Everyone is abuzz about banh-mi these days, but newly opened Gao Den restaurant, owned by the brothers Khanh, promises a totally different Vietnamese dining experience. The head chef and eldest brother went to culinary school in Saigon then traveled the world perfecting a menu that mixes modern and traditional. Yes, Pho Bo and roasted beef Bun Bo Nam Bo are among the offerings but so are green Pandan pancakes with mango sauce and fried Czech carp with rice.
Students, freelancers and café poseurs listen up. The newly opened, two-floor Cafeduwith study room is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Looking for a quiet place with no distractions and plenty of coffee and croissants? Here it is…you may want to move in.
Another Yummy Yam Yam
Awesome news for Thai food fans. A new branch of the popular Yam Yam restaurant has just opened in the city center on Vodičkova street. Now you can dig into all their signature favorites such as sushi, seafood soups, Thai curry or beef chili at three locations in Prague. The design of the place is also more than worth a mention.
Choice delicacies, a butcher’s counter, fresh fish and seafood…recently opened Nowaco market, owned by the Nowaco frozen foods empire company and endorsed by celeb chef Zdeněk Pohlreich, is Prague’s newest one-stop shop for gourmet groceries. Carrying a wide selection of ready-made salads, fresh bakery products like mini-donuts, grill-ready, pre-marinaded meats, deli items, and specializing in frozen fare from Nowaco.
A new small non-smoking pub near Karlovo náměstí, Dno Pytle is the only place in the Czech Republic where you can imbibe Bavarian beer brewed without any artificial gas, using only natural gravity. Dno pytle also pours a number of beers from small Czech, German, and Polish breweries: Žatec, Hummel, and Pinta are all on the beer list. After downing a few from all over Central Europe try a wurst from grill!
Coffee and design via Berlin
Coffee shops are all the rage these days (here’s our guide to the best and how to survive all that coffee talk!). The Coffee Room’s minimalistic retro interior is the perfect place for sampling El Salvador coffee from Berliner roastery Barn and if you need just a little bit more than a coffee for breakfast go for ham and eggs, toast with homemade jam or a sandwich. Long story short, this is an amazing place.
The Prague food festival circuit shows no signs of slowing and on September 20 you will find a wealth of mini-festivals popping up around town and, hopefully, coming to a neighborhood near you. The Different City Experience festival (Zažít město jinak) sponsored by the AutoMat initiative for a more pedestrian friendly Prague, is the city’s biggest block party. The Vinohrady/Americka program looks particularly foodie friendly wth street meat from Bad Jeff’s BBQ, Kaiser Franz and polka dot cupcakes byCupcakes by Marena.
You will have to go to an Italian-style cafe to find out! Pastacaffe (two locations) is now offering a breakfast that, if you are Czech, should remind you of “Sunday morning at grandma’s house.” Freshly baked bread with butter and honey, ham and eggs; meats (sausage also available) are regionally sourced. Nary a rohlík in sight.