Food in Prague

A few days in Prague isn't enough time to fully explore the food scene here.  A lot of people warned me about the stodgy traditional nature of the food when they visited, but in the recent years there has obviously bee a boom because I found a vast and diverse food culture here that seem to be on the verge of a massive explosion.  Some off the cuff observations are that the closer you are to old town and the typical tourist areas the more predictable the food is.  Because Prague makes a lot revenue from tourism hotel restaurants which are often places best avoided are indeed often quite good, the restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental is often talked about on line as a beautiful and delicious place to eat.  During the Soviet era there was considerable Vietnamese immigration if you venture out to Sapa about a 30 minute journey from the center of town you will find yourself in a vibrant Vietnamese community filled with markets, restaurants, shops and culture.  I only found out about it on my last night and am totally bummed I was unable to go, but when I return I would most definitely make the journey.  Check the above link for instructions on how to get there.

From Goulash to Pho from high end dining to brilliant Asian fusion cooking by a world renown chef, Prague has it all.

An example of the level of sophistication of some of the food in Prague was just around the corner from my hotel where I discovered Bakeshop, whose baked goods and aesthetics would  be very much at home right here in NYC

Self portrait in bakeshop window.

These apple croissant rocked my world so buttery and chocked filled with not too sweet apple filling. Also the white icing topping reminded me of those pillsbury make at home treats we used to bake and I loved.

These meringues where huge and kind of other worldly.

Wedding caes can often be, I think, very tacky and over the top so I always appreciate it when a pastry chef shows restraint.

I hope that I have, over these last few posts, convinced you that a trip to Prague can be about so much more then just hitting the usual tourist spots (and there are still more posts to come!).   It's the kind of place where you could easily spend a week and slowly discover...as there is much more here then meets the eye.   I really fell in love with it.