Coffee Heaven at Muzeum

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

-"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare

Who would've dreamt you'd find sushi in Prague's Muzeum metro station?

Not me.

But it's true. You can now get raw fish at a new Coffee Heaven outlet at the top of Wenceslas Square.

This chain has been expanding in Prague, though this is one of the smallest ones I've seen. It's not much bigger than a closet. But it's hard to miss with their bright blue neon sign.There's just enough room inside for a refrigerator case and a service counter. Don't even think about sitting down somewhere.I saw the sushi on my first visit. There was very little to choose from.

The price tag of 198 CZK for a very small box gave me pause, but curiosity got the better of me.

It came with three pieces of salmon nigiri and four salmon avocado maki. It came with a little plastic, fish-shaped bottle of soy sauce, a package of wasabi, some pickled ginger, and chopsticks.The good news was that the fish was fresh. Also, the avocado in the maki was soft and ripe. On the downside, the rice had no real flavor, and I could hardly taste the soy sauce, despite squirting the whole tube on everything.

Not bad, but I still had a big hunger after spending the big money.

I also bought a fajita wrap for 89 CZK to eat later at work. Again, not cheap for what you get.

The bag said heat me, so I did.

The tortilla is filled with beef, refried beans, onions, and jalapenos.The beef was very tough and a bit too salty, but still tasted OK. The jalapenos lacked sourness and a spicy kick. But, I still kind of liked it and would get it again.

Why? Because I love refried beans.

One afternoon, there was a special -- two sandwiches for the price of one. I got a fajita wrap and also decided to try the toasted mozzarella and prosciutto panini. Big mistake.

It took a long time to toast, so I was standing around for quite a while. Even worse, I took one bite and realized the prosciutto was... aged. It tasted horrible. I threw it out after one bite.

I went back another time and picked up the turkey wrap for 79 CZK.

The microscopic writing on the package said it has turkey breast, mayo, sour cream, iceberg lettuce, rucola, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

It was pretty boring. The turkey was bland, there was a miniscule amount of rucola, and I didn't see any tomato at all. It wasn't very filling, either.

I'm not a big coffee drinker, so I didn't have any. But V enjoys stopping there for a cup when she can, even though it is expensive by Prague standards.

So, Coffee Heaven doesn't win any awards on the value for money front. Most of their offerings don't add up to a complete lunch for someone like me.

But for those who have sworn off McDonald's and KFC, it is a convenient and slightly healthier choice (if you don't get an old panini).

I wish there were more quick, quality options in the area. But I guess I'll have to keep on dreaming.

Coffee Heaven
Muzeum Metro Station
Wenceslas Square
Prague 1

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Brabander: Living Restaurant - Brno

"Real life is, to most men, a long second-best, a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible."

- Bertrand Russell

In the past, I wrote about what I consider the best restaurant I've tried in Brno, Ristorante Rialto.

And while it is great, it is also the most expensive.

The second best restaurant we've tried is almost as good and far less expensive. I am talking about the Brabander: Living Restaurant in the center of the city.When we are in town, we almost always end up here. Equally good is the sister restaurant in Brno, Brabander: The Art of Culinary.

On this visit to Brabander: Living Restaurant, we took along another couple.

The dining room is below street level, with salmon pink walls, and brick arches.The tables are nicely set with quality stemware and flatware and covered with pink table clothes and cloth napkins. There are often candles burning.The meal starts with a small amuse bouche. It was a small slice of French bread, topped with pesto, cheese, tomato, and basil. The combination was baked in an oven, melting the cheese and toasting the bread. A simple, but tasty little bite.

We all decided to get starters. The Divine Ms. C got the the fish soup, which is called a Provencal bouillabaisse. Perhaps not as complex as a real bouillabaisse, we all liked it a lot and thought it was well worth 55 CZK.Her personal Englishman ordered the aubergine soup with feta cheese and chili peppers. It wasn't bad, but was not as flavorful as the ingredients would lead one to believe. This was only 45 CZK.V got the single scallop served with a sherry sauce and leek and grape marmalade for 145 CZK. The menu, in English and Czech, called it a mussel. Trust me, it was a scallop under that sauce. It was big one and nicely cooked.You don't get a lot of scallop for the money. But we so loved the sherry sauce, we were fighting to soak it up with some bread after the scallop disappeared.

I ordered the beef sirloin carpaccio with 12 year-Old balsamic vinegar and ruccola for 115 CZK. There was plenty of shaved Parmesan cheese on top, along with some mache leaves, and a lemon wedge on the side. The waiter gave me some fresh-ground black pepper.I actually enjoyed eating the meat with some lemon juice separately. Otherwise, it was to indistinguishable from all the other flavors. I can't say the balsamic stood out as extra-special to me.

For a main course, V got the seafood risotto with cuttlefish ink for 179 CZK. She liked it, but wished there was a bit more seafood.It had calamari and chunks of salmon (not her favorite fish). The lemon and lime wedges that came with it helped boost the flavor.

The Divine Ms. C had a spinach salad with goat cheese and cherry tomatoes for 99 CZK. She wasn't terribly impressed.It was simple, with a very light amount of dressing, and the slices of goat cheese were served cold.

The Englishman had venison ragout with caramelized apples and cranberries and spätzle sautéed in butter for 195.The dish was on the sweet side, and the fruit really covered up the taste of the meat, which was a little tough.

I think I had the best dish -- baby double lamb chops in a mushroom-mint crust served with green beans in balsamic vinegar.There were only three pieces of lamb, but there was a nice amount of meat on those small bones. It was incredibly tender, and the mushroom crust was very flavorful. I didn't taste much mint. Three are sprigs of rosemary and thyme on top.

The green beans were fresh, and came with, shall we say, a healthy amount of English-style bacon. The sauce for the beans was creamy, and I didn't taste much balsamic vinegar there. It cost 299 CZK, but I could imagine it costing a lot more in Prague.

Side items are extra, so I ordered roasted potatoes with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for 40 CZK to go with it. I was happy with my choice.

Desserts looked great, but we didn't have time this time.

I have a few other points of interest regarding Brabander. The original place is called Brabander: Living Restaurant. It was so successful, they opened a second outlet, also in the center of Brno, called Brabander: The Art Culinary. The menu there is almost completely different.

We were told that there is no connection between Brabander: Living Restaurant and Ambiente: The Living Restaurant in Prague.

The name Brabander, we were told, is derived from the Brabant, the area of the Low Countries in northern Europe.

So, now you know.

Sure, Brabander: Living Restaurant holds the second best slot on our list of Brno dining options. But given the mix of quality food, good service, and moderate prices, this choice doesn't require much of a compromise. It is pretty close to ideal.

Brabander: Living Restaurant
Joštova 4
602 00 Brno
Tel. (+420) 542 211 922

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Zlatý Klas

"A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do."

-Miles Davis

A good friend -- to some, a legendary veteran of the 1990s Prague scene -- called for a special gathering on a recent Friday night.

The occasion: His wife and kid would be out of town.

A rare event, indeed. Turnout was high.

The initial meeting took place at Zlatý Klas (The Golden Shaft of Wheat), a Czech restaurant owned by Pilsner Urquell, in Prague 5's Smichov-Anděl neighborhood. It was to be the beginning of a long night on the town.

I rarely choose Czech restaurants myself, and this is a part of town I don't get to often, but I'd heard good things about the place.Zlatý Klas is a tank pub (tankovna), meaning that the beer is fresh from the brewery and kept in large tanks on the premises.The original restaurant used to be a short distance away. But it moved to its new and larger home about a year and a half ago.The place was designed to look like it has been around for a while. The walls are mostly brick, with a worn patina to give a feeling of age.

Lots of odds and ends hang on the walls, like oars and croquet mallets. But there are also modern touches like flatscreen televisions showing sporting events. I found our big table near the bar. It's a very busy spot. A lot of pouring going on there.The big place was almost full that Friday. But our waiter was quite quick with the beer orders. Soon enough, I found myself with a nice cold one.It was so fine. It went down quickly and easily. I actually smiled. I've really come to love the sharp, bitter flavor of Pilsner Urquell. A half liter is 31 CZK.

For dinner, I got smoked pork with red and white sour cabbage and dumplings (Špekové knedlíky s uzeným masem, zelím a cibulkou) for 155 CZK.The sliced, pink pork was nice and tender. It had fried onions on top. The warm, sour cabbage (zeli or sauerkraut) was the best I have had in a very long time. The white cabbage was actually almost brown, and very nicely seasoned and nicely sour. The red version was only just a little sweeter.

A couple of other people said they wished they'd ordered the same thing. The general consensus on the other dishes was that they were just OK.

M got the goulash (Plzeňský gulášek, houskový knedlík a bramboráčky) for 155 CZK.It had raw onions on top. On the side were decent, fluffy dumplings, and a some small potato pancakes. It was declared to be "average, norhing special."

Another guy got the breaded fried chicken steak (Smažený kuřecí řízek) for 129 CZK.I asked him how it was. He said it was a decent version, but it is pretty hard to make this dish special in any way.

There was a pork steak with pepper sauce for 119 CZK (Vepřový steak s pfeffer sosem).Again, a respectable version, not dry at all, but nothing to write home about.

There was one more dish, but can't find it on the online menu. I believe the dish was pork inside fried potato pancake batter with grated cheese on top.It looked pretty good, if on the heavy side, but I didn't taste it myself.

Service was efficient. Drinks and food came fast all evening, and we were there for quite a while. There were no complaints.

Given a choice, I'd pick Zlatý Klas over Bredovský dvůr for Czech food and fresh Pilsner Urquell.

By the end of the meal, we were all feeling pretty good. We enjoyed the quality of the beer as well as a great quantity. We had shots of Becherovka and vodka for dessert.

But things were just getting started. The night was still young.

Nobody was wobbling too badly at this point. That would come later.

In fact, by the end of the evening, I must report that walking unassisted on the cobblestone streets of Prague was something of a challenge for my good friend.

Perhaps I'll get him cane for his birthday.

Zlatý Klas
Palác Křižík - Anděl
Plzeňská 9
Prague 5
Tel. (+420) 251 562 539

If you want to read more about Zlatý Klas, The Czech Business Weekly just did its own review. You can read it here.

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Passion Chocolat

"If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than from our strength."

- François de la Rochefoucauld

Passion Chocolat, the new French patisserie in Vinohrady, is hard to resist.

It is located in an upscale, recently reconstructed building, about a ten minute walk from the top of Wenceslas Square.

Angels and swans, surrounded by gold leaf, stand guard above the doorway.I took a long look at the offerings in the front windows. That day, there were quiches, croissants, brioche, and pain au chocolat.I also saw many of their pastries and cakes there, including their Tarte Tropezienne, which I first sampled earlier this year St. Tropez.This is a first-class, quality establishment. They've created a bright, cheerful space with high ceilings, good lighting, and artistic renderings of green vines, with what look like cocoa beans, crawling up the walls. I was told it was done by Czech designers.But it is the display cases where the true art work resides (sorry, no pictures of the inside cases). As I studied the many cakes on offer, the proprietor, Nadine Musso, offered to explain them.

This woman is as sweet as her desserts. She took genuine delight in telling me about the various creations and answering my many questions. She truly has a passion for her work.

Her husband, Jean-François Musso, is the pastry chef. He is usually hard at work in the back, creating the desserts. If you are lucky, he might pop out with something he is working on and give you a taste.

Given the name of this shop, I decided to try the most intensely chocolate dessert they had. I picked out the cake and asked Madame Musso what it was. She said it was made with a very special type of chocolate.

"Valrhona?" I asked.

"Yes!" She had a big smile. She knew I understood. This is special stuff. I first discovered the unique taste of Valrhona chocolate years ago at the Atlanta restaurant, Bacchanalia.Madame Musso told me that she had an arrangement with the Valrhona company for special deliveries. She said the Four Seasons hotel is the only other establishment in Prague that gets it delivered from France. She even brought out a large bag of the Valrhona cocoa powder from the kitchen to show me.

The cake itself was sublime. It is like an extra thick chocolate mousse, with layers similar to a sponge cake inside.Just a small bite is all it takes, and the intense cocoa flavor will hit you. It has a unique flavor, with the slightest sour note on the side of the tongue after the initial sweetness passes.

On top of the cake are two bittersweet pieces of Valrhona chocolate. They are even more intense than the cake itself.

There are a lot of good pictures on the Passion Chocolat website, but it is mostly in French now.

I'm not a big coffee drinker, so I got a small pot of Earl Grey tea to go with it for 70 CZK. The pot has enough hot water for two cups.

Passion Chocolat serves Lavazza coffee. An espresso is 40 CZK, a cappuccino is 47 CZK, and a cafe latte is 50 CZK.

I decided to take a few pastries to sample at home. They were placed on a cardboard base and then wrapped with paper in a triangular shape and tied with a brown ribbon to protect the contents. So French.

First, I had a raspberry and cream tarte. This is going to be one of my regular favorites.It has a cake-like base. On top is a sweet cream that is whipped so thick, it is almost like butter. Around the sides, it is studded with six fresh raspberries. On top, there is a crunchy, thin, very sweet sort of meringue.

I ate it like a sandwich -- the best, most decadent sandwich I've had in a long, long time. The dense cream is firm and holds its shape as you take bites out of it.

Another dessert that attracted my attention was the nut tarte.It had hazel nuts, walnuts, almonds, and after much discussion, what I believe were sunflower seeds. Maybe I even missed a nut in there somewhere. They are all coated with a dulce de leche, some of which gathers at the base of the tarte.

If you are crazy about nuts, this is the dessert for you.

I did not get an itemized bill. But it is worth mentioning that these rich desserts do require deep pockets. The tea, chocolate cake, raspberry tarte, and nut tarte added up to 285 CZK.

On another visit, I noticed there were more savory items, including some simple sandwiches, in the window. Small salads were also on offer, along with the quiches. They will not be doing real, French-style baguettes. I was sorry to hear that -- I'd really love to find a place to buy some.There were three or four sandwich choices. One was tomato and cheese. I got chicken breast on a crusty roll to go.It looked a little dry, so I asked for a little salad dressing on it. The sandwich, with olives, lettuce, and tomatoes was fine but nothing too special.Also for take away, I got a layer cake with coffee butter cream icing. It got a little banged up as it traveled to my office. It looked much better in the shop.The cake layers between the icing were soaked in espresso, giving the dessert a flavor similar to tiramisu, but richer. I actually got a little caffeine jolt from it. It all sits on a very thin base of dark chocolate.

On top, are two very sweet, meringue-like sugar cookies with a little of the coffee butter cream in the middle.

I asked for a pain au chocolate. Those were gone, but Madame Musso took a stick of the high-quality chocolate they use, broke it in two, and inserted the pieces into a croissant for me.The croissant was small and light, not so crunchy, a little on the chewy side by the time I ate it after lunch. I gave it a little zap in the microwave at work. An short spell in a conventional oven would have been better. Still, the chocolate melted inside, and the combination was heavenly.The tab for the cake, croissant au chocolat, and the sandwich was 185 CZK.

I also tried a "brownie," which is tastes like a brownie, but is made with really fine chocolate. It is crunchy around the edges, but smooth and chocolatey in the middle. It has toasted nuts on top.And I had a very small tarte with cream and raspberries. The raspberries are very fresh. It was a great little bite. There is also a full-size version.Though not cheap, Passion Chocolat is a special place. It is as if they picked up a French patisserie and everything that makes it run and dropped it in the middle of Prague. In fact, the owners also have a shop in Fréjus, in the south of France.

They will also be selling their own chocolate bonbons by the box. There's a machine in the back of the shop so customers can watch the treats being made.

I'll end a quote that was not made by a famous Frenchman, but was made to a famous, if fictional, Frenchman, one Jean-Luc Picard.

It really captures my feelings about Passion Chocolat:

"Resistance is futile."

Passion Chocolat
Patissier-Chocolatier-Salon de Thé
Italská 5
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 222 524 333

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Aromi La Bottega

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out

-Frank Sinatra

My dad, a big Sinatra fan, used to take me food shopping on Saturdays when I was growing up. At some point, we'd usually end up at an Italian specialty shop called Razzano's.

It was a wondrous place, with dried sausages hanging everywhere, refrigerator cases full of other meats, salamis, and cheeses. My favorite was the case of prepared foods like eggplant Parmesan, cannelloni, lasagna, meatballs and the like.

Like cannoli.

It all sounds basic, but many people felt the level of quality surpassed similar dishes in many Italian restaurants. Really good stuff.

Sadly, Razzano's is no longer with us.

Happily, New York still has more than a few places like this.

Sadly, Prague doesn't.

In this town, the closest thing to the special Razzano's atmosphere is at the new Aromi La Bottega. I only say atmosphere because, while they have some very nice (and expensive) foods to choose from, it is also a relatively small place and the selection is fairly limited by my standards.

Meaning not enough prepared foods. There are fresh pastas and sauces for sale. There is homemade pesto. There are a number of cured meats. There are many cheeses. They sell wine, olive oil, and lots of other bottled and jarred goods.

What does it look like in there? Well, I don't have pictures from inside the shop. Guerrilla photography is pretty dicey in a retail setting.

However, I can offer something even better than my own pictures. My friend, Pan Cuketka, has fabulous photos of the place and its food on his blog, Cuketka.cz. The only issue, for some, may be that the text is in Czech.

Seeing that blog post inspired me to try some of the same things. I decided my purchases would be the elements of a fast meal I would make at home, including a fancy sandwich.

I did see a sign that Aromi La Bottega will make sandwiches to order, but I did not see a menu. When I was there, the shop assistant was setting up some heating trays, but I didn't find out what they were for.

I started off buying some burrata. This is a mozzarella pouch that contains a mixture of mozzarella and cream inside. The pouch is then tied at the top with a ribbon. This one cost 85 CZK.

It was a little bit messy, but I cut it into slices and put them on a toasted ciabatta. I used a ciabatta I already had in my freezer at home.On top of that, I put some of this sliced bresaola. This package of the air-dried, salted beef cost about 100 CZK. I used about half for my sandwich.On the top half of the ciabatta, I spread some chopped sun-dried tomato I picked up at Delvita.

Then, I put it all together. Nice.

I really liked the burrata, but its not cheap. It made for an expensive, gourmet, homemade sandwich. I calculated the costs of the ingredients I put into it, and it came out to 150 CZK.

As an appetizer, I also tried the pecorino with black pepper. It was a delicious little snack. In fact, I was so hungry while I was toasting my ciabatta, that I ate the whole thing. This little slice cost 58 CZK.

Of course, shopping while you're hungry leads to impulse buys. In this case, I got the house-made tiramisu for 80 CZK.This was very good. Also quite small. Too small for the price, I'd say. I'd only get it again if it was half as much.If you consider the cost of the sandwich, the cheese, and the dessert, then it comes out to a total of 288 CZK. That's a lot.

Still, it was a tasty little meal.

But, much more than this, I did it my way.

Aromi La Bottega
Mánesova 83
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 222 725 514
Mo - Fr 12:00 to 20:00
Saturday 15:00 to 20:00

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Taormina, Italy

We went to Sicily for an end-of-summer holiday. We stayed on the beach at Giardini Naxos but, one day, we went up to the rarefied heights of Taormina.One claim to fame for this town is that D.H. Lawrence wrote "Lady Chatterly's Lover" there in the 1920s. He was reportedly inspired by an Englishwoman who liked to frolic naked with a Sicilian farmer.

We had a good time, despite being fully clothed. The locals appear to want to encourage this trend. The streets are now lined with high-end clothes shops.They are also filled with crowds of people. Our short visit was rather, shall we say, pedestrian.

We walked around and took in some of the sights as evening approached. It reminded me slightly of Capri.Based on a recommendation from our Lonely Planet guide book, we thought we might eat at Il Duomo. But tables were only available inside, not on the terrace, so we passed on it.There are a lot of nice looking places, and I'm sure the execution and quality differ, but almost all the menus look the same -- the same spaghettis, risottos, pizzas, seafood, scallopinis.

We decided to eat at La Taverna dell'Antiquario because its menu looked a little different. It had a nice terrace.The restaurant looked stylish and modern inside.We started off by splitting an order of risotto marinara. This is actually a picture of a half serving.It is made with mussels, clams, prawns, calamari, freshly chopped parsley, and cherry tomatoes. We had this dish many times during our stay in Sicily, and this was one of the best versions.

However, every time we got this risotto at this and other places, we always asked for lemon to squeeze on top to punch up the flavor.

V got the grilled prawns. She thought they were excellent.I ordered beef cooked in balsamic vinegar. It actually looked like veal to me. It was nice, but there was only the slightest hint of the balsamic and I wished for more.The potatoes on the side were good, and V particularly liked the treatment of the eggplant. I'm not sure how they cooked it, but it was almost custard-like.

We shared a bottle of wine and enjoyed the view of the stony peaks above the town. I think, in the end, the total bill was around 60 euros.

Taormina is an expensive little playground town, but it is possible to have a very nice dinner without it costing you the shirt off your back.

La Taverna dell'Antquario
Piazza San Domenico 2B
Taormina, Italy
Tel. (+39) 0942 24490

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Hanil

Let's face facts. Prague is not a big sushi town.

Sure, there are plenty of sushi places. But, for one reason or another, top quality fish and top talent chefs are lacking. And, no, being far from the sea is not an excuse.

Still, internationalized palates demand a sushi fix. So, we search for the best available options.

I can't say I've got an encyclopedic knowledge of Prague sushi restaurants. I've only been to about seven: Miyabi, Yami, Millhouse Kaitan, Hanil, The Sushi Bar, Myslbek's Sushi Point, and Mashhana. There was one on Nerudova, but I didn't love it and forgot the name.

There have been things I liked about many of them. For example, Miyabi's sushi is OK, but their barbecued eel is what I go back for. Or Sushi Point's all-you-can-eat brunch.

But, when I consider value for money, service, atmosphere, location, and other dishes beside sushi, my regular favorite is Hanil.

The restaurant does both Japanese and Korean dishes. It has a modern, clean-design dining room with blond woods and a sushi bar right by the door. I've seen quite a few Japanese diners eating here.

A meal at Hanil always starts off with a complimentary green salad. I love it. Sure, it looks pretty basic: Iceberg lettuce, cucumber, carrot, radish, and bean sprouts.

But what is really special about it for me is the soy-vinegar dressing. There is something about the sweet and sour balance. I can't get enough of it. I have to confess, I took a sip from the bowl after I finished the salad.

Yeah, I know. Say what you will, but it's just that good.

I asked our waiter how it is made. He made a big deal out of the fact that it is a secret. Then, he told us the secret. It's pretty simple, really, with one ingredient I wouldn't have guessed. If you want to know, you'll have to ask yourself.

We both agreed our waiter, a Czech man with a goatee, is one of the best we've ever had in Prague. His name is Tomáš.

The guy is always there when you need him, but almost always unobtrusive. If your paper napkin gets a little soy sauce on it, he'll slide a new one next to your arm as he walks by. If you decide to share a dish with your date, he's there with an extra clean plate. He's always friendly, but not unnaturally so. He speaks excellent English.

On a recent visit, we didn't go too wild with the sushi. V got a mix nigiri set for 240 CZK. These pieces are not so pretty to look at. They can do better. But it they tasted fine. I will say that the tuna is not always the freshest, though.When tuna is excessively bright and pink, it means it has been treated with carbon monoxide, which is harmless to eat, but preserves the color. And it can hide the fact that the fish (and other meat) is past its prime.

I hate that producers do this, and it has become a common practice. Natural-colored tuna has become the exception. At the fish shop, I'll only buy tuna that has a normal, ruby red color.

I'm a big raw salmon fan, so I got the sake 7+3 set for 365 CZK. It is seven pieces of salmon nigiri and three salmon maki rolls.This looks a little better, and it one of the better bargains for sushi. The salmon was fresh and buttery.

For main course, we went to the Korean section of the menu. V got the champong for 310 CZK. It is a spicy, seafood and noodle soup.There are plenty of mussels and some shrimp in there. V thought it was OK, but I quite liked it and helped her finish it.

I got my usual dish, the ojingo bokum, spicy stir-fried squid for 365 CZK. Every time I order this, Tomáš warns me that it is very spicy. And I always assure him that I know what I am getting into. It is hot, but it won't make you cry.It's served on an iron plate, but it does not come out sizzling, as with fajitas. The squid is cut into long, thin strips, rather than rings. The sauce is on the sweet side, but not cloying. I must say, I do tend to like sweet sauces. However, it did benefit from a shot of soy sauce for balance. I wouldn't mind more of a sour kick.Fried onions are a dominant feature of the dish. They are mixed with green pepper, and zucchini. The rice comes on the side. I have found it is a little awkward to put the rice on the iron plate or put the squid on the rice in the bowl. Maybe I'll ask for an extra plate next time.

V drank white wine, Veltlínské zelené, which was 60 CZK for a .2 liter glass. I drank only Mattoni sparkling mineral water at 30 CZK for a .33 liter bottle.

At the end of every meal, complimentary slice apples with little plastic forks are delivered to the table. I always find it an enjoyable ending to a meal at Hanil.

I've certainly followed a number of Internet debates about what is the best sushi spot in Prague. Some people say it is Nagoya. Some say it is Samurai. The Prague Post just gave a good review to Gozen. I'd like to try Planet Sushi.

What I can say for sure is that, after all the discussion, there is no consensus. And I still don't think any place meets the standard of a sushi restaurant in a major Western capital.

A convenient location is certainly a big part of the equation, but when I have to pick one place to go to, Hanil works best for me.

I know there is a wide variety of opinion here, so feel free to say what's best for you.

Restaurace Hanil
Slavíkova 24
Prague 3
Tel. (+420) 222 715 867

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