Czech It out by Devanshi Mody
Featured Hotel in Stare Mesto
Ventana Hotel Prague
See all hotels in Stare Mesto >
The city has changed over the past few months. Prague is being re-launched as the “New Prague.” Behind the historic and romantic façade thrive ultra swanky new restaurants which fascinate with originality of concept, eclectic interior décor and innovative cuisine that promise to make Prague a gastro destination. Now, to add to the sights, there are bites!
When in Prague, everyone wants to stay in the quaint and charming Old City that transports you to another era. Immerse yourself in history at Prague’s Four Seasons, which seamlessly combines convenient location, tradition and the ultimate in luxury with unrivalled river views framed by the hilltop Prague Castle yonder beyond. The hotel, integrating three different buildings and different period architectural styles, took a decade to complete.
But like Prague, it too has just undergone jazzing up. Indeed, re-decorated by the same interior designer behind Paris’s celebrated Four Seasons, it resembles a miniature version of its sister hotel. The suites in the villa section of the hotel enrapture with views of serene waters flowing under the city’s stream of historic bridges, notably the famous Charles Bridge, that seems like it is standing before you. Guests will soon be further dazzles by Bohemian crystal chandeliers that are to be introduced into these suites.
Enjoy breakfast on the hotel’s al fresco terrace overlooking the river and offering the most beautiful views in all Prague. But don’t forget to relish supper on a balmy evening at Allegro. Awarded Prague’s best restaurant, this restaurant simply must have the world’s finest gastronomic Italian cuisine; you can even have lunch there at 10.00 am.
At Four Seasons, everything is possible. “This is the minimum,” the charming Italian chef quips mischievously. And he proceeds to do the maximum to titillate your taste buds with creations of extraordinary flavours, textures, aromas. True to its name, the restaurant translates Prague’s great musical tradition in a symphony of savours. If Vienne offers the sound of music, Prague offers the taste.
But whilst there, it’s a good idea to check out the other fantastic new additions to the city’s gastronomic scene. Notably, V Zatici. It has become very trendy to have facelifts in Prague. So, this award-winning Prague institution, declared “Eastern Europe’s Restaurant of the Year,” is having one too.
Celebrated Czech designer Barbora korpilová presents four uniquely decorated rooms, including one with sumptuous olive satins offset by swanky mirror panelled walls, eclectic white flying candles and red ceiling lights. With picture stills, including originals from páta, vabinský and Zrzavý hanging around, the ambiance is of an artist’s atelier, which the restaurant’s name evokes. Food for thought, indeed!
The inspired décor is reflected in the Michelin recommended French chef Jacques Auffrays’s wondrous culinary creations. A seven course gastronomic extravaganza is accompanied by the most discreet service and the finest Czech wines, which the lady sommelier impeccably selects from the restaurant’s unrivalled local wine collection. Ground-breaking advances in design and cuisine explain why the “New Prague” is being launched as a gastro destination.
V Zatici also boasts the city’s finest local wines. Over the past decade, Prague has also acquired a reputation as a stag night hot spot frequented by lads on beer-binging weekends. It’s time in the timeless city to break with tradition. Bye bye beer. Wining and dining in Prague has taken on a whole new dimension.
This is certainly true at La Degustation, which has become the talk of the town. Set in the enchanting and picturesque old Jewish quarter of the city, here, presiding over an open kitchen in a historic building, a young chef who has worked under at the celebrated El Bouli, offers gastronomic delights to rival the finest Michelin-starred cuisine.
Strenuously recommended is the eight-course option, where each is an extravagance of ingenious creativity, served with the finest world wines. Ensure you have at least four hours to pay homage to the exciting preparations that marry seemingly contradictory flavours, fusing sweet and savoury in inspired ways. The sommelier resembles Brad Pitt and is very popular with the ladies.
You will also need four hours at the Mandarin Oriental’s sexy Pan Asian restaurant, that's just introduced an exciting new menu. The restaurant is a byword for style - from the swanky décor, the cutlery and table layout to the elegantly presented fine dining Oriental cuisine with innovative twists. This is also where you find some of the world’s finest Thai Green curry. However irresistible the main course and starters, do leave room for desert. They are a revelation. And don’t forget to start the meal with some Czech bubbly and continue with the fantastic local wines on par with the world’s best.
Prague Castle's newly opened picture gallery that brings together a meagre but fascinating part of the original royal collection, despoiled and dissipated over the years. Prague is picture perfect in more sense than one. Brangelina were there shooting for the “pictures.” Prague is picture perfect in more sense than one. Indeed, Bollywood too seems to have taken to Prague- so you see sultry sex-goddesses performing hectic hip-swings outside quaint churches as a horse-drawn carriage wonders slowly by on cobbled streets... No doubt, this has inspired Prague’s people to deck up in exotic saris, Indian jewellery et al, just to go for supper at their local curry... Rather amusing and adds a dimension to Prague that you have never seen before.
Czech it out!