What to Eat in Czechia: Typical Czech Food and Specialties | Page 6 of 10
Hejnická putovnice: A Monastery Lager for the Pilgrimage Town of Hejnice
Hejnická putovnice is a pale unfiltered lager that the monastery in Hejnice, in the Frýdlant region, has brewed to order for it by the Volt microbrewery in Jablonec nad Nisou. It is named after the pilgrim on the label, striding briskly toward the basilica in Hejnice. It is a monastery beer without monks: monastic life in Hejnice ended in 1950, and the beer for pilgrims and spa guests is still sold here.
Chi Xiao Mian: Chongqing Noodles in Prague's Vinohrady
Chi Xiao Mian is a noodle shop on Laubova Street in Prague's Vinohrady, opened by a woman from Chongqing - a city that gets through more than twelve million bowls of fiery xiaomian noodles a day. The English names on the menu are only code names: Yellow Strips is wanza mian with peas cooked to mush, Hot Pork its meatier relative. And it burns less than the reputation promises.
Hải Hà: Bún Bò Nam Bộ in Prague's Sapa
Bún chả made the Hải Hà bistro in Prague's Sapa market famous, but the menu also has bún bò Nam Bộ: a bowl of rice noodles with tender marinated beef, peanuts and nước chấm sauce. The name promises southern Vietnam, yet the best-documented origin story leads to a stall in Hanoi - one that sold bún chả, as it happens.
Hải Hà: The Best Bún Chả in Prague's Sapa
Hải Hà, a bistro in Prague's Sapa market, grills pork belly over charcoal right outside the entrance, and its bún chả has a reputation as the best in Prague. In this Hanoi dish of rice noodles, grilled meat and a warm sweet-and-sour sauce, you dip each bite as you go. The staff speak Czech, the lunchtime line moves fast, and the smoke from the grill will point you to the door.
Bánh Cuốn Phương Phượng: Rice Rolls in Prague's Sapa
I've been climbing the green stairs to the upper floor of the Sapa market in Prague for more than ten years - at the top sits the Bánh cuốn Phương Phượng bistro, which serves just one dish: bánh cuốn rice rolls with meat and mushrooms under a shower of fried shallots. I'll explain what bánh cuốn is, why it's a breakfast dish in Vietnam and why a one-line menu is all I need.
What to Buy in Sapa? Groceries! (2)
The second part of the series about shopping at Prague's Sapa market, this time from a Saturday morning at the Tamda Foods supermarket. It covers Squid fish sauce, vermicelli rice noodles, Tilda basmati rice, sticky rice, a mild red curry seasoning paste and Japanese sweet mochi dumplings - groceries the author has been using in his kitchen for years.
Výčep Restaurant, Prague: Jiří Hrachový's Eastern Moravian Cooking in Vinohrady
Výčep Restaurant in Prague's Vinohrady borrowed its name from the bottom rung of the Czech pub hierarchy - and then cooks eastern Moravian food under it that has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Head chef Jiří Hrachový cooks from the recipes of the grandmothers of his home region, and whatever can be made in house is made in house: bread, cheese and cured meats.
Vietnamese Bistro Nhà hai hành (The House of the Two Onions), Prague
A review of the Vietnamese bistro Nhà hai hành (The House of the Two Onions) in Prague's Smíchov. Behind the punk decor are head chef Tomáš Cibulka, who spent years at the Michelin-starred La Degustation, and his Vietnamese wife Phương Anh Trần. The bistro cooks home-style Vietnamese food, serves food family style (mâm) and puts on a superb hot pot that guests cook right at the table.
Pohotovka Canteen, Prague: The Lunch Queue in Stodůlky
Pohotovka Canteen in Prague's Stodůlky serves Czech classics on a plastic tray within half a minute of ordering. The day's menu is chalked on a board and gone by tomorrow, and the queue outside forms every lunchtime. Yet the self-service canteen is no invention of socialism - the family tree runs from Automat Koruna all the way back to the Warsaw milk bar.
Asian Grocery Store on Zlatnická Street, Prague 1
The Vietnamese shop with Asian groceries on Zlatnická street in Prague offers a surprisingly wide selection of sauces, noodles, frozen delicacies, original sweets, Asian Home Gourmet pastes, and fresh Asian herbs, vegetables, and fruit. The store is an ideal place for lovers of Asian cuisine who find Sapa in Prague too far away.