certainly was more overdone that the medium rare I'd asked for, though - ho hum.

After a little break to let the food go down (not to mention polish off a second bottle of wine), we decided to have a quick look at the dessert options, of which there are but three at Artisan: the apple tartin (195 CZK), the chocolate lava cake (125 CZK), and the crème brulée (115 CZK).

Both equally in love with its soft, squishy sponge outing and warm fondant center, Sir Svoboda and I used to invariably split the chocolate lava cake between us; however, on this occasion my recommendations were dismissed by crème brulée aficionado Aunty K, ice-cream obsessive Uncle K and fruit fan Mum. Yes, I could theoretically have got a whole one to myself, but at the time I was still mired in guilt over that last chocolate and orange fondant from Le Patio the previous evening…

Anyway, here are the desserts in all their glory. The ice-cream-only option wasn't on the menu, but was readily rustled up on Uncle K's request.

Everyone sampled a bit of everything here, with overall verdicts being that the crème brulée was nice but not remarkable, the apple tartin not as good as Aunty K made and lacking a certain "zing", while the ice-cream was, well, ice-cream - not a lot more to say about it than that really. Well, I did tell them they should have had the lava cake…

Which pretty much sums it up for the family visit, really, the overall bill, with wine, water, coffees, etc., coming to approximately 2,535 CZK - extremely reasonable when you consider the overall quality of our many and various courses, most of which didn't even hit the 200 CZK mark. I was pleased (and admittedly also vaguely relieved) that my family also seemed to share the sentiment - that one little hiccup with the spaghetti order notwithstanding.

The perfect point to wrap it up at, you might think, but for the fact that (bar the odd soup or salad perhaps) one item still remained on the Artisan menu for my long quest to be complete - namely the Artisan hickory burger with smoked bacon, red onions and cheddar with sweet potato fries (210 CZK). I'd wanted to try this dish for ages, and had only passed it over on earlier occasions with Sir Svoboda because I reasoned it would probably be too heavy a main for our usual Artisan starter-main-dessert format.

And so it was that a day or two after seeing the family off, I finally made an early evening solo stop in at Artisan to finally try this long-anticipated burger.

Alas, in this case the anticipation was far greater than the reality. You will note from the pictures the soggy McDonald's-like bun, the overly crunchy (possibly even deep-fried) bacon, the notable paucity of cheddar cheese, the dried-out fries, and, last but not least, the deluge of sickly BBQ sauce. The burger meat itself I found extremely bland, with very little, if any, of the smokiness I'd expected - all in all, not quite the pot of gold at the end of the Artisan menu rainbow I'd been hoping for.

Still, no true quest is without its perils and pitfalls, and that I have only had to test my mettle the once against one solitary burger-based adversary in the whole long course of my culinary voyage of discovery here I think actually speaks volumes for Artisan's overall worth.

Next to Jason's quest to find the Golden Fleece or King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail, I suppose my own personal endeavor to eat every dish off an individual restaurant menu might seem somewhat trivial by comparison. However, with mission now officially complete, what is the end result of my many months of alimental odyssey at Artisan? Some people's quests end with glory, others' in the acquisition of great wisdom or wealth. Others still set forth only to discover what they knew deep down all along, in this case namely that Artisan - in terms of quality, service, ambience and value for money combined - is as hard to beat for me now as it was back at the very beginning.

So, pretty much a happy ending all round for this little tale. As for me, having now acquainted myself with pretty much every starter, main and dessert Artisan has to offer, I for one will definitely be venturing back in the near future to re-embark on my epicurean adventures there all over again!

Artisan
Rošických 603/4
Prague 5
Phone: (+420) 257 218 277

Go! Overseas

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Bit by bit the word spreads - Knedliky Etc has now made the Top Ten of Czech Republic blogs for travel site GO! Overseas... :-))

One small step closer to internet domination...

Loving Hut

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:53:00 +0000

There is no one, who is a vegetarian, who strictly keeps the precepts and meditates daily that will not... become a fairy, Bodhisattva, saint or arahant - The Supreme Master, Ching Hai

We can cultivate a saint out of ourselves, or we can make a sinner - The Supreme Master, Ching Hai, again

I had again been planning to review one of the many restaurants I recently frequented with visiting relatives for this week, but following my latest visit to vegan restaurant-café Loving Hut the other day, I now instead want to speak of a new family - a better, more spiritually enlightened, global family of regularly meditating, ecologically minded, dedicated, herbivorous followers of our revered leader, the Supreme Master, Ching Hai. According to her website at www.godsdirectcontact.org, our Supreme Master "has come to this world, on the mission of Quan Yin, to save sentient beings from misery," as well as apparently also saving the planet at the same time. (Moonies-meet-eco-warriors is probably not too far off the mark here...)

I haven't been vegetarian, let alone vegan, for a good 10 years now, but had been meaning to visit one of the Loving Hut branches, on Londýnská or Truhlářská, for some time, out of curiosity if nothing else. I now realize this curiosity was, in fact, the Universe's way of bringing me into the fold of our beloved Supreme Master, who (in her wisdom divining that faith can very often be bought via food) heavily endorses the Loving Hut restaurant chain worldwide.

Though the interior of the Londýnská branch of Loving Hut was, as a whole, spacious, airy and clean, the presence of sponsor/spiritual savior Ching Hai, in the form of lionizing portraits adorning the walls, a shelf of her personally penned spiritual literature in the corner, and a widescreen TV playing her dedicated channel Supreme Master TV non-stop could not fail to escape our attention.

Our exalted Supreme Master teaches that we should achieve enlightenment via the practice of Quan Yin mediation, renunciation of material possessions and strict adherence to a vegan diet - hence the Asian-themed, tofu-reliant menus of Loving Hut restaurants around the world. Those who accuse the Supreme Master of fraud and hypocrisy in the practice of her non-materialistic, stridently environmentalist beliefs are clearly just unenlightened fools blinded by the false prophets of both consumerism and carnivorism.

Our Supreme Master also preaches abstinence from alcohol, hence a drinks menu limited to soft drinks and holistic teas. I will admit that my then-unenlightened self initially reacted with horror at this uncompromisingly temperate stance; however, I realize now that our Supreme Master, in denying me my usual evening glass of wine (or two), was simply attempting to steer me onto the noble path towards enlightenment. Cola light and Mattoni were both deemed spiritually acceptable, however, while Mr. T went for a very nice ginger-and-orange tea, which smelled and tasted kind of like a non-alcoholic svařák.

As well as an already-vegetarian Mr. T, I was also joined on this occasion by a normally meat-eating Miss E and good friend Prague Ginge. They appeared bemused by my sudden, unquestioning embrace of our Supreme Master and all her various teachings, in their as-yet-unenlightened state bandying about such clearly misinformed terms as "cult," "creepy" and "female Kim Jong-il."

Anyway, back to a more earthly plane and onto the food itself.

As a long-time vegetarian in Prague, Mr. T was in his element having a whole menu to choose from, rather than just getting stuck with the usual default veggie option of smažený sýr.

In the end he opted for a starter of curry soup made with potatoes, carrot and soya meat (35 CZK), followed by the tofu-based Champion burger (65 CZK).

Devotee that I am, I cannot remain blind to the fact that, while our Supreme Master may be perfect in every way, clearly not everything about Loving Hut's food met those standards.

I couldn't help but notice that the soup (acceptable as, I'm assured, it was) certainly looked pretty unappealing, while the burger was very small and pretty lazily presented. Mr. T said that it wasn't bad, but that he could easily make better himself at home, and also that he would have preferred ketchup on top rather than the pinkish vegan mayonnaise-style sauce it came with. However, Google reliably informs me that ketchup is not always considered strictly vegan due to the inclusion of animal bone char in the processing. Yum.

Given that our Supreme Master descended from an ethereal to an earthly plane via Vietnam, it is perhaps to be expected that Loving Hut fared rather better with its Southeast Asian-style cuisine than imitation Western. That, or the fact that all the kitchen and service staff were also Asian. (Not to mention most efficient and polite, while we're on the subject.)

I, for example, couldn’t turn down the option of Vietnamese phò at 95 CZK.

I noticed that the imitation black beef shown on the menu had been substituted for white mock chicken, but this didn't bother me - one pretend substance is as good as any other as far as I'm concerned.

Even in my decade-long period of teenage vegetarianism, I couldn't really bring myself to truly embrace any kind of tofu or imitation meat apart from Quorn, but for the sake of our Supreme Master (and also the chance to sample one of my traditional favorites) I was willing to give it a go.

Vegan or not, I've never yet found a phò outside of Vietnam that's come anywhere near my level of spice/seasoning requirements, so had to utterly douse this one in chili and soy sauce until it had sufficient zing for my purposes. There was a smattering of coriander and spring onion already thrown in to jazz it up a little, but I'd have preferred much more in terms of both seasoning and fish oil, not to mention the more traditional lime rather than lemon wedges to squeeze into it too. Still, it was certainly a generous portion, and - once I'd poured in half the contents of the table condiment jars - pretty much acceptable. Even the mock chicken wasn't quite as off-putting as I'd been expecting - the texture was a little odd, admittedly, but it had clearly been marinated in advance and added a welcome substance to the dish as a whole.

Miss E went for the Green Harmony at 69 CZK.

This green vegetable and mushroom stir-fry was definitely a cut above the bog-standard slop you get from your typical "Čínský bistro" - Miss E was very impressed by the freshness of the vegetables, which still retained a nice crunch rather than being sautéed into soggy oblivion like they unfortunately do at my local Chinese. I had a taste and found the sauce to be pretty bland and sorely lacking in chili for my taste but, on the other hand, I didn't think I detected any (or at least much) MSG in it either. You certainly got plenty of the stuff at any rate, to the extent that the rest of the dish looked like it might drown at any minute.

Last but not least, Prague Ginge indulged her sushi love, working on the basis that with enough soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger, she could perhaps overlook the notable absence of any actual fish.

On the menu photo there had been only six pieces shown, but for the same modest price (96 CZK) Prague Ginge was presented with an entire 16. Needless to say, she wasn't complaining about quantity, though the quality, on the other hand, was a little more dubious here. She commented that several of the pieces looked quite clumsily made, and compared it to supermarket sushi in terms of the taste and texture of the rice. I also thought they could have shown a little more creativity in varying the fillings from just plain raw vegetable, maybe by using avocado, tofu, or some of the mock shrimp featured in some of the other spring roll starter dishes. Overall, Prague Ginge confirmed that she'd pretty much got precisely what she'd been expecting in ordering an all-vegan sushi dish, which I think says it all really.

So, as a newly dedicated follower of our Supreme Master Ching Hai, what was my overall verdict on this particular branch of her personally endorsed chain of Loving Huts?

Our Supreme Master teaches that: "Heaven or hell, they are all created by ourselves."

Therefore, if you are into the vegan food scene and don't mind trying out such "alternative" ingredients as mock meat or imitation shrimp, then Loving Hut probably has more choice in this respect than anywhere else in Prague. If, on the other hand, you are the type who likes a big bloody steak for dinner and considers tofu a hippie "non-food," then it's probably best give this one a miss, especially if - like me - you find the idea of a meal without alcohol pretty hard to stomach.

Personally speaking, I'm not into tofu or other meat substitutes as the predominant ingredient enough to warrant a second visit, but would recommend it as a casual and affordable lunch or dinner option to those that do have the taste for it. I personally thought the menu could benefit from the addition of a few more vegan-friendly "natural" options, such as bean- or pulse-based dishes as well. Instead, Loving Hut seems to me rather too reliant on just one "artificial" foodstuff, the mock meat, which may not necessarily be to everyone's taste.

That said, the place was pretty packed on the evening we were there, so in truth it's not as if they really need to diversify for the sake of their custom here. As for me, though, I still definitely prefer the variety and ambience of Lehká hlava and Maitrea (admittedly both vegetarian rather than vegan) when it comes to getting my ethical food fix.

And oh, alright then, I'll admit it - my own short period of spoof spiritual devotion ended approximately three quarters of an hour later, when a concerned Prague Ginge, in a noble attempt to wrest me from the cultish clutches of Ching Hai & Co., succeeded in dragging me into our official "local", of V & R Imports (or "Robert's", as we call it) on the way home, where the two of us inevitably proceeded to re-convert ourselves from saints to sinners over the consumption of multiple bottles of lovely, lovely red wine...

Fair enough, I might not ever get to be a "fairy, Bodhisattva, saint or arahant" this way, but when it comes to good times and gourmet, at least, Robert's - as opposed to the holy-rolling Loving Hut and the like - has to be my true spiritual home!

Loving Hut Londýnská
Londýnská 35
Prague 2
Phone: (+420) 222 515 006

Le Patio

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:05:00 +0000

This last week I had relatives visiting from the UK, which in my case invariably entails all of the following three things: an umpteenth trip up to the Castle, the inevitable ill-timed onset of rain all weekend, and (on the upside) an enjoyable dinner or two out at restaurants slightly nicer than I would usually frequent - all, of course, at visiting familial expense.

And so it was that on the first evening of their trip, I chivalrously led a visiting Aunty, Uncle and Mummy K from their hotel in the Old Town over to Resto Cafe Patio, an upper mid-range restaurant near Národní třída which - without a hint of self-interest, of course - I had been saving for ages for just such a "special occasion".

Décor here is eclectic to say the least, basically consisting of lots of hanging lanterns, soft furnishings from their adjoining Le Patio Lifestyle design shop and - for reasons unexplained - a great big replica boat complete with faux pirate-style rope-bridge.

That we would start off with wine (and plenty of it) was already a given - a deeply-held love for this most civilized of intoxicants is hard-wired into the DNA on both sides of the family. That over the whole course of the five-day visit, the thought of sampling any of the Czech Republic's world-renowned pivo didn't once cross our minds is just testament to the Knedlík family's traditionally oenophilic bent.

As the man of the table, Uncle Knedlík ordered a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio at 510 CZK.

This went down very nicely, thank you very much, and, needless to say, before long a second bottle of the same duly followed.

Following traditional family practice of skipping starters in favor of dessert, we proceeded on this occasion straight to the mains.

True to form, Mummy K went for roast herb marinated pork tenderloin with caramel sauce and potato purée at 260 CZK.

I had a bite and found this surprisingly tasty. Pork is one of my mum's favourites, but generally not one of mine; however, this version was tender to the point of pinkness in the center, and was perfectly matched by the creamy mashed potato and deliciously thick, sweet, caramelized sauce. Maminka duly agreed.

Auntie K opted for the grilled corn-fed chicken breast wrapped in pancetta with wine-cream sauce with mushrooms and potato purée at 245 CZK.

This was pretty comparable in terms of both quantity and quality to the pork dish, with perfectly cooked slices of tender chicken thigh presented on top of a bed of mash and creamy mushroom sauce. Tatička pronounced herself more than happy with the dish, though did comment that she thought there was too much potato in proportion to the meat. Mother K had voiced no such concerns as to her (pretty much identical) portion size, however.

Uncle K does like his pasta, so opted for the spaghetti with chili, basil and prawn off Le Patio's short Specials list.

I had also been tempted to go for this, and was privately rather glad when it came that I hadn't - I would definitely have felt shortchanged here, especially in comparison with some of the evening's other dishes. The rather small portion of undressed spaghetti looked bland and dried-out, as if it had been sitting out while the other meals were being prepared. The prawns likewise looked very ordinary - I was expecting a little more elaborate a dish from an otherwise stylish place like Le Patio. Uncle K, who easily polished off the dish in just a few quick bites, voiced no such complaints, however, and in the end any deficiencies in terms of portion size were quickly addressed via his subsequent consumption of approximately half my already-replete aunt's dinner in its wake - it's an ongoing arrangement that suits them both, apparently.

As for me, I immediately zeroed in on the option of yellow fin tuna steak in sesame crust with fresh orange juice-glazed carrot and fried potatoes with sea salt at 320 CZK.

I'd been hankering after a bite of Le Patio's ever-so-slightly seared, near-sashimi-raw-in-the-center tuna ever since I saw a picture of their tuna avocado salad on Brewsta's blog earlier this year, and this version definitely didn’t disappoint. The fish was perfectly fresh and well matched by the glazed carrot and salted potato side vegetables and, in fact, the only criticism I'd make of the dish as a whole is that I didn't detect much in the way of sesame in the crust. Other than that, though, I personally thought this was the absolute winner of the night.

Dessert-wise, yet again we all conformed to usual family food stereotype.

Aunty K can never resist a crème brulée.

On her personal crème brulée scale (based on years of conscientious tasting all around the world), she rated this one a solid "8".

Uncle K, on the other hand, has a penchant for ice-cream.

I'm not a massive ice cream fan (unless it's of the really superior variety, I usually find it the boring option on a menu), but with several generous scoops of chocolate and vanilla topped with cream, fruit, pistachios, almonds and mint, this looked a pretty jazzed-up rendition. Uncle K was more than happy, but that said, when it comes to ice cream, he is admittedly pretty easy to please.

My mum likes to pretend that fruit in the context of a dessert still contributes to her government-recommended "five-per-day" quota, so went for the panacotta with cognac and forest fruits.

I tried a bit and found it rather on the bland side, but Mum claimed to like it at any rate.

And as for me, I likewise predictably went for the chocolate option with the chocolate fondant with vanilla crème, orange zest and mint.

This was large, squidgy, warm and - in a word - delicious. Also severely guilt-inducing afterwards, of course, but I won't bore you with my personal calorie-control-based hang-ups here.

The cost for each dessert was around the 100-120 CZK mark.

As I was being generously taken out on this occasion, I didn't see the total bill, and out of deference to any reading relatives will pretend here that I couldn't have worked it out from listing pretty much all the individual food and drink items separately already.

So, after four long years of languishing on my restaurant "to do" list, did Resto Cafe Patio in the end live up to expectations?

One disappointing dish aside, well, pretty much yes. Overall, the food was excellent, the service attentive and polite, and the ambience spot-on, with the company in this case making for a happy and memorable meal. I'll definitely keep it in mind for any future special occasion, such as a birthday, romantic dinner-for-two, or family reunion.

And speaking of which, a heartfelt thanks to my own nearest and dearest, who - much to their credit, it must be said - took my sudden transformation from previously unassuming daughter/great-niece to new incarnation of frantic food-photographing, note-taking, blog-posting "Miss Knedlíkova" in their stride, and didn't once complain about being roped in as involuntary participants in my culinary blogosphere.

Which is just as well, really, as with the amount of meals out we enjoyed together over the course of the visit, they'll definitely be featuring in the next review or two to come!

Resto Cafe Patio
Národní 22
Prague 1
Phone: (+420) 224 934 375

Masala (Pod Karlovem)

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:47:00 +0000

Back in 2007/8, me and Masala on Mánesova used to have a bit of a "thing" going on.

Ah, I remember it well... The sense of heady anticipation generated back then by owner Bobby Jain in his free tastings and good-humored hype campaigns on expat forums; the undeniable spark between us when first Masala and I did meet; the subsequent butterflies in my stomach (and not the Delhi belly kind either) on the way home at having at long last located a place for decent curry in this otherwise spice-lorn city... Happy days.

For a while, things continued splendidly between us, but over time, bit by bit, I slowly started to realize that Masala was no longer returning the love in quite the same way. Dwindling portion sizes, inconsistent quality and constantly overstretched service left me feeling neglected and betrayed, and over time the relationship eventually started to fizzle out, finally coming to a decisive end once and for all when my affections were won over by then newcomer-to-the-scene Curry House in Palmovka (one recent disappointing dalliance with Dilli Delhi in Vinohrady notwithstanding).

A year or so down the line, and I thought I was fully over my relationship with Masala -- that is, however, until the recent opening of a new branch on Pod Karlovem in Nusle suddenly and unexpectedly reawakened all my long-forgotten emotions for the place.

Clearly Masala was making great efforts at a new beginning, and I thought it fair to give the place a second chance - if only for old time's sake.

And so it was that Tango Man, Miss X and I headed to the newly opened Nusle branch last week to take a collective trip down culinary memory lane.

The interior was notably much more spacious than the Mánesova branch, which at busy periods does rather tend towards the claustrophobic. The decor was likewise more "Indian" themed, and they also had a small outside section at the back, where - like pretty much all other customers that balmy evening - we also sat on this occasion.

To start off, Tango Man ordered a large Gambrinus at 70 CZK, while Miss X and I both went for a 0.2-liter glass of Chardonnay at 95 CZK per glass. Ouch.

At the Mánesova restaurant they used to serve complimentary pappadoms at the start of a meal. No such luck here.

If it wasn't going to be free, we decided not to fill up too much on starters on this occasion and instead proceeded directly to the mains.

I went for the Murg Methi at 197 CZK. This was described on the menu as "chicken breast cooked in rich garlic, ginger and onion with crushed fenugreek leaves, coriander and cumin powder."

Miss X opted for the Chicken Palak at 175 CZK, a Punjabi dish cooked with chicken, spinach, tomatoes and spices.

Tango Man already knew what he wanted from a previous visit (which he'd also praised highly), namely the Tandoori Chicken (185 CZK) with mint sauce - officially on the starter menu, but which he requested this time round as a main course.

It wasn't intentional that everyone went for chicken, by the way - it just worked out that way.

Everyone was hungry, and so as not to test their patience, I just took a quick snap of all the mains collectively, pictured below with a side order of basmati rice at 49 CZK.

Additional side dishes we ordered were the onion kulcha (60 CZK) and plain naan (39 CZK).

The collective opinion here was that the curries both had the benchmarks of a really good dish - subtly flavored, generously proportioned, tender meat and (unlike some places, where it's all sauce and no substance) plenty of it too. What let both dishes down, in my opinion, was the usual Prague problem of pandering primarily to the spice-averse - though supposedly served "medium hot," neither dish really registered more than a "2" on my personal spice scale ("1" being a mild, non-threatening korma, "10" a belly-busting phall). This was partly my own fault - the Masala menu does clearly state that dishes can be requested hotter, and after all the meek and mild curries I've eaten in this city over the years, I really should have known better by now than not to have asked.

Nor was mere lack of spice the only issue with heat here either. Without the traditional hotplates to keep the food warm, out in the garden everything quickly cooled to lukewarm by the time we were halfway through - a shame when such an elementary error could have been so easily avoided.

Tango Man and Miss X both liked the two large pieces of Tandoori Chicken, which were definitely very well seasoned, but which I personally found rather on the dry side -- I was happy just to have a taste here and fill up on the curries and kulcha instead.

With a couple more drinks thrown in, the meal for three came to a total of 1,130 CZK, which (drinks aside) compares quite well to most other mid-range Indian restaurants in Prague. The overall verdict was that we'd enjoyed the meal, but wished it had been hotter both in terms of spice and standing temperature.

So how does Masala Pod Karlovem compare to Masala Mánesova?

Well, it's certainly less cramped and claustrophobic, and has a lot more potential for hosting big group dinners. (As we left, I noted a pre-booked party of 20 to one side of the indoor section.) With more staff on hand, I also found the service much more pleasant and relaxed -- in the Mánesova branch, they always seem to have one rather frazzled waitress on shift at any one time, with inevitable long waits and occasional slip-ups as a result. I must say I enjoyed the food at Pod Karlovem a lot more than I had done my last two visits to Mánesova, and (though it might be my imagination here), it also seemed that the portions were bigger at this branch as well.

So was this visit as a whole enough to rekindle an old flame....?

In short, not quite. Masala Pod Karlovem was good, but not nearly good enough to replace the current object of my Indian affections, Curry House, where drinks are cheaper (35 CZK for a glass of wine, 32 CZK for a half-liter of Gambrinus), spice is plentiful (and does not have to be specifically requested), and the location is only a quick hop across Libeňský most from my own front door.

No, if anything this return visit to Masala marked a final curry "closure" for me - we had our good times in the past, but have now both moved on to establishments and custom new.

That's not to say that Masala doesn't dish up a decent curry or that it's not a good place to spend the evening, especially if you happen to live in the area - it is.

But for me, when it comes to curry, sadly Masala is simply not "The One."

Masala
Pod Karlovem 12
Prague 2
Phone: (+420) 222 561 021

Šafrán

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:22:00 +0000

Over the past couple months, I’ve covered all range of cuisine on my new Prague food and drink blog ‘Knedlíky Etc’ – from kebabs to the Kempinski, from sausage stands to SaSaZu.

But where to choose for this, my first of (hopefully!) many articles to premiere first on Prague.tv?

Somewhere nice, but not too expensive with it. Somewhere relatively new, that people maybe haven’t widely seen or heard of as yet. Somewhere just a little bit different.

Having perused through my color-coded Excel file of restaurants / cafés / bars still to visit (yes, I really am that anal), I hit upon Šafrán, a recently opened concept restaurant on the steps of Malostranské Nábreží. Concept as far as I can tell being that the menu apparently changes every week, and – unusually for Prague – they also have a salad bar.

I’m not sure if notable lack of signage on the exterior is also part of said concept.

However, is the exterior of the restaurant is something of a blink-and-you-miss-it affair, by way of compensation the interior is duly warm and welcoming, with sky-blue ceiling and walls and quirky items of décor that range from Andy Warhol prints to a pair of old-fashioned weighing scales in the corner.

My first visit last week was made solo for a light lunch at the Šafrán salad bar.

I felt a little conspicuous as the only person in the restaurant at the time, apart from the one unfailingly courteous waiter of course.

A large basket of warm white, multigrain and sun-dried tomato bread was brought to the table, which came served with herbed butter and salt – an attentive and well-presented start to the meal.

First stop the salad bar, which I have to say was decidedly more modest that what I’d initially imagined. Apart from all the usual fresh salad ingredients, the bar also featured cheese and chick pea salad, cold tuna pasta, a variety of hams, a plate of caprese, bowls of olives, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic, and last but not least individual portions of mushroom paté and smoked salmon mousse.

Additional dressings and olive oil stood to one side.

I tried a little of everything, though it is hard to tell from the picture. I could have really used a wider plate rather than small bowl here so that the individual dishes / dressings didn’t get all mixed together where ideally I wouldn’t have had them done.

I kept the pasta, paté and mousse separate for this reason.

Of these, my top dish was the salmon mousse, which was perfectly light and airy and just right spread on the fluffy white warm basket bread.

Of course, the temptation at buffets is to always get your money’s worth, and at 160kč for what I had I am not really sure I quite got mine – had I gone back for second helpings I’d probably have felt a bit more justified, but I didn’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon regretting my over-indulgence…

In the end total bill for lunch came to 200kč for the salad bar and Mattoni, and based on first impressions I was already looking forward to coming back to sample a proper evening meal the following day.

Fast forward 32 hours or so and I was back at Šafrán again for dinner, this time with my good friend Mr Smorgasbord in tow. We were there for a couple of hours from about 8pm, but in all that time I think again were disconcertingly the only two in the restaurant.

We were served by the same waiter as the previous day, who again was impeccable in his sense of timing – always efficient, never intrusive. He recommended the Tirolean Sauvignon Blanc (at 430kč one of the cheaper bottles) for wine, which turned out to be very zesty, fruity and definitely very drinkable.

For starters, Mr S went for the bouillabaisse with saffron at 75kč, while I went for the gazpacho with parmesan cheese at 50kč.

Apart from the salad bar, these were actually the only two starter options – I’d have maybe preferred a little more choice here. Either way, of the two I think Mr S made the better choice, his bouillabaisse turning out to be really flavoursome and made with generous chunks of seafood. My gazpacho by comparison was also nice – much chunkier than previous versions I’ve had and with a streak of pesto oil along the side. The bowls were quite deep, so both portions were deceptively bigger than they look from the photos.

For the main, Mr S went for the leg of lamb baked with garlic and mint served with spinach and potatoes (330kč).

Unfortunately my daring led only to disappointment on this occasion. There seemed precious little squid in proportion to the spaghetti, and what I did find was just that bit on the chewy side. I did detect pieces of garlic, chili and zucchini mixed in, but not in sufficient quantities for me to save the dish from an overall impression of blandness. I asked for a little more parmesan in addition to that shown in the picture, which livened it up a bit.

To round off the meal we split a crème brûlée with strawberries at 135kč, which was brûléed in front of us at the table with a mini blowtorch.

This was seriously nice – not goopy or gelatinous like some crème brûlées can be, but thick and creamy with a perfect sweet crunchy topping. A definite all-round yum from both of us here.

Finally, a digestif of dry sherry (me) and tawny port (Mr S) rounded off the meal nicely.

In total meal with tip came to about 1,500kč, which we both felt was pretty good value for three courses and immoderate drinks. I’d enjoyed the meal as a whole and would definitely come back again, and am only surprised that the place seems so consistently empty despite several rave reviews on expats.cz and tripadvisor.com about it. Not having a sign up outside surely can’t do much in the way of attracting passing trade.

Still, overall when it comes to ambience, service, quality and value for money combined, while not quite perfect, Šafrán in my opinion is truly a hidden gem – and one that I hope will be discovered soon before lack of custom leads to the place losing its sparkle altogether…

Šafrán
Říční 1
+420 257 224 633

Knedliky Etc on Prague.tv

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:11:00 +0000

I'm pleased to report that 'Knedliky Etc' is now being featured on Prague.tv!

From now on my weekly dining article will be premiering first on Prague.tv, before then being posted up directly on the blog a day or so later.

Here's the link to my first Prague.tv article on Šafrán in Malá Strana.

All entries will still be my own choice of restaurant and own independent opinions - just a different initial site to first view my usual write-up afterwards.

And of course I'll still be posting directly to the blog from time to time too with more random entries on such gastronomically diverse subjects as rohliky /Lidl / Kebab of the Month etc etc, so please stay tuned (I also regularly update on Facebook and Twitter as well)!

Thanks all for the ongoing support from my regular readers so far and welcome to anyone new visitors to 'Knedliky Etc' via this new collaboration!

Rohliky

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:49:00 +0000

It’s been a fair few years in the Czech Republic for me now, and in that time I think I’ve pretty much successfully acclimatized to Czech cuisine, even if I don’t tend to eat it on a regular basis. I love a good svíčková or guláš for dinner (not lunch – eating big in the day is one Czech habit I just can’t get used to). My all-time favourite Czech dish is stuffed dumplings savoury or sweet, and I’m eternally grateful that I reside in a country where it is considered acceptable to consume the latter as a main course. I even light-heartedly named both myself and this blog after the humble knedlík, though admittedly have yet to feature this culinary namesake in any actual entries - it’s just too hot at the moment for traditional heavy Czech stodge. Winter will be a different story though!

But the one culinary aspect of life here I will probably never fully understand is the ongoing Czech love affair with the humble rohlik.

When I first started here, I marveled at my one Czech colleague’s ability to turn up to work in the morning with a bag of half a dozen rohliky and slowly but surely munch his way through the lot over the course of the day – a large lunch in the local hospoda notwithstanding. I now, of course, realize this is common practice here. A Czech Facebook page set up in honour of the rohlik has attracted 7,515 fans and counting, while the the so-called "Angličký Rohlik" topped with melted cheese and ham has garnered an even greater fanbase, with an impressive 9,005 signed up at the time of writing. PragueGinge and GirlinCzechland both report regular altercations with Czech other halves in the Albert bakery section should they have the temerity to wish to spend an extra crown or two on a nice multigrain bap or other such hedonistic dough-based goods instead.

Personally I have always considered rohliky a borderline “foodstuff” consisting of nothing more than glorified sawdust and air – in short, a chewy, rubbery pretender to the baked goods crown. And no – I don’t mean rohliky fresh out of the oven lovingly hand-crafted by Babička; I am referring here to your bog-standard Albert / Tesco / Billa shop-bought rohlik at 1kč a pop. When fresh baked Czech rye bread is so nice and almost equally inexpensive by comparison, I’ve always just thought – why bother? (Unless you are trying to keep baby occupied while you do you grocery shopping of course, going on to retrieve the drool-covered stump at check-out in order to pay...)

Anyway, in the interests of culinary adventurism and cultural assimilation, yesterday I dedicated all my meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner to the unassuming rohlik.

Kicking of my day of bready-based experimentation, snídaně yesterday therefore consisted of rohlik and strawberry yogurt.

An odd combination maybe, and one that I wasn’t expecting to particularly like. Surprisingly though, I actually found it really worked, with the creaminess of the yogurt successfully counteracting the otherwise dry chewiness of the rohlik itself. That said, this is coming from the girl who used to take cheese and jam sandwiches into school for lunch, so admittedly my judgment in terms of what foods go with what is somewhat questionable here.

For lunch I had rohlik with šunka and sýr – on top of course rather than in the middle.

Bleh – far too dry. Though bought earlier that day, the rohlik tasted predictably stale and chewy, despite the valiant effort by the otherwise blameless cheese and ham to redeem it.

Later for dinner, I stopped off at the Anděl sausage stand for a párek in a rohlik with mustard squidged down the sides.

Again, this was surprisingly ok – the outside of this particular rohlik was actually nicely crusty rather than rubbery and dry, and the sausage and mustard moistened up the inside nicely. It certainly wasn’t the worst 15kč I’ve ever spent at any rate.

My conclusion after a day on the rohlik diet?

My opinion is that rohliks are just about acceptable when served with some type of moist topping or filling, such as yogurt or soup, to detract from the otherwise characteristic dryness and utter lack of flavour. Apart from that though - beyond the obvious price-tag - I still just don’t get the appeal – sorry!!

The Czechs have a famous saying that “beer is liquid bread”. I can only assume here that what with all the admirable national efforts put into the fine art of brewery over the centuries, the bakery of actual “solid” bread has in this respect correspondingly fallen by the wayside.

As for me, I’ll pass on the rohlik for now – but I’ll take a Gambrinus please… ;-))))

Florentina

noreply@blogger.com (Knedliky Etc) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:20:00 +0000

When the weather is as hot as it’s been lately, I prefer to shelter in the comparative cool of my apartment and sit out the heatwave with TV, iced drinks and plentiful cold showers. This is how I am able to maintain a constant pasty white complexion (some might say “porcelain”) all year round, even after long holidays in hot climes, during which I stick stubbornly to the shade unless absolutely physically necessary. How I ever survived a sweltering equatorial childhood is, in retrospect, an absolute mystery to me...

Mr K, however, is a notorious sun-worshipper, and so on hot summer weekends insists on dragging me out to “enjoy” the - for me best left avoided - sunny weather.

Luckily in this we have found a compromise in the Florentina, one of the many boats that line the Vltava, in this case moored for most months of the year just beneath Čechův most.

Why, you may ask, would a long-standing Prague resident deign to frequent such a blatantly touristy haunt, when under any normal circumstances they would avoid such establishments like the plague?

Well, the answer is simple, namely – shade and sun-loungers.

The great thing about the Florentina is that it has awnings to one side of the deck, meaning that I can strategically plant myself in the shade on a sun-lounger and immerse myself in a good book, while Mr K lies to the side of me in the sun and works on his melanoma, grumbling occasionally to himself that he wants a bronzed girlfriend and why can’t I don a bikini and get myself a tan like all the Czech girls do...?

The second reason we favour the Florentina rather than, say, sitting in crowded Letna or Stromovka parks, is that here we have iced drinks conveniently on tap, and at surprisingly reasonable prices too – around 40kč for Mr K’s beer and not much more for my standard white wine. And what is more, bar the occasional German tourist or two, we tend to usually have the place all to ourselves as well.

This was my attempt at an artistic shot of said wine – it’s only now I notice that the glass was decidedly dirty. This is what comes of wearing sunglasses instead of my normal prescription specs...

Until recently, we’d never bothered eating there due to the fact that a) it’s the archetypal tourist joint, so the food is bound to be terrible and b) their daily menu is usually made up of those very foods one would want to avoid on days hot enough to want to head down there in the first place, namely beef noodles in broth or goulash and dumplings etc. I can’t help but think that they’d do better with a lighter selection of summer salads, sandwiches and such like – maybe a cold buffet or something too.

However, on our last visit there, Mr K noted that they did barbeques on request at the weekends. It was that scorchingly hot weekend a few weeks back, and after about five hours we were still sitting out the heat there when it came to dinner time. A barbeque dinner on deck was just what we needed, so – with expectations low – we for once decided to go for it.

On the menu, the barbeque was described as “a choice of steak, sausages and salad cart” for 149kč per person.

What we got was in fact a piece of chicken, one of pork, half a spicy sausage each and a salad garnish that had clearly seen better days (oxidised vegetables are never good). On the other hand, the meat itself was surprisingly tasty, and we did see it come fresh from the barbeque to our plates, which was at least a plus. I would rather have had some ketchup and at least three times the amount of mustard with it though (I am a girl who takes her condiments seriously) - the horseradish sauce alternative just didn’t do it for me.

The meat also came served with a basket of not-too-fresh brown bread.

Given that our expectations were low to start with, we couldn’t really profess disappoint here – if anything the quality of the meat was better than we’d anticipated, and at only 149kč each we couldn’t really complain.

At the very least, the view from where we were sitting was nice.

In future though, it's pretty safe to say we’ll stick to drinks only at the Florentina, and go in search of dinner elsewhere - roll on winter is all I can say... ;-))