Restaurace Jáma

"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." Albert Einstein

In that heavenly area close to Wenceslas Square, I resumed, once again, my never-ending survey of Prague's hamburgers.

I went to Restaurace Jama, which means "the hollow" a couple of times recently.The place is quite popular with expats, though I rarely go myself.I'd heard boasts about the burgers over the years. Regarding the vaunted Jáma Burgers, I have good news and bad news. More on that later.

Jáma is a big place, and it is often pretty full. Drinking is a common pastime.A half-liter of Pilsner Urquell was 45 CZK. Gambrinus was 35 CZK. Kozel dark was 35 CZK, and Kozel light was 29 CZK.I should note that the prices listed here should be correct but, as of this writing, the prices on the Internet menu were not up to date.

On my first, I had the world's most popular of burger combination, the bacon cheeseburger. But, I had to wonder why the menu offers a bacon burger (175 CZK) and a cheddar burger (175 CZK), but there was no combo.To achieve full bacon cheeseburger status, you have to order one of the above burgers, and then add extra cheddar (45 CZK) or extra bacon (45 CZK).

This annoyed me. I was also irked that a slice of cheese cost the same price as the bacon -- a mind-boggling 45 CZK.

Regarding the bacon itself, it seemed that the chef took a little shortcut. The strips had the tell-tale signs of being deep fried rather than pan fried.

A friend who worked at a snack bar once told me about this trick. The bacon cooks much faster, but comes out with a dried out, brittle texture.

I have also have a beef with the onions served on the side. What are they thinking, slicing them that thick? When you put them on the burger, they create an airy loft space under the bun.

There was also lettuce, tomato, and oddly, black olives on the side. You can have fried onions for an extra 10 CZK, which I presume would not raise the roof as high as the raw ones.

The menu said the burgers came with fries. But later, I saw there was a 10 CZK charge that said "hranolky (fries) plus." I'm not sure why.

OK, that's the bad news.

Yes, there is some good news. The beef patty was thick, well-shaped, juicy, and held together well. There could have been a little more seasoning.

The bun was large, sturdy, and perfectly-sized for the meat. It was nicely toasted. The steak fries were hot, crunchy, and there were plenty of them. It was all very filling.

On second visit, I decide to try the Jack Burger, made with Jack Daniels barbecue sauce (195 CZK).I don't know what I was thinking. This was a mistake.

That's because the plain, classic burger cost only 150 CZK. I don't see how they could justify the 45 CZK premium for the small amount of sauce unless this liquid gold was hand-carried from the USA on a first class flight.

And I could hardly taste it. A big disappointment. I should have tried the chili burger.

I noticed they had Canada Dry in the fridge, so I ordered a bottle (30 CZK).

Unfortunately, it doesn't taste quite the same to me as the Canada Dry ginger ale in the states. It had a slightly saccharin flavor.

Jama had other offerings besides burgers. There were burritos (155 CZK), Czech beef in cream sauce (159 CZK), and ribs (155 CZK).

I saw they started making something called an "orange drop" chimichanga. I'm not sure what that is, but I'm intrigued.

I probably will try the Tex-Mex options some day in the future. The burgers have so much potential, but the puffed up pricing, odd onion slicing, and bad bacon put me off.

They get the big things right.

But to my mind, they got too many of those slight, but devilish details wrong.

Restaurace Jáma
V Jámě 7
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 224 222 383


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Lemon Leaf

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

-Romeo and Juliet, Act II Scene II, William Shakespeare

V and I were walking around near Karlovo náměstí, and it was time for lunch. After a brief discussion about the options in the area, we decided we were in a Thai mood.

We headed down to Lemon Leaf, which has both Thai and "continental" offerings.They were doing good lunch hour business and most of the tables were occupied when we got there.The restaurant had a buffet for 169 CZK. I took a quick glance, but it didn't appeal to me.There were chicken legs, a beef soup, some basic salads, and a few fruits and vegetables. This was continental. We came for the Thai.

Also on the continental menu, they offered items like pork tenderloin wrapped in Irish bacon with mushroom and Gorgonzola cheese (205 CZK), pastas, salads, and such.

The tables are a bit crowded together, but the ceilings are very high and that helped dissipate the many conversations in concert.The waitress tried to give us a table in a main traffic area near the kitchen door when we arrived.

We asked for a different table, and were told the empty ones were reserved. We persisted and she offered us a table near the bar.

I saw on their chalk board that there was a special lunch menu for 99 CZK.

And from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm, they would take 25% off the regular menu prices.

Another draw for the restaurant is that they offer free Wi-Fi.

I didn't get a chance to test it myself.

Not all Wi-Fi hot spots are created equal.

They started us off with some bread and spread.

I thought the rolls were fairly ordinary, but V liked them.

Neither of us liked the spread.

It was a chalky cream cheese, mixed with chopped red and green peppers.

Now, I've heard good and bad things about Lemon Leaf over the years.

I can't really say which is correct. I always order the same dish from the Thai side of the menu every time I go, so I can't vouch for the rest of the menu.

I got my usual sweet beef red curry with lime leaves (209 CZK). It had chopped peanuts, spicy chili seeds, big slices of lightly-cooked sweet red pepper, and a lot of fish sauce.The beef was thinly sliced and very tender.

The sticky rice was extra (37 CZK).

It was little more gooey than sticky. It was better on my previous visit.

But I still liked it combined with the curry.

It might not appeal to everyone, but I have a thing for sweetness in Thai food.

V is less that way, but also thought it was good.

Perhaps that is because we are both partial to dishes with lime leaf and peanut.

In fact, V liked the red curry sweet beef more than her own selection.

She got the yellow Thai-style curry with vegetables, coconut milk, and cashews (145 CZK).It had eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes.

I thought the ground up cashews added a great flavor to the sauce, but it didn't have as much going on compared with my main course. It was very spicy and also very sweet (thought it did not mention sweetness in the dish's name).

I enjoyed it more than V did, but we agreed that the sweet beef was the better choice.

The yellow curry can also be ordered with chicken (167 CZK) or prawns (249 CZK). She got it with jasmine rice, which is an extra 37 CZK.

V had a half-liter of Hoegaarden witbier (57 CZK). It took a long time to get to the table.

When V asked the waitress when it was coming she was told, "I don't know. I don't deal with the drinks from the bar."

Nice.

I got a bottle of Korunni sparkling water (38 CZK). And that's all we had.

Now, I'm not recommending you go running to Lemon Leaf for Thai food. I'm just saying I like one dish there. And be aware that is very accurately described on the menu.

By any other name, it would still be sweet beef.

Lemon Leaf
Myslíkova 14
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 224 919 056


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Chez Marcel

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."
-Charles Dickens

This is a tale of two dinners. One was the best of dinners.

One was... I won't say the worst. But it was not good.

Both took place at Chez Marcel in Old Town.I had been several times before, but not for a few years. I remembered it as a decent French bistro, but nothing too special.

The very French looking interior was perhaps the most memorable aspect. They call it Prague's most authentic Parisian-style brasserie. The first, more recent dinner was a happy gathering of friends and a visitor from London. The Divine Miss C, The English Patient, and the VIP were all in a good mood. Carafes of house wine (235 CZK for a half-liter) helped in this respect.

TEP ordered the duck breast with mashed potatoes, drizzled with balsamic syrup (250 CZK). I thought it was the best duck I'd tasted in several years. I also thought the price was delicious.It was served rare. It was tender. The layer of fat and skin along the top had absorbed a wonderful smokiness. The balsamic added its tart sweetness.

TEP wasn't too hungry, so I ended up eating half of his dish. The mashed potatoes were just OK.

DMC and VIP both got what the menu called tuna sashimi (290 CZK). It was actually very lightly seared, with a black and white sesame crust. The fresh fish was served in six big chunks.I thought it was a generous amount of tuna for the price. As a main course, you might want to consider ordering an extra side dish.

There was a strong soy sauce in the middle of the plate for dipping. The plate also came with pieces of fresh pineapple.

I had steak tartare with frites (320 CZK). It was a good version. The chopped raw beef had a smooth texture, studded with chopped onions.It was well-seasoned by the kitchen, with just the right tang and a good balance of salt.No extra input required.

The frites were such a hit with my fellow diners that we got an extra order.

They were very hot, right out of the fryer, with a bit of salt. They all disappeared fast.

VIP and I decided we wanted dessert. He ordered the tiramisu (90 CZK).It was a cake-like version, the layers well-soaked in espresso. He's a veteran consumer of tiramisu, and he declared it very good. I agreed.

I ordered the fondant au chocolat (150 CZK). I find these hard to resist when I see them on a menu.This one disappointed me. One reason was that the outer shell of the cake itself had a rubbery texture. I'd never experienced one like that before.

The second reason was that the liquid chocolate interior didn't have a strong enough chocolate flavor. It was bland.

At the end of the meal, TEP and VIP were in such a good mood, they each declared that they would pay for the whole dinner tab. Neither would yield in their insistence.

VIP cleverly whispered to a waiter, and the bill for 2510 CZK was delivered to him.

Suddenly, a drama errupted. TEP demanded the bill. VIP refused. A foot chase around the restaurant ensued. I kid you not.

TEP threatened VIP with bodily harm. VIP laughed and dared him to try.

To make a long story short, when VIP was momentarily distracted, DMC stole the bill and handed it over to TEP.

VIP gave up the fight. And that was the end.

But I enjoyed the dinner so much, I decided I wanted to go back with V a few weeks later.

On this night, I avoided wine and drank Velkopopovický Kozel dark beer. I had one while I waited for V to meet me at the restaurant. When she arrived, she thought it was a good idea and ordered one, too.

We decided to share some appetizers and got the Assiette "Marcel" (210 CZK). This plate includes baked goat cheese, Parma ham, and red, yellow, and green marinated peppers.By themselves, the goat cheese with pesto and the ham were very salty. But when put on the fork with a piece of soft, sweet pepper, the flavors balanced out.

For a main course, V ordered one of the specials, the mussels. They came in a thick cream sauce. The mussels themselves were top quality, with firm but tender flesh. The sauce, however, was incredibly salty. The mussels were fine after the sauce had run off of them. But we tried dipping bread into the sauce, and it really was inedible.

I got the duck again, but it was not the same as my first visit. This time, it was cooked to at least medium, which gave it a drier texture and a less pleasant taste.The fowl still had the nice smokey flavor in the fat and skin, but was so much better rare.

For dessert, I ordered the profiteroles (130 CZK). V walked away for a while to make a call. She missed the arrival of the three pastry shells filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce.It was not good. There was something seriously wrong with the chocolate sauce. It was very sour.

I didn't see the waiter or V for a while. I got bored, so I ended up pulling the tops of the profiteroles and eating the bottoms.

V finally came back. She tried the chocolate sauce and agreed there was a problem. The waiter came by, and we told him about it. He went to the kitchen and came back.

Something, indeed, was wrong. He said they usually use port wine in the sauce, but they had run out and tried using sherry instead. And they had used way too much.

He had tasted it in the kitchen and agreed it was bad. He offered us a different dessert, but we were full and didn't want more food.

When the bill came, it still had the profiteroles on it. It would have been nice if he had taken it off. But I had eaten about two-thirds of the dessert, so I didn't feel on solid ground to argue about it.

Looking back at these two meals, I'm amazed at how different they were. One was the most enjoyable I'd had in a while. Good atmosphere, good service, good prices, and almost all good food.

The other was a great disappointment.

Perhaps there was a revolution in the kitchen between visits. Whatever happened, I think some heads should roll.

Chez Marcel
Haštalská 12
Prague 1
Tel. (+420) 222 315 676


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