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Giardino Restaurant, Prague, Czech Republic

08 Tuesday May 2018

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I visited this location many years ago when I seem to remember it was a French restaurant. I can’t remember how long it’s been an Italian restaurant, despite walking past a few times each week and even sitting across the road eating at Pho.

The one thing I did remember was that there was a large garden at the rear. Our regular hot weather pasta choice has been Pizzeria Grosseto at nearby Náměstí Míru, but it’s quite noisy there and the prices have risen.

Sunday 29th April 2018 was a lovely warm day and so we decided to try the garden at Giardino. The garden is boarded and there’s even a small wooden house at the rear for rainy weather.

We asked for a jug of water and two glasses of Montepulciano (70 Kč for 0.15dl although our glasses looked more like 0.2dl). Sadly the jug of water didn’t appear and we were given a bottle of water (99Kč) – I think this was just miscommunication and I’m going to push for tap water on our next visit.

Some delicious bread and dips arrived – I later found that this was charged at 25 Kč which is a bit cheeky as we didn’t ask for it. However, I would have been happy to pay 25 Kč for it.

We asked for one ‘Selection of italian and balkan cold cuts and cheeses decorated
with strawberries, olives, capers and rocket’ to share (250 Kč) and really enjoyed that.

We both chose Ravioli with asparagus in a saffron sauce (210 Kč each). It was excellent.

I think we’ve found a regular restaurant for the Summer. Hopefully they’ll provide free tap water next time we visit.

Giardino Restaurant
Záhřebská 24
Praha 2
120 00

http://www.restgiardino.cz/

Open every day: 11:00 do 23:00

Email: info@restgiardino.cz

+420 222 513 427
+420 774 455 243
+420 775 600 575

Restaurace a kavárna Sovovy mlýny, Prague, Czech Republic

18 Sunday Mar 2018

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We found a special offer on the Czech slevomat.cz site – only 999Kc for a four course menu plus a bottle of wine. The restaurant is in Kampa Park (the park not the fine-dining restaurant that takes it name) and you have to walk through the park to get there. We booked in advance – for the 17th March 2018. It snowed most of the day and evening – the park was deserted.

We arrived at the entrance:

Inside we were shown to our table and given the slevomat menu (only in Czech).

The wine was a Czech Rosé – we asked if we could pay extra for something from their wine list, but they weren’t able to do that. As it was the wine wasn’t bad. We also asked for a carafe of tap water. Regular readers of this blog will know how much I hate it when restaurants over charge for tap water – here they charged a ridiculous 70Kc.

For our starters we chose, one of each of a duck terrine with salad and a goat’s cheese salad. There was no amuse bouche, nor bread – but then I suppose we were only paying 999Kc.

The interior was quite cosy and I imagine the terrace would be nice in the summer.

Other diners arrived and were served burgers. It was 45 minutes before our starters arrived – we initially couldn’t work out why these took so long. Then we realised that another couple, who arrived 30 minutes after us, were having the slevomat menu – the chef had obviously decided it would be easier to serve us all at the same time.

The salads were nicely presented and pretty good.

Now that we were in synch with the other slevomats, our plates arrived on time. The next course, a really delicious artichoke soup with rose foam.

For our next course we’d chosen one sea bass fillet with pak choi and one beef striploin with cauliflower puree. Both dishes were pretty good.

Pudding was a mandarin semifredo, which was okay. I would have preferred some warm chocolate cake – but having already been unable to change the wine, I didn’t even ask.

The bathrooms are downstairs; the basement area was a bit run down and messy – but the bathrooms were clean.

Overall, this was a good meal for a good price. I’d be tempted to return in the summer and order a la carte from their terrace. I see that a 0.5l Czech beer is 59Kc which isn’t a bad price for such a central location with view across the river – it’s true what they say about the Czech Republic ‘beer is cheaper than water’!

We booked a taxi from the nearest driveable location – Říční 563/1 about 5 minutes walk away.

Restaurace a kavárna Sovovy mlýny
U Sovových Mlýnu 2
Praha – Malá Strana
Zobrazit na mapě

www.sovovy-mlyny.cz
info@sovovy-mlyny.cz
+420 724 036 036

Saint Patrick’s Day March 17th 2018 in Prague

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

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Late afternoon update: all the Irish pubs are packed with a combination of those trying to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and those watching the rugby. Expect standing room only. I retired to Napa Bar where I have a seat – only bottled Guinness available for 75kc though.

http://www.napabar.cz

Saint Patrick’s Day is a worldwide celebration that usually involves some parades and a visit to a pub for a pint of Guinness. Prague is no exception.

For the first time, there will be a parade from Hybernská Street around the city centre through Old Town Square, Národní třída and Wenceslas Square and back to Hybernská Street. I haven’t yet been able to find a time for the start of this parade.

Plenty of bars and clubs are getting in on the act, with Irish-themed activities, music and film. Jameson Irish Whiskey is sponsoring the parade and various events including the Rock Café and Prague University Kampus Hybernská. Their Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/events/1690971687589471/

My choice will be pint of Guinness (109 CZK) in what I think is the most Irish of the Irish pubs in Prague – The James Joyce. My review from 2015 is here: James Joyce. The tables are already outside so let’s hope the weather stays as good as last weekend.

If you are in Vinohrady and don’t want to trek into town, then Becketts is a good option, they also have a garden. A pint (actually not completely sure if it is pint or 0.5l) of Guinness there is 95 CZK. My review from 2016 here: Becketts.

Here’s a list of some other Irish Pubs in Prague, in no particular order, with a link to their web page and the price for a pint of Guinness:

Rocky O’Reilly’s – Guinness 109

O’Che’s – Guinness 110

Irish Times – Guinness 109

The Dubliner – Guinness 109

Caffrey’s – Guinness 119 and this one is 0.5l and not a full pint which is 0,568 l

McCarthy’s – Guinness 100

JJ Murphy’s – Guinness 99

Merlin – A friend of mine observed that ‘Merlin isn’t an Irish Pub, more a Czech pub that sells Guinness”. The Guinness is served in 0.4l glasses and costs 69 – so a pint is actually 98.

Sia Restaurant, Prague, Czech Republic

26 Monday Feb 2018

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11th March 2018 update: Another great meal at Sia last night; the ‘duck with broth’ dim sum were amazing. This time we had two litre carafes of tap water (only two of us but thirsty – we also had wine) and were charged 75 Kč for each – the carafes have lumps of shungit (which is a bit like coal, but known for some anti-bacterial properties) in the bottom. Next time I’m just going to refill the first carafe myself in the bathroom!

Sia opened in December 2017. It looks like the Potrefená Husa chain of restaurants financed the place, although there aren’t any direct references. Head Chef is Jiří Štift, previously of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I remember eating there and loved the Asian-themed menu he’d put together.

Sia writes this on their webpage:

The Asian menu of the Sia restaurant is based on the traditional recipes, procedures and technologies which we connected with the experience and ideas of the international team of the chef Jiří Štift. Under his management, the menu is prepared in cooperation of the cooks from Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Moravia and China.

Sia is just a few steps away from the Marriott Hotel on V Celnici street in central Prague. I’m struggling to remember what was there before – the restaurant has been custom built from the ground up and must have cost a fortune.

We booked a basement floor table in advance as I’d read that the top floor can be hot – heat rising from the kitchens on each floor. We were led along glass walkways and down stairs, past steaming kitchens and ducks hanging in windows.

It already felt like a trip to Asia. Our table was just away from a bar where diners can sit and watch the chefs at work.

The waiter was friendly and I ordered a bottle of Malbec – a little expensive at 990 Kč. The waiter returned to advise that they had run out. So we chose to just drink the Cabernet Sauvignon 0.15l at 75 Kč per glass. We also ordered a carafe of tap water, which arrived with what turned out to be lumps of shungit (which is a bit like coal, but known for some anti-bacterial properties) in the bottom – that styling didn’t come cheap as we later found the carafe cost 75 Kč. I have to say that I really object to paying more than 20 Kč for tap water, no matter how they dress it up.

We were given a complimentary sake-style cocktail:

Our food order was the reason for our visit: two types of dim sum and Peking duck – both really hard to find in Prague:

  • Shaomai – steamed dumplings, pork, prawns, soy sauce (3 pieces) 169 Kč
  • Har Gow – steamed dumplings with prawns, ginger and soy sauce (3 pieces) 169 Kč
  • Half Peking duck served in two courses: 595 Kč
    First with 10 pancakes, ginger, cucumber, cantaloupe melon and plum sauce
    Second boneless duck legs with fried rice, egg, spring onion, carrot and sesame

Everything was absolutely delicious. If I could change anything, I’d order a side of hoi sin sauce for the duck pancakes as the Sia sauce, although I’m sure authentic, wasn’t what I like to complete my pancakes.

The bathrooms were spotless, with shared hand basins and a sign that took a second look before I could decide which was my side:

Our total bill (we had four glasses of wine) 1308 Kč.

We took a walk around the other floors – they were all busy with diners and kitchens:

The top floor wasn’t hot – although it was -5 °C outside. I think the basement was the right choice and I’d book to sit there again. Our clothes didn’t retain any food smells.

I’d certainly recommend a visit – but you’ll need to make a reservation in advance.

Sia restaurant
V Celnici 1034/6
110 00 Praha 1

+420 220 199 380
info@siarestaurant.cz

http://www.siarestaurant.cz/en/

Monday – Wednesday 11:00–24:00
Thursday & Friday 11:00 – 01:00
Saturday 12:00 – 01:00
Sunday 12:00–23:00

Momoichi Japanese Coffeeteria/Restaurant, Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic

14 Sunday Jan 2018

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Momoichi opened in Vinohrady mid-2016. They actually call themselves a ‘Coffeetearia’ and I’m not sure if that is a deliberate misspelling in line with the trendy theme or simply a mistake.

I’d pretty much ignored Momoichi until they announced they would be running a special dim sum day on Saturday 13th January 2018. We booked for 7pm.

Once inside, the place has a modern, stark, cool theme – it isn’t cosy. The friendly waitresses all wear black t-shirts with fun slogans such as ‘smile for me’ and ‘ask for a hug’. Trendy lounge music was playing. The place was busy and attracted a young eclectic crowd:

The waitress poured us two glasses of water. These were topped up during our meal, although I noticed other tables had a carafe. The dim sum menu looked good:

We went for two dim sum sets. The sake was pretty expensive and I’m not that big a fan of sake anyway. We took a look at the standard menu that also listed some wines. The choice of wines was really limited and the prices completely ridiculous: 1dl of Austrian Frankovka was 85Kč – so a large glass of what is already an over-priced wine in the shops (maybe 280Kč a bottle) was 170Kč.

The dim sum was excellent:

It was so good that we ordered a third plate to share. I couldn’t face another glass of the world’s most expensive Frankovka and went for a Gin OMG & Bohemsca tonic 135 Kč. The waitress returned to say that they’d ran out of that gin and only had the more expensive Gin OMFG & Bohemsca tonic limited edition 165 Kč – I accepted that, but really I think they should have just provided the more expensive version at the same price.

The standard menu had some interesting items on it, but was almost impossible to read with the font size 5pt or less.

I realise that this a place for young people, but I coincidentally had an eye test at the optician a few days before and was told I had perfect vision without need for glasses – luckily the Momoichi menu wasn’t part of my eye test as otherwise I’d be walking around like Harry Potter now!

An electronic Japanese toilet is installed in both mens’ and ladies’ washrooms:

I didn’t try this version, but my previous experiences in Japan have mostly resulted in a disconcertingly warm seat and water spraying upwards – don’t press the buttons while looking at the pan!

We asked for the bill and were told to pay at the counter. I suppose that’s fine for a coffee shop – less so for a restaurant. And that leads to the question – is this a restearant (sic.) or a coffeetearia (sic.)?

The food was good, but I don’t think I will be back because of the wine choices and prices. If you decide to visit – take a magnifying glass!

Momoichi Coffeetearia
Římská 1199/1199/35,
120 00 Praha 2-Vinohrady

http://www.momoichi.cz/en/

OPENING HOURS

Monday – Friday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

E-mail: lukas.kubin@momoichi.czPhone: +420 721 364 002

The Best of 2017

31 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by in Insects/Bugs, Restaurants and Bars, Sightseeing, Travel News & Tips

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Thanks for being part of BugAdvisor.com – here are my favourites from 2017:

January:
The New York Bar from Lost in Translation, Park Hyatt, Tokyo, Japan

February:
Bugs of Peru

March:
The toboggan ride in Funchal, Madeira

April:
The Prisoner Convention at Portmerion Village, Wales

May:
Events in Prague, Czech Republic to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Operation Anthropoid

June:
Beauty Contest in Czech Nuclear Power Station causes sexism row

July:
The Borrowdale Hotel, Borrowdale, Cumbria, England

August:
Papilonia Butterfly House, Prague, Czech Republic

September:
Pasta & Vino Restaurant, Salzburg, Austria

October:
Sightseeing in Nuremberg – The Rally Grounds and Documentation Centre

R2-D2 appears on top of a nuclear bunker in Prague, Czech Republic

Mail Rail at the London Postal Museum, London, England

November:
Nervous Trees and where to find them

December:
Santa vs. the Mazací tramvaj (Grease Tram) in Prague, Czech Republic

I’d also like to thank my guest reviewer for these excellent restaurant reviews in August:

Upstairs at No 1 Cromer Restaurant, Norfolk, England

The Grove Restaurant, Cromer, Norfolk, England

The Gunton Arms Restaurant, Norfolk, England

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!

Santa vs. the Mazací tramvaj (Grease Tram) in Prague, Czech Republic

24 Sunday Dec 2017

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In January 2015, a special tram was launched in Prague. Red/Orange in colour with an ‘M’ on the front and the rear of the tram cut off – like a pick up truck. The tram’s purpose – to grease the tram lines. It is called Mazací tramvaj – there is only one. The grease tram is a 25-year old type-T3 tram no. 5572 that was previously used as a snow plough and hauling tram. Operation starts daily around five in the morning and ends late in the evening when it returns to the Pankrác depot. Each day the tram covers more than 200 kilometres.

In 2016, the tram was refitted with a large new canister fitted to the rear. The tram also has a webcam on the back that streams a live video while it drives around Prague. You can watch the tram’s progress via this site (sadly has a small advert(s) before the live webcam). This webcam was used to taunt me, by a friend who knew I watched the tram’s progress at lunchtimes:

This year, he decided to ride his Harley Davidson around Prague, dressed as Santa Claus, trying to follow the grease tram’s path – while I provided directions and watched the streaming video.

I’ve lost count of the times where the tram has passed by me – I always wave. But as always, if you look for something you can never find it. So it was with the grease tram. It has a timetable, but on Friday 22nd December it looked like the timetable had been thrown away and the tram was on a random joyride around Prague.

I could see the tram heading up the hill at Nuselské schody toward IP Pavlova in Prague 2. Santa was not far away in Náměstí Bratří Synků. However, regular traffic isn’t allowed on the tram lines at IP Pavlova, so he headed to Karlovo náměstí to catch the tram there. Santa missed it.

The tram continued to Lazarská, Václavské náměstí and Bílá labuť – just as Santa was about to appear, the tram went into a hidden siding and had a rest.

The chase continued through Žižkov, Flora, Strašnice, Zelené Město (where it had another rest in a hidden siding) until finally I was able to screen capture Santa behind the tram.

Apparently there were plenty of people taking pictures, not knowing Santa’s true purpose that day.

The Prague Transport Authority website http://www.dpp.cz/sledujte-putovani-mazaci-tramvaje-prazskymi-ulicemi/

There is a Mazací tram Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/mazacitramvaj?fref=ts.

Nervous Trees and where to find them

28 Tuesday Nov 2017

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The Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic is hosting a large-scale exhibition project from Czech artist Krištof Kintera. The exhibition is called ‘Nervous Trees’ – a reference to probably the most interesting artwork of the exhibition. The exhibition was only due to run until the 26th November 2017, but has been extended to December 27th 2017.

Entrance is free.

The Rudolfinum building also hosts, usually classical music, concerts. It’s pretty impressive from the outside.

The entrance to the gallery is on the left side of the building and you’ll find yourself in a large hall.

The entrance to the exhibition is up the stairs – there was a short queue when we visited, but then it was at the weekend.

What is art? A difficult subject and one that I’m not qualified to answer. I could use the phrase “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like” and what I like are the paintings of Prague trams by Czech artist Martina Krupičková https://martinakrupickova.com/ – such as this one:

But I didn’t visit this exhibition as an art critic looking for a deep meaning; I was more like the numerous children visiting with parents, who just enjoyed the eclectic and unusual installations for what they were.

The first room contained a large chandelier that had crashed to the ground beside a mountain.

The next, a large sprawling island formed from old electronic circuit boards and other electrical waste.

And a smaller island:

And some wires made to look like a flowering plant:

The next room was a workshop, full of hundreds of pieces of junk, plus another island:

There was also a magical tree, or maybe a representation of DNA:

An attractive wire flower, with a joke Latin botanical name, sat in a glass-covered frame:

The next room was full of random pictures, many of them with funny titles and motifs:

This one I liked because it was a squashed wasp:

The next hall contained some nervous trees:

I’m not surprised the trees were nervous as there was a tower of cement sacks that looked like they could fall at any second:

The next room was a polystyrene block hill with a jukebox on the top of it. Visitors are encouraged to pick away at the polystyrene to create an artificial snow on the floor of the room. I forgot to take a picture of that.

We then entered a room containing a washing machine mountain:

Many of the machines were running:

And that was the end of the exhibition.

I really enjoyed my visit and would definitely recommend that you go there. There is a free booklet available at the venue, written by the curator, that tries to convey the artists thoughts and meaning – but it’s a pretty pompous read. It’s nice to see that the artist isn’t taking things too seriously, adding joke titles to his creations.

Krištof Kintera – Nervous Trees
Galerie Rudolfinum
Alšovo nábřeží 12
110 00 Prague 1
Czech Republic

http://www.galerierudolfinum.cz/en/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/kristof-kintera-nervous-trees/

http://kristofkintera.com/home.htm

Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, & Sun 10.00–18.00
Thursday: 10.00-20.00
Closed Monday

Bohemia Boards & Brews, Prague, Czech Republic

02 Thursday Nov 2017

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Bohemia Boards & Brews is a café where you can choose from a large menu of board games. There is a fixed fee of 60Kc and then you can play as long as you want. I’m guessing they’d like you to buy at least a drink or two although I’m not sure how they’ll deal with the inevitable spillage of drinks over game boards.

They call themselves a café but I can see pictures of people with beer and wine. Their website doesn’t yet show a menu and so I’m not sure what’s available and at what price.

The location Charkovská 441/18 isn’t far from Satsang restaurant on Krymska – looks like the whole area is getting busy.

I invented a card game https://flapscard.com/ with cards and rules in both English and Czech – so I’ve dropped Bohemia Board & Brews a line to say I’d be happy to donate a pack, plus offer to teach them how to play. I’m guessing they’ll be happy to receive another game for their menu – even though it isn’t a board game.

I’m planning to visit within the next week and I’ll write a review after that. In the meantime, here’s a video interview with the owner.

Bohemia Boards & Brews
Charkovská 441/18
Prague
Czech Republic

http://www.bohemiaboardsandbrews.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BohemiaBandB/

Tuesday to Friday: 16:00 to 23:00
Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 23:00
Sunday: closed

R2-D2 appears on top of a nuclear bunker in Prague, Czech Republic

25 Wednesday Oct 2017

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I’ve previously written about the Folimanka Nuclear Fallout Shelter (Pražský kryt Folimanka), Prague, Czech Republic – I was there again on Saturday 14th October for one of the monthly openings. Perhaps it was during the opening that some street-art, Star Wars fans decided that one of the exterior air vents of the bunker needed a makeover.

If you exit the bunker, turn right into Folimanka Park, then climb a long series of steps, you’ll finally arrive at the location.

If I’d have known exactly where it was before I climbed the steps, I would have taken the tram to Bruselská then followed Lublaňská street into Folimanka going left at the parking lot on the path that curves around into the park.

There was nobody around today (25/10/17) and so I was able to take some pictures.

I’m not really a Star Wars fan, but it looks pretty good and this must have be planned as the two arms weren’t previously part of the bunker vent.

Latest news is that the Mayor of Prague 2, Jana Černochov has decreed that R2 can stay and won’t be painted over The Mayor said:
“We do not support illegal graffiti, but we like the decor on this unsightly shaft. Where else should this robot be, other than in the part of the city that is so associated with the author of the term, Karel Čapek ?”

For those who don’t know, Karel Čapek  wrote a 1920 play ‘RUR’ or ‘Rossum’s Universal Robots’. He later credited his brother, Josef Čapek as the person who invented the phrase – well took it from an old Church Slavonic word, robota, for servitude, forced labour or drudgery.