Thursday 22 October 2009

A Tale of Two Cities and Aromi revisited


London and Prague can claim to be two of the most international Cities in Europe, perhaps the world. London has become so international that its now unkindly called "Londinistan" and with the women wandering around in what I think are called "burkas" one can understand why. Prague seems to have maintained a more European feel unless you are walking down Wencelas Square, after 9pm, when you might feel you were in Lagos or Jo'burg, with countless African gentlemen approaching you on each street corner, offering things I prefer not to put into print here.

Having shuttled backwards and forwards between the two Cities over the last 5 years I first chose CSA ( Czech Airlines ) as my preferred carrier. They had a reputation for keeping good time and until recently pretty good food and wine in their Business Class. Indeed, there used to be a nice printed menu with a choice of two main courses and funny little quotations translated from Czech into English such as "the way we eat is the way we work - Old Czech proverb". Well now their Business Class food has deteriorated beyond belief. I think they only have only had one thing on the menu for my last few flights: its "sweet and sour something with noodles". I asked the pretty stewardess what the "something" was - I guessed chicken or pork as it had that Chinese Takeaway kind-of-taste about it. She was clearly stumped by this unexpected query, but after consultation with her colleages, offered the advice it was "chicken". Maybe she was right, but I would suggest that followers of the Prophet and their main adversaries, stay well clear, just in case she was wrong and pre-order something Kosher.

CSA seems to have got themselves into a real old muddle. Service going downhill fast and use of weasel words in the booking terms to rip-off clients wanting to change bookings, upgrade etc. The sooner they are taken over the better and the present upper levels of executive management kicked out, not just making the CEO and his Board the fall guys. I am tempted to revert to the worlds "favourite airline" BA ( which I usually translate to "Bloody Awful"), rather than British Airways.

However, while during the last few years CSA has been going down hill faster than the world slalom champion, Aromi in Vinohrady has been going from strength to strength. Mind you, it was pretty good when Riccardo opened it but now with the serious competition from its new sister restaurant, La Finestra, it has achieved a new level of excellence.

Using the excuse of a business lunch I went there today, promising myself to limit indulgence to a single main course and no alcohol. Temptation was too strong however and the mixed seafood starter had to be accompanied by a glass of two of super Tuscan wine. A small plate of wild duck ravioli followed and it should have been worthy of a Michelin Star anywhere in Europe.

The restaurant was full as usual and I would imagine that it attracts many executives from Prague 4's so called "business district" which is a bit of sahara desert for good places to eat. But its nice to be away from all the trippers in the centre of Prague and looked after so well by Riccardo and his great team, so I imagine his loyal following comes from many miles, sorry kilometres, around.....

Thursday 8 October 2009

Lost in the Sahara..........Cafe

Hosting business dinners for fairly large numbers of people always exercises my imagination. One has to balance the excellence of the food, ambience against cost and the time available. In this instance I was entertaining the celebrity golf designer, Kyle Philips on one of his regular trips to Prague. Kyle is a charming and softly spoken American from California and one of the world's top in his profession.

Earlier in the day we had been treated to lunch at the excellent Kogo restaurant in the main town square in Bratislava ( opposite the Carlton Hotel ). This was a casual affair, enjoyed in the late autumn sunlight and, I can swear, the passing girls seemed much, much prettier than the ones you see walking up and down Wenceslas Square in Prague. This "Slovakian" Kogo serves much the same fare as the Prague ones and like them, normally provides good quality dishes, served promptly at a reasonable price.

I wish the same could be said for the Sahara Cafe, which occupies a prime position on Namesti Miru in Vinohrady ( just away from the teeming hordes of trippers that infest Prague's City Centre ). I have been a long standing client of the Sahara Cafe, going back to its first days of opening when none of the staff could even make a cappucino, let alone cook anything. In those days it was truly a "Fawlty Towers" experience and I remember the then ( first ) manager, some fellow from Sicily, telling me that his Chef had just walked out, but he would try and cook me something himself. You can guess the result.

Nowadays, they seem to have managed to recruit one or two cooks, but no manager is in evidence and the former Sicilian manager, no doubt gone back to the easier life on his island. The menu has been expanded and they have a very credible wine list that is perhaps the high point of any dining experience there.

Kyle and my team sat down at our table at 8pm; around 8.30 pm a waiter eventually appeared to take our pre-dinner drinks order. Going straight into the wine list I selected a couple of Italian wines that could easily have been selling for double, given their vintage and quality. Well done the wine buyer and general praise prevailed from around the table.

The food at the Sahara Cafe is sadly, another story. After a further long wait to have the order taken and an even longer one for them to arrive ( we decided to all skip starters, or the 8 pm start would have turned into a midnight session ). Kyle had ordered a Lamb Aggadir Casserole, where two very tiny lamb chops were hiding under some overcooked vegtables; I went daringly for "Asian Duck Breast" but I challenge anyone to indentify exactly what the meat was when it arrived - could have been pork, chicken, veal or even calamari. Cooked to death in a mess of vaguely Asian spiced soggy vegtables and tired looking rice.

Across the table, one of my colleagues was tucking into what looked like an exceptionally large and juicy filet mignon. He kept casting anxious glances at Kyle and myself as we jealously eyed his succulent slab of cow. In the end, he managed to hoover it all down without, yours truly even getting a small taste, so I must give his choice the benefit of the doubt.

Lost in the "waiter wilderness" again while we waited another 30 minutes for coffees and the bill, we eventually made it out after some 2.5 hours. I guess time passes more slowly in the Sahara than in the bustling metropolis of Prague, so I should not complain too loudly

Sunday 4 October 2009

La Veranda.....for a birthday bash



It was the blonde's birthday and as the occassion demanded a restaurant of some distinction had to be chosen for the evening. Somewhere in my sub-conscious I was aware of being recommended La Veranda for several years but probably being unable to ever find it, I had never dined there before. Going on to "Google" to see what had been written by my reviewing peers and others proved relatively fruitless, but wanting something small and romantic it seemed to be worth taking the punt.

I did manage to find that the Executive Chef, Radek David adopted an approach of introducing good local produce into his menu, rather than relying on the boring Prague tradition of beef from Argentina, lamb from New Zealand and vegtables that taste as if they come from Tesco. So many of his competitors are too lazy to explore the special local offerings of meats and other ingredients that on that basis alone, he should be congratulated.

Arriving at the door transported by the trusty AAA Cab Company, the smiling waitress quickly found our reservation and showed us to a nice table, large enough for four people but already laid for the two of us. Sitting on two adjacent sides of this table gave us both a nice view of the cozy main dining room and was vastly preferable to occupying one of the tables for two, where ( usually the man ) has to sit with his back to the room, cheek by jowl with those at the next table for two in the row. I wish restaurants would start to work on their table layouts and avoid these rows of tables for two; its neither pleasant nor romantic to spend a couple of hours or more seated like this. Perhaps, tolerable for the "date" but not for the poor chap on the outside !!

Anyway, we settled in comfortably and although the restaurant was not full, other diners started to drift in and it was pretty evident they had booked rather than just being "trippers" stumbling around in the maze of streets just off Pariska. Either they had been to La Veranda before or, someone with recommended them. The portents for a good meal were all good at this point. But as I gazed around the room, I could not quite place what it represented, Provence brasserie, rustic Tuscan, Bohemian shabby genteel ? Hoping that the menu and wine list would clear this up for me did not help either; while the English version I was given was properly translated ( why can't other Prague restaurants manage this ? ) ; the dishes all sounded appetizing many with a touch of Mediterranean cuisine, but a clear theme was lacking. I do not necessarily mean this as a criticism as many of the top London restaurants follow this trend but, somehow the cottagey decor of main room demanded more a "sense of place" be reflected in the menu. All in all, a bit too unfocused and unstructured for the taste of the common man.

However, the blonde was not complaining as she quaffed the first of many glasses of Tattinger Brut Reserve. This promised to be an evening to remember. The same cannot be said for my "starter", a fine pasta with a rabbit ragout. The pasta sat in a sticky and somewhat overcooked heap in the middle of the plate, while the ragout, incorporating generous lumps of well cooked bunny, did little to rescue improve the situation. I pushed aside a half finished plate and joined the blonde in quaffing copious quantities of the bubbly, to take the salty and indifferent taste away. She had elected to wait for a "main course" and declined my offer ( which I had cunningly made to look generous ) to finish off the bunny bits. At this stage I was mentally crossing my fingers that the next course would dramatically improve.

It did. And in grand style along with a glass of exceptionally good Bordeaux 2005.
I had wanted the pigeon from the daily special menu, but these must have flown early, so I had roast quail from the main menu. Radek David himself came out to carve two birds next to our table and they were cooked and presented to perfection, including the small asparagus nestling underneath. The blonde's plate was a colourful medley of vegtables and sea bass. Impeccably presented and the fish soft and cooked just the right amount of time; the vegtables crisp and no doubt, carefully selected by Radek from his local suppliers.

A nice little "birthday" cake followed. Again, served with style and a small round of applause from the other diners. Radek and his staff did a fine job throughout the evening of making one welcome and well looked after. Hard to find this standard of attention and it came along with a friendly smile. I will return to test other offerings and properly sample the international wine list.

Monday 21 September 2009

La Finestra , Prague's finest ? September 2009

I have to admit a certain nervousness, when I am invite to dinner a truly international couple out in Prague; either, I will be taking them to one of their few haunts that they frequent all the time, or, risk pushing the boundaries of their local culinary experience, usually with disastrous results. This week, I was more nervous than usual, as my guests were Serge Borenstein, founder of Karlin Real Estate and his charming wife Marie, who is a very successful business entrepreneur in her own right and some years ago, launched the restaurant “Nostresse”, which continues to compete with some of the best in Prague’s Old Town.

I had asked my office to arrange a Degustation Menu at La Finestra and, as well as the Borenstein’s, had invited another important guest. ( She never made it, apparently having important matters of State to attend to that evening, perhaps trying to drum up a foreign investor to bail out Czech Airlines ? ). The thing all my invited had in common, was a great appreciation and knowledge of red wine, so meat courses with La Finestra’s corresponding red wines choices was the order of the evening.

Sadly, it seemed that someone had got in before us and booked out the whole of the lower ground floor, “wine cellar” dining area. That’s the right setting for this kind of meal and the ambience is special and seductive to a long and memorable evening.

However, Ondrej Rakosnik ( manager, co-founder of La Finestra ) gave me and the blonde and his customary cheerful greeting at the door, then plumped us down in a nice large table, pretty much set in the main body of the restaurant. He quickly arrived at the table with a bottle of Berlucchi Max Rose, explaining that the Berlucchi family were one of the first in Italy to introduce “Methode Champenoise” to their wine estate. The result is a slightly softer version of a good Laurent Perrier Rose; only the imminent arrival of the Borensteins, stopped me quaffing my glass very fast to get in a second ( sneaky ) one. Seemed that Serge and Marie knew half the diners in the restaurant and had a fair bit of “room working” to do before they could sit down and relax.

I am not going to give you a blow by blow of each dish and its wine; for one thing, in the absence of written notes being made at the time, I have some trouble remembering the finer distinguishing points of the various wines. Suffice to say there was not a mediocre one amongst them and the variation was as interesting as it was intoxicating. But first up after one or two small “amuse guelles” was a very tender and fresh beef tarter, with black truffles and topped with an anchovy, accompanied by the very robust Villa Martis, Marchesi di Gresy 2006.

One of the disadvantages of sitting in the main dining area is the surrounding noise, there being so many hard surfaces in the “rustic” finish of the restaurant that conversations reverberate around this otherwise pleasantly appointed space. Indeed, from one end of our table for six, were Ondrej was describing the quality and history of the various wines, to the other end where Serge was sitting, it would have been impossible to hear clearly. So I had to chase Ondrej each time down the table so that Serge could get an ear-full of suitable comment. This spoilt what would otherwise have been a nice little interlude to be entertained and maybe, ask a few questions – a little “vignette” in a sea of ocean of intoxicating indulgence.

Riccardo Lucque, the celebrity chef/owner of Aromi and now La Finestra popped up from nowhere like a Magician, suddenly appearing in a puff of smoke next to Serge at the far end of the table. Always effusively welcoming and warmly appreciate of our patronage, he dutifully did the round of the table and then, disappeared as mysteriously as he had arrived. His establishments receive so many plaudits that mine would be gratuitous and patronising, but I must record that all at the table were quite convinced that he is deserving of at least one Michelin Star, Serge reckons two and who am I to argue with his judgement ?

Course after course then arrived, mostly adorned with Black Truffles and, accompanied by wines that can now only evoke pleasant memories in my subconscious. Except for an unexpected sharp blast from the desert wine Mostcata D’Asti, La Spinneta 2007, which tasted like a chilled “Appeltizer” – (fizzy apple juice to those who have not visited South Africa ). This was the only derisive comment I can find, to throw into my review for the evening and no doubt, those of sophistication, will attribute it to my peasant Irish routes roots, rather than being truly fair to La Finestra. But as you know, I report my dining experiences as I feel them and this evening’s, will always be remembered as one of the best ever in Prague.

Riccardo, Ondrej you are local superstars and fully deserve your evident success; but please, try to accommodate me in the cellar next time !!

Sa Sa Zu the restaurant......followed by a drink in the Buddha Bar September 2009

Prague is greatly in need to top quality restaurants and, fun places to go, after dinner, for a “glass” or two and chill out in nice surroundings.

Sadly, while efforts are being made in that direction, the City still lags miserably behind other international destinations. Perhaps it has been a victim of its own success in attracting mass tourism and being able to rely on its cheap beer and stag night image. Strange though, because the wealthier and better travelled Czechs are knowledgeable about good food and having a good time; but known of them have emerged as operators of restaurants or night-spots of any real significance and the few spots around town that justify visiting are nearly all run and owned by foreigners.

A Tuesday night is not a big night out in Prague, for either the locals or, the invading trippers, so I picked it as a good time to quietly try out the restaurant of the strangely named Sa Sa Zu . What you can tell immediately is that there is some Asian origin; but what is not known is that it apparently belongs to a large international casino group that is keen to prove that it can legitimately operate in the Czech Republic. The restaurant is coupled to fairly large and functional night-club that is fast becoming the top spot of an otherwise, lack-lustre collection of second rate discotheques. Having had a business lunch already at SSZ I was keen to test its menu for dinner with the blonde and a connaissuer of the Prague social scene, Peter K.

Arriving a few minutes before Peter and the blonde, the greeter gave me a blank look when I said that we had a reservation for three. Not sure if she ever found it, but with the restaurant being two-thirds empty she directed me to a table for four. But then I thought I would relax with a Mojito in the attractive lounge area next to the bar; perhaps I should have stopped by the bar first, as it took at least ten minutes to get the bar tender’s attention ( even though I was the only one within 20m of him ) and order. Probably he resented the intrusion into his quiet evening, as the Mojito he eventually produced tasted very much like a “virgin”. Ordering the same ,a few minutes later, Peter had the same experience. Warning the blonde about this pattern ( she has been known to down the odd Mojito, or three ) she decided to play safe and go for a glass of Tattinger. This arrived warm and flaccid; waving at the bar man he must have known that the try-on from the long-opened and warm bottle, as he was already unscrewing the top from a new bottle. Not really cold either, and at 15 Euros a small glass, one deserves better.

Moving to our table, finally left the remains of my unfinished Mojito and ordered a palatable bottle of Cotes de Rhone 2005. A little trick I use in ordering at unfamiliar restaurants, is to always select a French or Italian vintage from 2005. This was an outstanding year and rarely disappoints. This one admirably took over from the Virgin-like Mojito and warmed my palate well for the meal.
I decided against a starter as reading ( Prague restaurant reviewer ) Curtis Wong’s praise of the Beef and Prawn Curry in his latest review, I decided to hold back until savouring that delight. The blonde however, opted for a soup which arrived in a miniscule bowl and proved too hot for her taste; Peter battled with a couple of non-descript starters but seemed relatively happy.

Finally my curry arrived, also in a small bowl with an even smaller bowl of steamed rice. The rice was perfect but I wish there had been more of it; the curry was well spiced but otherwise not especially memorable. I guess Curtis had been trying to find something kind to say about SSZ, when he wrote it up, in case he ever wanted to go back there !

Declining deserts we settled a reasonable bill and decided to give Buddha Bar a chance to show its after dinner capabilities. Being almost the only people there, apart from some trippers dining in the cavernous and completely wasted lower ground floor, it was a slightly disheartening experience. But at least the music is good (which is more than can be said for that in SSZ which was a mélange of old and new tracks more suited a TGF operation, an Asian “Fusion” joint with pretences to sophistication.) With no other patrons in sight, we contended ourselves with views on where the unfortunate tables of trippers, in the restaurant below may have come from. Peter thought, perhaps the US, the blonde patriotically plumped for Russia and I suggested Essex ( no personal connection, I assure you ). But the truth remains a mystery as the music drowned out their conversation and the only thing that is sure, that they were not well informed denizens of Prague who have long since decided wisely to give the restaurant at the BB, a wide berth.

Coming out of BB, I broke my golden rule of calling AAA to get me home. The balding security man ushered us towards a “cab” and feeling generous I slipped him 100 CZK as he kindly held the door open for the blonde to hop in. I want to go back to collect that 100CK as the final fare came to about three times the AAA rate; I paid up with a disgruntled muttering about handing the driver’s receipt chit to Prague Mayor Pavel Bem in the morning….I wish !!

LS Club and Restaurant : St Tropez night September 5th 2009

I knew the augurs were not set fair, Paul Day the excellent Executive Chef has resigned and, reserving 2 seats for the “St Tropez” dinner turned out to be a long running saga email saga with the LS receptionist and of course, the event much heralded to kick off at the very grand new Kempinski Hotel, moved entirely to the more modest surroundings of the LS Club itself. Seems the weather forecaste was the reason, but maybe that should not come as a surprise when the St Tropez season pretty much comes to an end with the passing of August !

Anyway, very few amongst the LS members and their guests seemed to be sporting any “St Tropez” apparel and dark jackets with no tie seemed to be about as summery as most of the men present could managed. Wearing a La Martina polo shirt made me feel I had misread the marketing blurb for the evening, which was ST Tropez dinner with fashion show, followed by “After Party” with DJ Alex Douche

Sat down to enjoy a half glass of complimentary champagne in the charming “library” area of the club to then be disturbed by staff setting these tables for dinner. I was told that the library was reserved for some special dining party; strange as this party would not have been able to see the fashion show in the main dining all of the Club. Thought it prudent then to check out table situation in the LS dining room, asking a pretty waitress if one could select one’s own table. She did not know, so deferred the question to a another pretty, but harassed looking, girl acting as the Maitre D’. With a charming smile, she told they were all available. Coming back 20 minutes later, was then told there was only a choice of 2 or 3 tables and, all the others were “reserved” , so I quickly plonked myself and the blonde down at one, before we were finally relegated to perhaps, the bar area, where it turns out the late-comers were finally accommodated.

A long dinner menu on a single sheet of paper greeted one on the table ( as it later turned out, it missed one of the many small courses). I think there were seven or eight small offerings and most were instantly forgettable or, remembered for the wrong reasons. Anyway, this feast kicked-off with some very tired and, somewhat over-cooked Edame beans, followed by a Amuse Guele sized spoon of sashimi style tuna. Then followed a luke warm bowl of beef wanton soup around the same time as the ice bucket, for my luke warm bottle of Veuve Cliquot. The master of ceremonies for the evening announced that the special prize for the evenings guests, which was to have been a trip to two to Paris for the best dressed couple would go rather to the couple who spent the most on the evening. Very tacky, given this was not as far as I know a charity event and not wanting to win this dubious award, I had down-graded by choice of a good Vintage champagne to the more modest Veuve. However, when it arrived the young waiter did not bother to let me inspect the bottle or taste the offering, pouring ( badly ) two glasses of this before I had a chance to check it temperature. He seemed most surprised when I then asked for an ice-bucket, which arrived with no serviette. That was the last attention our wine received all evening. I had to carry out the top-ups myself, using the table napkin as the serviette to catch the drips from the ice bucket. The requested glass of Merlot that I had asked for mid-way through the “feast” completely failed to materialize.


Moving on through the menu I can only say that my taste buds glazed over with one small boring dish followed by another. One however stood out in its awfulness, the Orange Curry Salmon, which completely overcooked, without flavor sitting on top a truly solid brick of sticky rice. The blonde took a few desultory pokes and sniffs at the fish part of this dish and then pronounced herself already full, to save my blushes. Perhaps, it was as well that the chef failed to appear in person to greet his victims as at that point, I would have asked him if I could go into his kitchen and knock up a quick stir fry.

The finale to the Thai (?) menu was a tasty but inappropriate, white and dark chocolate mousse set atop a mango puree. Perhaps the mango was eastern link in this ménage a trios, but otherwise it seemed to be a lost soul at a Jehovah’s Witness Conference of elders.

At some point during this two hour extravaganza we were treated to a St Tropez fashion show by six or seven young Czech models, all of whom looked as it they needed a good meal themselves. Not sure who the fashion designers were they were representing, but perhaps by the time the finale came, my concentration was on the last scoops of the mango puree which were doing a good job at eradicating the doubtful flavours of former plates.

Declining to hang around in what was quickly becoming a deserted room ( something happened later there, but I’m not sure what ), we beat a path to the bar and sat ourselves down at one of the former “dining tables” there that had been vacated already by its occupants. The evening improved somewhat, perhaps in part due to good music from the baby faced DJ ( he must have had his parents’ permission to stay out late that evening ) and copious amounts of properly chilled champagne ( this time we wised up and ordered it by the glass, with it coming at the right temperature ). A more lively and interesting crowd started to drift into the Club and whether these were members of not, one started to think that the LS has potential to be a great night-spot when its downstairs area ( which I understand will include a proper late night dance/music set up )is completed. I look forward to this with anticipation, as it will fill a gaping hole in Prague’s presently varied but relatively unsophisticated night life. But I hope it will also herald the arrival of some better trained staff.

Standing in line, in the middle of the bar, for 15 minutes in the early hours of the morning try and settle an astronomically high tab ( but it seems not the winning one ! ! ), left me feeling tired annoyed a and well ripped-off for a much heralded but mediocre event fashioned around a meal of memorably bad dimensions. “Let’s go somewhere fun” the blonde demanded and I was tempted to see if the restaurant at Sa Sa Zu was still open, so I could drop her off at the night-club there, while I grabbed a small bowl…..