The restaurant U Matěje focuses on both modern and traditional Czech cuisine. The restaurant is run by Jan Punčochář, a well-known judge from the TV show MasterChef Česko. Jan Punčochář has experience from many renowned restaurants and fulfilled his lifelong dream by opening his own establishment.
We visited the restaurant shortly after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. The weather was beautiful, we had a table in the garden, and every seat was taken.
As a starter, we chose braised beef oyster blade with roasted peppers, toast with bone marrow, and confit garlic for 185 CZK (7.40 EUR). The beef oyster blade is a muscle from the front shoulder, located under a layer of sinew. Its shape resembles pork tenderloin and it is exceptionally tender meat. The starter was flawless, perfectly seasoned, and the pieces of marrow and garlic simply begged to be spread on the toast.
For the main course, we selected veal spider steak with mushroom-dill sauce and Karlovy Vary dumpling for 275 CZK (11 EUR). The veal spider steak gets its name from the marbling that resembles a spider’s web. It is a cut of very tender and juicy meat from the hip socket. Like many others, I rediscovered dill sauce (and dill in general) only in adulthood; after previously avoiding it, it has become one of my favorite ingredients. The dish was executed to perfection, the sauce was rich and honest, the meat tender, the Karlovy Vary dumpling exemplary. A real treat.
The dessert, quark buns with rum sauce, raisins, and vanilla ice cream, truly deserves to be called dense, rich, extravagant, and delicious. The buns are generously soaked in melted butter and dusted with sugar, so they will reliably satisfy even the hungriest guest. In this case, the contrasting descriptors are quite appropriate. This sweet finale cost 125 CZK (5 EUR).
The outdoor seating in the garden under the trees was very pleasant, the Pilsner beer was perfectly poured, and the staff was friendly and quick. Every dish was delicious and beautifully presented. Honest Czech cuisine in an outstanding execution.
Bon appétit!
For more information about U Matěje Restaurant, click on the map link:
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