La Degustation Boheme Borgeoisie (Prague) 01/10

This restaurant has three degustation menus, one an International style, one a lighter version with an emphasis on seafood and the other a modern variation of traditional meals displaying Czech culinary art from the end of the 19th century prepared using modernized techniques of the culinary personality Marie B. Svobodová. M/s Svobodova wrote a 19th century book of classic Czech recipes which gave the inspiration for La Degustation. The basis of their courses is in ingredients from Czech organic farms and small Czech producers.
The restaurant is in the old town. It was fairly dimly lit
but has an elegant but understated decor.

with a bar as you enter stacked with bottles.
Dark wood paneling hints of the quality of the meal we are about to be served. The chefs were a happy lot, head chef Oldrich Sahajdak was not there on this occasion. Here a server decants a bottle of wine.
We chose the Czech menu. It was made up of seven courses but there were an additional eight, yes EIGHT, amuse bouchon maison. The first was a tiny dollop of foie gras in dark chocolate with a sprinkle of salt served on a slab of coloured marble
In all not much bigger than a jelly bean, the foie gras was lost in the chocolate so it just tasted sweet and salt.
This was followed by a sip of delicious mushroom flavoured jellied bouillon which we had to suck out of a small tube.
Then came an absolutely fabulous beef tartare sandwiched between two discs of toasted bread.
The first actual course we were offered was, Prague ham maliner foam fried eggbread, dried apples. (Only the computer knows what it is doing here)

This was followed by a wild poultry soup, quail egg, house made noodles and duck dumpling The photo does not show the dolls house size of this tiny serve. The quail egg gives you an idea. A very bland dish. Followed by another amuse awaiting sauce here Steamed třeboň trout, marjoram béchamel, topinambour was a super delicacy This meat dish was beef, oyster blade, creamy sauce with freh dill and braised potato. One delicacy after the next! Freshly smoked beef tongue, yellow pea puree We seemed to be getting more dishes than on the menu! olomoucke tvarusky cheese, carraway, pickled shallots Palabi lamb,Juniper sauce, parsley root puree, Brussels sprouts given a wonderful taste by the parsnip.

All this cost 2250 CZK each for the food which today is about equivalent to A$135. Wine pairing added about A$65. The wines were all Czech from Moldavia and Miklova and displayed the winemakers skills which have only redeveloped in the last 20 years. Whilst not every dish made one salivate in ecstasy the total experience was of a world class meal prepared with skill, attention to detail and imagination by a team under the leadership of an extremely talented head chef.
Score 18.5/20

Chatter 27 Shoofly Pie

According to the Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidsons outstanding reference book, published after 20 years work by Penguin in 1999, Shoofly Pie is believed to be of Pennsylvania Dutch origin. He says it " is a very sweet PIE (in the American sense - it would be a TART in Britain) with a filling of molasses and/or brown sugar" and "Some have thought that the name is a corruption of some German word, but the more likely explanation is simply that the exposed surface of the pie is so sweet that flies have to be shooed away from it." Wikipedia suggests the name may be derived from the word "souffle" "The equivalent confection in Britain is TREACLE TART which has a much longer history." (His upper case).
They come in various sizes from five inches up and we lashed out for US$2.50 to try the local product as we are currently in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch
country. It didn't live up to its reputation. It was sweet but not sickly sweet, nor was it particularly rich. Perhaps it was not a good example. It was not moist nor was it crunchy, furthermore there was not a fly in sight!

Alcron Restaurant (Prague) 01/10

This is the introduction to the Alcron from their website. Although the wall painting is more striking than stunning but the food was certainly stunning.

In the award-winning Alcron Restaurant, an intimate restaurant in art nouveau style, right down to the cutlery, with seating for only 24 people. Guests can select from an extensive tasting menu featuring fresh fish & seafood prepared with creativity and flair by one of the best chefs in Prague, Roman Paulus. From the stunning wall painting showing couples dancing before a backdrop of skyscapers; to the rich Art Deco details, especially the original fireplace door dating from 1932, when the hotel opened, the restaurant provides a unique and romantic atmosphere. The Alcron's famed gourmet cuisine, its splendid surroundings and gracious service, ensure a truly memorable evening. The Alcron Restaurant has earned many awards since its opening in 2000. The Czech gourmet guide, Grand Restaurants 2009, listed the Alcron Restaurant in first place in the “Top 10 Best Restaurants” in the Czech Republic and was voted absolutely the best food. The economical daily EURO listed the Alcron in its guide EURO TOP 50 within TOP 10 of Prague’s restaurant in 2009. Also, the Alcron Restaurant has received the Five Star Diamond Award for last four years (2003-2006) from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences in New York.

The table was set with a tray of four salts infused with mushroom, saffron, and I think, rhubarb and herbs. There were also two different butters, one herb and one plain, and oil.
We had the chefs tasting menu which offers a series of choices but begins with an elaborate and substantial amuse bouche.
This was followed by a beautifully prepared foie gras poached in port wine and cider with grilled brioche and peach.
Lobster bisque with artichokes tortellini came next. The artichoke tortellini was nothing special but the bisque was superb.
Scampi tails in black tempura on saffron creme fraiche
does not look great in this photo but was a great dish of contrasting colour, textures and well matched tastes. Simply wonderful.
Pan-fried parrot fish served over shimei mushrooms and soya herb tea
was yet one more dish of well matched delicate tastes.
The next was another piece of art on a plate which tasted as good as it looked.
A surprise followed a liquid nitrogen parfait palate cleanser frozen at the table.


This left my mouth a bit numb for the next course which was pan-fried parrot fish
served over shimei mushrooms and soya herb tea
There was a wide seletion of international cheeses
with condiments and pecan nut bread from which we could choose freely.
The last courses were a Jasmine rice pudding with bourbon vanilla and cinnamon ice cream
and a deliciously rich Manjari Valrhona chocolate mousse with green apple jelly


It greatly surprised us to find such an outstanding restaurant in the Radisson Hotel in Prague.
Every aspect of the dinner was of the highest standard. The room is not overcrowded, a quiet and very sophisticated space, thickly carpeted and expressing quality everywhere. The service was impeccable, the menu interesting, and varied with many choices, and the dishes attractive, tasty and tasteful. We drank the matched wines which were extremely pleasant, and fitting,making it much easier than trying to find a wine to go with the meal. In all a first class experience.
Score: 18/20

Scenic Diamond Lunch 01/10

Lunch was the most uninspiring meal on the Scenic Diamond. It was an indifferent buffet with the addition of an extra choice from the menu, always including a vegetarian or a light option. Always available were chicken breast, cheese or beef burgers or fries.

At the head of the buffet a chef stood with either risotto or pasta with either a red or a white sauce.
He served out tiny portions resulting in many guests requesting more.
Seasoning was erratic being either totally bland or excessively salty. The risotto was quite creamy but the individual grains were undercooked and hard. The buffet was positively meager in variety 'though not in quantity.
There was always sliced egg with mayonnaise, a couple of bowls thinly sliced vegetable or pickled vegetables. There was also a dull and uninteresting salad such as sliced vegetables with tofu. There were generally two soups, a consomme or a cream soup with a choice of breads or rolls.
The consomme was often poorly seasoned and very thin and in our opinion the cream soup was also thin, lacking body and seasoning. We felt that this was because the stock was not rich or sufficiently full bodied.

There was a platter with rather ordinary cheeses and crackers. They included a selection of chevre, which ran out, a Camembert, a semi washed rind cheese, a pepper cheese, a dill cheese a blue cheese and a cheddar. They were not well presented, often much to cold and the soft cheeses were not ripe.

There was also plenty of fresh fruit and a variety of patisserie which looked a lot better than they tasted plus jellies and other desserts.
A good quality bought ice cream was also available served with an over beaten cream.

You could fill yourself from the buffet or replace or supplement your meal from the menu . This listed the buffet items, soups and usually had a choice of a meat or fish or vegetarian dish. Meat and fish were invariably over cooked even when specifically rare was requested. This probably came about because of these products being frozen or, in the case of the meat , pre cooked. They dad a different fish every day including turbot, stripped bass, turbot, char, bream and mullet. They lacked taste and the sauces were thin and undistinguished and did nothing to improve the meal. Meats could not be served rare, were thin and sad.

A mostly indifferent quality red or white wine was abundantly available served by extremely attentive, and keen to please, waiters. Scenic Tours stress the No Tipping policy on their tours. Despite this apparent lack of incentive all staff, who mostly come from east Europe, appeared to be very happy with their conditions and service was always extremely prompt.

Score: 13/20

Breakfast on the Scenic Diamond 09/10

Breakfast begins around 0730 when the doors to the Crystal Dining room open. Guests pass a dispenser of skin disinfectant before moving to their choice of table set with white linen cloths and napkins and good quality cutlery and crockery. An aproned waiter approaches immediately offering tea, coffee or water. Guests have a choice of ordering from the menu or the buffet or both. Everything is prepared and cooked in the galley except for eggs . A chef stands in the centre of the buffet ready to prepare eggs in any style.
There is a choice fried eggs in any style with your choice of mushroom, onion, bacon, tomato and cheese. The rest of the breakfast is self serve buffet style, typical of what’s seen in hotels. There are stands with a large variety of breads rolls, croissants and pastries with butter margarine, jams, honey, peanut butter nutella and vegemite.
Another table offers a variety of hot and cold starters such as cereals, muesli and porridge accompanied by bowls of fruit salad fresh fruit, cottage cheese and yoghurts.
The central buffet offered trays of marinated mustard or wine herrings, smoked mackerel and an abundance of smokes salmon topped with thinly sliced onion, accompanied by a horse radish sauce. A platter of ham, prosciuto salami and pate stands next to a platter of several varieties of thinly sliced cheeses. Next to this is a plate of fresh vegetables such as cucumber, green leaves and tomato.
Large dishes of scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, fried bacon, sausages and crisp hash browns are always available.
Other dishes varied between baked beans, fried mushrooms, French toast and seasoned baked tomatoes. A range of drinks included hot and cold milk, spiced iced tea and juices were also set out.
You could also order off the menu dishes such as eggs Benedict, lamb chops or minute steak with fried onions. The food was abundant and fresh and offered sufficient choice to please most. The waiters were exceptionally attentive, with a most agreeable demeanor but were over efficient, tending to remove cutlery and crockery before the last bite had been swallowed. Seasoning was variable either excessive or insufficient resulting in inconsistent taste of the food. Although ingredients were of good quality the lamb and the minute steak were cut very thinly and they and the onions were always dry and overcooked. The eggs Benedict that we requested to be lightly cooked were wet and made the bun they sat on soggy and diluted the otherwise tasty Hollandaise sauce. Perhaps if they had cooked them for longer they may have been able to drain them more thoroughly. A light early bird breakfast was also available half an hour earlier for those who wanted it in the lounge area with tea and coffee, orange juice and iced spiced tea, a variety of pastries and croissants with a range of jams.

Score: 14.25/20

Karpatia (Budapest) 01/10

One enters this excellent Hungarian restaurant, they are members of the Relais de Chaine de Rotisseurs, through an entrance
which gives no clue to the splendid interior. Passing by a bistro through an arch we were faced with an eighteenth century room with painted walls and vaulted ceilings. Tables are well spaced, set with fine cutlery and crockery and glassware on crisp white linen.
A group in colourful local Gypsy dress played a variety of Gypsy and light music. Their leader had completed a degree in music and demonstrated great versatility to our considerable pleasure. I'm not sure why they paid particular attention to Sandra.
We set out to experience an indulgent meal by ordering copious amounts of foie gras.
I started with a foie gras d'oise, two large slices of pate served with a balsamic sour cherry sauce, balsamic jelly and toasted pistachio bread. 4,900 Florints (there are about 15 florints to the $A at present. )
Whilst Sandra had the classical Hungarian foie gras with red onion salad, green peppers and home made brioche. (5,500).
Sandra then had a green pea soup with horseradish with home made bread rolls (1200), which was not photogenic, while I had a spicy gulyas with nipped pastes (1600). Both of these soups were short on seasoning. The pea soup was rather bland. My hopes for something special from the Hungarian gulyas were not realized. We've had many in Melbourne they would have been jealous of. My main was Hungarian style goose foie gras with fresh 'lesco' - Hungarian ratatouille, potato chips and celery puree.
Serving on potato crisps was a great idea and went well with the foie gras which had been perfectly prepared, cooked, but only just cooked. It was as tender, and delicate a dish you could ever find with two very large slabs of wonderful foie gras, something we never get in Australia. Sandra had roasted foie gras on fried brioche with Tokaj wine sauce, grapes and sultana raisins.
Despite one piece of foie gras being slightly over cooked this was another gourmet delight. The delicacy on the palate and the taste sensation of barely cooked foie gras cannot be over emphasized. It is an experience you have to have for yourself. If you get the chance don't miss it. Vegetarians will never know what they are missing! An unexciting cheese tray followed.
before we shared a piquant sour cherry strudel with a cinnamon mousse

The little orange fruit next to the strawberry, called Ochoa and originating in South America, is ubiquitous where ever we traveled in Europe. It is used as edible decoration for cocktails, entrees, mains and desserts.
The musicians did a hard sell for their CD's and played up to the patrons in the hope of extra gratuities which detracted from the overall quality of the place and the servers were prominent when not required but often absent when we needed them!
Score:15/20