Holy Crab!!! I have so many homework to be done. You know you are a traveler at heart if after
a whole month of travelling, you didn't miss your bed at all and wanting to
move around some more hahahah.
Well unfortunately, after one month, I have to take a rest
and finally settle down before my job starts.
That leaves me some leeway to write about my wonderful culinary
experiences in Prague.
People says that Prague is one of the most beautiful city in
Europe. I kinda agree and disagree on that notion. I agree to the extent of
their architecture and infrastructure, but I disagree because sadly people
doesn't know how to keep it clean. If
only people are a little bit more responsible, I am sure Prague would leave me
a better impressions.
Restaurants in Prague, Czech Republic are completely
different to those in Budapest, Hungary.
While Budapest are filled with fine dining places, Prague are filled
with pub! In terms of food, both
countries have similarities and specialties. Goulash for example are available in both
countries and taste rather similar.
Czech however knows how to cook their pork really well! All the Czech restaurants that are on my recommendation are mostly known for their pork.
Pizza bar
Czech restaurant rarely have a fancy decoration inside, yet
this one was a surprise. From the
outside it looks like a regular pub. But
once we went to the underground, it was beautifully decorated with a mythical
under the sea theme, complete with mermaid pictures and chorals everywhere
hahaha.
We were here for a quick lunch, so I ordered a goulash soup
in a bowl right here and it taste alright.
I just wished they would have given us more meat than potatoes. The bread was really cute though, it looks like
a monkey and it taste great too. The
bread was sprinkled with sesame seeds; it is crunchy on the outside and soft on
the inside.
U kroka
This restaurant is awesome except for the fact that it was
kinda far from the center of the city.
We had to take a metro then walk for another 13-15 minutes. Also, I would recommend you to make a
reservation in advance because lately they have earned many attention not only
from the locals but also from the tourist.
I ordered pork knuckle from the literary called "Manly
Menu" and it came with horseradish and some chili on the side. It was served on a cutting board. So that should tell you something.
"Manly Menu" was certainly not a false
advertisement! The pork knuckle was as
big as my head!!!! So girls, I would suggest sharing. I was surprised because the price was really
reasonable, it was under 200 Koruna or 10 USD.
The meat on the pork knuckle was rather dry and hard like
beef jerky. I love beef jerky, so I
don't mind the knuckle being overcooked at all.
I also like some part of the skin, where it is thin, salty, savory, and
crunchy. Unfortunately, most part is a
little too hard to eat
Smichovsky Radnicni Sklipek
This restaurant was totally a hidden gem. It wasn't even listed on trip advisor. My friends went there earlier during our trip
and she said the local people even asked her how does she knows about the
restaurant. It was an underground
restaurant and its name plate was not easy to find. So make sure pay close attention when you are
right on the block.
Within the next couple days, my friends wanted to go back
because they had a wonderful culinary experience. So since they speak highly of this
restaurant, I couldn't help to be persuaded.
First of all, the price was cheaper than any other
restaurant that I have visited.
Secondly, the pork knee and stuffed chicken was crazy good as well. It was even have a vintage decorations all
over the restaurant.
The way they cooked the pork is really different from U
kroka. Both the meat and the skin was
really soft and chewy. The meat falls
apart from the bone in no time, so definitely easier to eat than U kroka. What
surprises me the most however is the fact that they have chili sauce and
Indonesian sweet soy sauce on the side instead of ketchup, where am I?!
Unfortunately the only picture that I have of the pork knee is kinda blurry ~__~ maybe I had too much pork grease in my brain that it affect my ability to take pictures lol.
Kolkovna
Our tour guide recommended this restaurant and it is indeed
local's because this is one of the few places where the server does not even
speak English. In this case, I turn to
the world known language (Read: body language).
It works pretty well if you are not picky. Cuz you would get exactly what you pointed
at, nothing more nothing less.
You could probably compare Kolkovna to Red Lobster here in
US. There are a couple different
location that you could go to and the price are in the mid range.
I ordered a Svíčková,which is
a pot roasted beef that are served with cream-veggies sauce, bread dumpling and
carlsbad dumplings. Don't expect a
Chinese dumplings to show up on your plate, because what Czech called dumplings
are closer to a loaf of bread. The Svíčková
itself taste alright, it wasn't as rich in flavor as I had expected.
Vidlicky A Noze
I went to this restaurant strictly to taste the famous strawberry dumpling. I heard mixed review on the dumpling. On one side, I heard that this could be the best dessert ever and on the other I heard it just like a pancake.
I cannot trust either side if I haven't try it on my own, so I end up going to Vidlicky A Noze to try this traditional Czech dessert.
To be honest I kinda in the middle of the extreme sides. I like it, but I couldn't enjoy them to the fullest, some part because I was too full or maybe I just have too much expectation.
The dumpling came in three and they were pretty big. It was covered in shaved cheese and raspberry glace. The dumpling itself taste almost like pancake, but the strawberry was inside and hot! I need to wait a little bit before I can shovel it into my mouth. I would give the dumpling 3 out of 5.
Lokals Dlouha
ANDDDDDD as usual, I would save the best for the last! We found this restaurant on trip advisor, and
our tour guide says that it's not used to be as crowded. I guess trip advisor has just recently helped
them gain popularity among tourist.
The restaurant live up to its name, this place is one of the
local's favorite place to hang out. I
also found one of the most traditional Czech food in this restaurant and order
it without a second thought.
I ordered what's called beef tartar. Which is a raw minced beef mixed with some
special ingredients and served with well done toast and raw garlic. My friends were all worried that I would get
food poisoning, but really..I rather have a stomachache than not trying out
something as exotic as this!
I guess I'm that kind of person that would go ahead try
anything crazy except domestic animal and human hahah.
I just ate the beef tartar like you would eat a bruschetta. I didn't know what to do with the raw garlic,
so I just start cutting them into pieces and put them on top of my raw
beef. Until the guy on the next table
suddenly approaches me with his broken English and start showing me how to eat
them.
Apparently I was supposed to rub the garlic onto my bread
and then spread the raw beef after.
Thank you mister-lots-of-help!!!
I was so happy to have a true local experience! If local people eat with their feet, I would
eat with my feet!
Anyway, back to the beef tartar...it might look unappetizing
for some, but I kid you not it was one of the best thing that ever enter into
my mouth. It was as if my palate was
having a party!!! The toast was crunchy and buttery and the raw beef was
fresh. They definitely do justice to
these cow that sacrifice its life for people like me.
I don't usually like the texture of raw beef, but maybe
because it was grounded beef, I do not mind it at all. The tartar was soft and wasn't gross at
all. I don't like the taste of blood in
my food and I certainly do not find them on my beef. The freshness was similar to raw seafood that
you would find on sushi.
Also, the best thing of them all is that I do not have any
food poisoning or indigestion at all!! You can tell that the restaurant only
serve high quality beef to their customer that it is okay to eat them raw. Or maybe I just have a strong stomach.. I
don't know...Either way, I am happy!!! hahaha
So yeah, this conclude my little food blog for Prague. Pray so I could fight my laziness and start
writing more! hahaha
Until the next adventure you all.. vagabond girl is out~
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