Czech Republic Archives - Page 2 of 2

CottoCrudo restaurant: where top Italian ingredients meet Four Seasons service in Prague

Reopened in March 2012 and refurbished as a more informal dining spot at Prague’s Four Seasons hotel, CottoCrudo was an adventurous step by the hotel’s management. Its former restaurant had been for many years the only gourmet place in the Czech Republic holding a Michelin star. Every time I dined there though it was half empty, rarely hosting local connoisseurs, therefore it seems that switching to a less formal and fun environment was a smart idea. Quality and top-notch service still remain the code while one does not need to worry about what to wear and how to behave after entering the premisses of the luxurious Four Seasons.
CottoCrudo meaning “Cooked and Raw”, with its fresh and quality concept filled the gap on the city’s restaurant scene. There are other Italian bars offering great wines and snacks, but there is not a single place where you can sit at a comfortable table and choose either raw or cooked meal. Moreover, you will be served here, no need to pick a tray (like at a school eatery).

Cuisine: Modern Italian
Visit: September 2012
Price: Medium (for European capital city); high (for Prague; despite offering a two-course lunch menu for about $US 20; you find plenty of restaurants in Prague having the same – not quality, but two-course lunch – for half of that price)
Chef: RICHARD FUCHS worked under the previous Michelin awarded Italian chef and took over as an Executive Chef at the newly established CottoCrudo.
Atmosphere: Modern urban, sleek and fresh. The restaurant’s terrace offers a lovely view of the charming Prague castle and the river. You feel almost the opposite atmosphere of the cosy and packed Italian tratoria. At CottoCrudo you know that you are in the midst of a booming city as the design is very modern. It is an ideal place for an informal lunch meetings (despite it being located inside the elegant Four Seasons hotel) as well as for a cup of a frothy cappuccino with a friend. There is a lounge, bar and as you move to the restaurant part you see the ingredients including ham hanging and teasing your taste buds together with the cooled cheese bar. At the end, seeing all these delicacies in front of your eyes, it might be hard to resist to one of the cold cuts on the menu.
Food: Modern, fresh and creative. The restaurant embraces a philosophy “Some like it hot… Some like it cool”, thus you can select from a wide variety of cold dishes and cuts (Crudo Bar) such as the mozzarella bar, raw cut meats and raw seafood (Italian sashimi). The selection is tempting and perfect for an afternoon snack with a glass of wine or a refreshing starter.
From the antipasti I highly recommend the refreshing and tasty Beetroot & smoked ricotta salad with pistachio. The red beet is delicate and not sour as some of its pickled forms. The ricotta melts in your mouth, fresh greens add zest and pistachios crunchy texture and depth.

You can start with the Italian staple of Vitello tonnato with anchovies & caper dressing. I love this dish and I rarely disappoints me.
The chef recommends trying his Piedmont beef tartar, but I prefer the thinly diced French version to the chunky pieces of beef usual in this Italian take on tartar, so I have not tried it here.
From the fish starters I loved both the Sea bass, wild fennel, Taggiasca olives and Lobster, pink grapefruit, chives. The raw bar is excellent and the quality of the fish and seafood is high so you do not need to worry to get any disturbing aftereffects in your stomach. These dishes are refreshing and ideal with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Morava or Pinot Grigio from Italy.

Another fish starter with an Italian twist is the Salmon, rucola pesto, tomato confit, lemon zest. The fattier nature of salmon makes a richer meal and with a combination with an oily pesto it might be a second course for some light eaters. It is well-thought out dish – refreshing and satisfying at the same time.

The pasta selection is wide and if you feel like doing it today really like a true Italian, have a plate of them just before your main course – (that is a dinner time I am talking about though!)
As I had to conclude my lunch with a cup of frothy cappuccino I ordered Biscotti tipici Italiani as my dessert. Dipping crunchy almond cantucci into my cappuccino is my favorite pastime remaining from a teenage years spent in Italy.
Drinks: As I mentioned the cappuccino is delicious here, so if you do not have time for lunch or dinner just get a cup of this frothy coffee speciality. There are many wines by the glass, 26 wines will be available by mezzo (Italian carafe) and an extensive wine list of over 300 labels including Italian as well as Czech wines. Just ask the wine waiter which wine he would recommend for each of your dishes. I got a very helpful advice during lunch there.
Address: Four Seasons hotel; CottoCrudo restaurant; Veleslavinova 1098/2a; 110 00 Prague 1; Czech Republic
Contact: Tel: +420 221 426 880

V Zatisi: contemporary & sophisticated restaurant in Prague

Opened in 1991, V ZATIŠÍ was one of the pioneers of privately owned restaurants in Prague. One might doubt the merits of a dining spot in a country where just a year or two ago there was a very limited choice of ingredients, restricted imports and as in the majority of communist settlements quantity was ranked above quality. The founder took his job seriously though and created one of the best and most consistent gourmet restaurants in the Czech Republic, where you will not hesitate returning.
Cuisine: Gourmet Czech, Indian and Continental.
Visit: September 2012

Price: Medium (For foreigners) to high (for Czech people). For two courses you pay CZK 890 (just under $US50); three courses CZK 1090 (less than $US60); each additional course CZK 150 (about $US 8). So the more you eat, the more value you get. The quality and creativity of the meals is very high so it is worth the money spent.

Atmosphere: V Zatiší means “In retreat” and the restaurant is unquestionably devoted to its name as it is where hidden from the curious sights of hordes of tourists and sensation seeking tabloid press, the important and the famous dine, date and close business deals. There are three secluded rooms for ultra-confident meetings and celebrations. On the left there is a bar and a larger room for these preferring an open space to wine and dine in.
The interior is cosy, relaxing and stylish. Designed by a trio of local artists Bára Škorpilová, Barbara Hamplová and ‘glassmaster’ Rony Plesl you will be surrounded by plant motifs on wallpapers, vases filled with stylish flowers and elegantly curved branches and gently lit by intimate and classy chandeliers. Wear anything classy, elegant and rather understated than flashy. The entire restaurant is non-smoking which is in the current loosely regulated environment in the Czech hospitality a huge advantage. You can savor your meal and wine without any distracting cigarette odour.
Chef: Milan Hořejší cares about his ingredients getting fresh vegetables and fruits from farmers, mushrooms from his friend and fish and meat the freshest possible. His experience from the high-end Prague’s restaurants and from Switzerland shows in his culinary adventure on each plate. He serves fish and meat with two different sauces so you can savor the dish from two perspectives. Mahavir Kansval is a one Michelin experienced chef responsible for the Indian dishes at Zatisi.

Food:Flexible, creative and fearless. If you are in the mood of exploration, then you can choose either from the five-course Czech degustation (“The Best of Bohemian”) or the international Zátiší menu (“Taste explosion”). Going a la carte is the best if you would like to mix both.
Starting light (at least for the Czech standards) with Mixed Lettuce Salad with Butternut Squash, Fried Okra and Yuzu Citrus Dressing, you will be ready for any of the richer main courses. This original salad with a Japanese twist and fashionable okra spears is excellent with a glass of grassy Moravian Sauvignon Blanc (such as the one from Milan Sůkal).
Another refreshing starter is the Chilled vegetable and fruit gazpacho, avocado guacamole, mojito foam. Generous plate will satisfy the price conscious diners and unique mexican take without too much spice pleases the exotic flavors seeking connoisseurs.
Choosing the Duo of warm goat cheese, apple purée and salad with balsamic dressing will not disappoint cheese aficionados. This is a bit heavier starter, but excellent with wine either an aromatic Chardonnay or a delicate Pinot Noir. One part of cheese is breaded in a crust, melting in your mouth like a warm cream, another is sizzling hot on a toast resembling the french version, and both are lightened up by the accompanying salad with balsamic vinegar. Apple purée adds the necessary sweetness to the goat cheese in a delicious condiment.
Moving to meat with Pan seared pepper crusted beef carpaccio with celeriac remoulade and veal-truffle Jus one wonders if it is a starter or a main course, yet it is up to you what you make out of it as it can really be both. The juicy beef is tender and bursting with meaty and peppery flavors. The celeriac remoulade freshens up the meat and the veal juice infused with truffles adds complexity creating a genuine gastronomic experience.

The main courses are tantalizing and it is very hard to choose one. I felt like testing the Indian chef’s skills and went for the Tandoori home smoked salmon, tandoori grilled vegetables, tomato chutney and aubergine raita. Visiting India myself and being spoiled by the European bastion of Indian food – London, I am a harsh critique of authentic Indian cuisine. The chef Mahavir Kansval has not disappointed my palate as the spices infusing the salmon as well as the vegetables were intriguing and authentic. The tomato chutney was generous, not spicy and the yoghurt based aubergine raita balanced the spices of the tandoori prepared fish and vegetables.

You are in the Czech Republic so go for something Czech if you feel like it. Be sure though that you will get a hearty meal not leaving you hungry. The Czech staple and favorite of many foreign visitors is the Beef tournedos with traditional creamy vegetable sauce “svícková”, herb dumplings and cranberries, which is made to perfection at Zatisi. It is almost as good as the grandmother’s style and that says a lot! ( You can never say it is as good as the svíčková your granny makes, so judge yourself how good it is here). It is an industrious endeavor to make this sauce. Cooking the beef for about five to six hours, then separating it and preparing the creamy sauce with carrots. The dumplings need to be tender and not chewy and cranberries juicy and slightly sour. To me drinking beer with this is too heavy, a light red wine such as Pinot Noir is ideal and aids digestion with its slightly acidic nature.

Looking at the above picture of Pistachio cheesecake with raspberry sauce, you might be seduced to safe some space for a dessert. The cheesecake is so soft and lighter than most of the American and British versions so go for it! The berries and fruity sauce are so refreshing that you will not feel stuffed at the end of the meal. Right the opposite, you might end up cooing like my sister after this tasty dessert, she would keep talking about it days after and I understand why.
I also liked the indian frozen dessert called Mango “Kulfi” served with fresh mango. It was delicious, refreshing and reminded me my favorite mango lassi, which I got in India often as a liquid dessert.
Drinks: The wine list is very broad. Covering Europe as well as the New world you will find a bit of everything including selection of well-known bubbly Champagne. If you come here regularly, you can bring your own bottle for a 345 CZK (less than $US20) corkage fee. Otherwise the sommelier is very helpful and eager to recommend a glass of wine to pair with each course. I would advise doing this since it seemed to be very popular. We started with a glass of white wine each and then moved to a bottle of red Pinot Noir 2005 from Stapleton and Springer. I have had their Moravian Pinot Noir many times and in various vintages and was never disappointed. It is light, well-balanced and shows juicy strawberry so easy to pair with a wide range of dishes from fish to meat.
The selection of teas is very extensive. You can choose your favorite from a box from Tchaba.
Opening hours: Mon-Sun: Lunch: 12:00 – 15:00; Dinner: 17:30 – 23:00
Address: Betlémské nám. / Liliová 1, Prague 1, 110 00, Czech Republic
Contact: Tel: +420 222 221 155

Best Czech wines exposition and tasting at 'Salon vín' in pictures

Right at the entrance there are straw shopping baskets lined up in case you decide to buy some of the wines tasted. We ended up with two full baskets!

… and as you see on the last picture, if you buy the 90 minutes or even a longer tasting session at the cellar you will get a basket of bread to clean your palate. There are also water fountains and glass cleaners at numerous spots.
Enjoy the tasting!

Sonberk: modern winemaking in the Czech Republic

Set in the midst of sprawling vineyards stood a clean-shaped structure blending almost seamlessly into its by-nature-blessed environment. As we drove closer, turning back we marvelled at a glistening water reservoir each fantasising what creature the hill above it reminds us of. My guess was a crawling elephant. What is yours?

I was taken by surprise when I saw the state-of-the-art winery Sonberk in the Morava region in my native Czech Republic. I could had been standing in Chile or Spain looking at a high-tech construction of a winery, made of glass supported by wood, but I was totally off the vinous radar. I was in the heart of Europe, in a post-communist, yet to this day totally revived country catching up rapidly in terms of winemaking with its neighbours – Austria and Germany.
What a shame that most of the wineries there do not have their web sites in English so the majority of the non-Czech-speaking wine population in the world cannot learn about their activities and wines produced.

The quality of the wines made in the Czech Republic has been growing at the speed of the Chinese economy over the past 10 years. I remember vividly tasting a bitter, tannic and unbalanced Frankovka (Cabernet Franc), so popular in those days, before I left my country to travel the world (in 2002). I was not a wine drinker then. No wonder, if one drinks such “patok” (drink of a doubtful quality) as we say in the Czech language, then the only form of wine I enjoyed was the fruit boosted sangria or a wine spritz (wine with sparkling water).
Gone are those days, I can happily say now. As my sommelier sister, who introduced me to some exquisite wines from Morava in the past couple of years, would say: “Five, ten years ago, it were only the whites, which were enjoyable, but recently the reds such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon have proven their high potential in the Czech Republic.” And, I believe her. Not though because I got drunk with her during our cheerful family outings and was thus influenced emotionally. The reason for my conversion to Czech and particularly Moravian wines has been both seeing their recent success at international competitions and tasting the 100 winners from selected Czech and Moravian wines at ‘Salon vín’ in Valtice. These experiences recently assured me that the wine production in my native country is taking the right direction.

Moreover, there are some producers who are already firmly footed in top quality winemaking. Some are using traditional methods and others the best available high technology.
The later – modern approach – has adopted the Sonberk winery near the village of Popice.

The Sonberk winery and location

The soil of the majority of the vineyards is loess, the loosely fine soil originally deposited by the wind¤. A long time ago there used to be a sea so some minerality is still present deep in the ground. The climate and latitude are similar to Burgundy as many local producers proudly claim. The winters are cold, spring frosts are challenging and summer with early autumn are warm. South exposition of the 40 ha of vineyards is important for achieving the right ripeness of grapes. Hand harvesting in a number of rounds is important for selections of the right and ripe enough grapes.
Sonberk is not a new venture. There are historical documents proving that vines were grown here already in the XIII. century! Over time, its wines reached such popularity that they were served for the Czech kings. As history is not always favorable and the country was occupied first by Germany and later by Russia, the vineyards deteriorated and wines fell deeply down on the quality scale.
The new winery was finished in 2008 by a distinguished Czech architect Josef Pleskot. Its is a marriage of modernity with tradition.

The wines tasted

On my recent and surely not last visit I tried six wines. Each of them were very different from the other, and all very interesting with some exceeding my highest expectations I had of this winery.
Starting with the whites, the local cross of Muscat Ottonel and Prachteauben, Muscat Moravia 2011 showed to be a nice and delicate aperitif. Candied fruits with apricot marmelade prevailing, medium acidity and a slight zing of bitter almond, this is a satisfying wine one can drink a bottle of with ease. This is also a starting category of wines from Sonberk.
Moving to the German-like Rhine Riesling Ryzlink Rýnský 2008 was a welcome change for me and my tasting entourage. Petrol on the nose can be found not only in the Alsatian or German dry Rieslings, but also in Sonberk’s wine. Dried fruit and wet stone added further complexity to the already intense aroma. Mineral palate, again with wet stone character, dryness, high acidity and citruses having awaking effect and apricot balanced it all. Long finish underscored the high quality of this fine Riesling also suitable for aging.
Now to something more exotic for this part of the world – Semillon, the white Graves favourite found its call at Sonberk. Whether it was a successful choice, only time shows since the 2010 we have tasted was the first good vintage made here. Aged in barriques for between 3-6 months the wood showed slightly on the palate adding depth, bitter touch and warm vanilla spice to the wine.
The staple of Moravian grapes – Sauvignon Blanc could not be missed in Sonberk’s profile. In the case of 2009 it was aged in barriques so the wine got a bit more depth. Typical gooseberry on the nose and palate was accompanied by apricot, black currant leafs and wood tones from the short barrel ageing.

From the sweeter wines we started with an absolute siren of perfectly balanced wines – Pálava výběr z hroznů 2008. Pálava is an indigenous grape for Morava. It is a cross of Traminer and Müller Thurgau. Tropical fruits and black currant on the nose are seductive. Palate of this wine is extremely rewarding with lovely acidity balancing off the sugar in this wine. Delicate start with apricots, exotic spices fruits such as ripe mango is concluded by touch of wood from barrel ageing.
Not only Canada and Austria make excellent straw wine (made by grapes being dried on straw mats). In Morava they know the craft of straw wine making very well. At Sonberk they make it from Traminer. Tramín pozdní sběr had 213 g of sugar, but 10% alcohol making the difference (Canadian straw wine usually has around 8%). It was less heavy, yet dense and concentrated. Raisins and dried pears dominate the nose and honeyed palate shows some apricot jam and raisins with soft touch of acidity.
The wines from Sonberk truly rock, a must try for any serious white wine lover.

Wine museum at Mikulov castle in the Czech Republic

I visited the Wine museum inside the Mikulov castle in the Southern region of Moravia located in the former Czech Republic, now known as Czechia. A small space, but well worth visiting for anyone who enjoys wine. In pictures, my photo story highlights the long tradition of fermenting grapes from vitis vinifera in the heart of Europe. A Bohemian king brought vine cuttings in the ninth century from Burgundy, France to plant them near the Prague Castle. The hillside vineyard still exists. It was replanted in the 1990s after the fall of the Communist regime.

The historic presses and other tools used in wine making, storing and maturing wine are displayed comprehensively at the Wine museum inside the Baroque Mikulov castle.

Today, there a few wine producing regions across the country, but the Southernmost Moravia bordering Austria had the best climate for producing both white and red wine. Sweet, late harvest, wines used to be very popular, but today dry wines of superb quality surprise many well-trained palates with their longevity, balance and complexity.

The Wine museum in Mikulov is one of the most well preserved repositories of wine making tools in Czechia. The town itself is beautiful and there are plenty of wineries in the region worth stopping by for tasting.

Address: Zámek 1, 692 15 Mikulov, Czechia

Searching for wine in Old Prague

History and wine go hand in hand and peak into every corner of the world. If I don’t count water I dare to estimate that wine might be the most expanded drink on the world.
Then it is not to my surprise that I found a vineyard just in the middle of one of the most picturesque cities in the world – in the Old Prague.

One of the oldest vineyards in the Czech Republic is located on the hillside right below the magnificent Prague Castle. It bears the name of the mighty and by Czech people highly respected St. Wenceslas, the patron of Bohemian Lands and the founder of the Czech state.
St. Wenceslas’ vineyard was established according to a legend in the 10th century AD. This Czech statesmen as well as other rulers in Christian history relished wine. The Roman Emperor Charles IV.( yes, that one who built the famous Charles Bridge) brought Pinot Noir from France.

Vineyards under the Prague Castle
The Pinot Noir and also Riesling grapes will tempt the visitors to pick and taste them this autumn for the first time since in the 19.th century the vineyard was changed into a fancy English garden when the Villa Richter was built and remained forgotten until recently.
In 2008 after a long reconstruction of the villa and the vineyards The Villa Richter gourmet restaurant, two other more casual restaurants and the St. Wenceslas’ vineyard were inaugurated with a big applause from wine connoisseurs.
The panoramic views together with an extensive wine list guarantee a pleasant and relaxed afternoon in the heart of the jewel between all cities in the Central Europe.
Czech white and sweet wines are especially rewarding (though I am especially biased towards the region Moravia, called “Morava” in Czech language). There are many great wine bars in Prague now serving the most interesting wines that Czech Republic has to offer at the moment.