Kogo Duplex

NOTE: Kogo name has been removed from the signs on this restaurant. It is now just called Duplex (April 2011)

"I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member." Groucho Marx

Nine years ago, Kogo in Slovanský dům was one of my favorite restaurants in Prague.I took some heat for it, but I loved the open kitchen, their seafood risotto, the leafy courtyard in summer, and even the prices back then. I was a regular.

But that all changed years ago.

The prices went up, the quality was inconsistent, and the regular clientele of tourists, business people, and nouveau riche Czechs got on my nerves. I haven't been there in a long time.

But when Kogo opened a new location in the Duplex night club at the top of a building on Wenceslas Square, I was curious.I had my doubts, but I wanted to see if I could taste a little of that old Kogo style.

The entrance to the restaurant, which also leads to Duplex, might not be obvious to those not in the know.Mr. Big and I entered one of the two elevators at street level.

It let us out near the coat check for the club. It's an area done up in black and white, with some funky decorative touches.The whole place had a theme of ghostly faces, either on the wall paper or projected on the walls.There were about four or five tables filled in the dining room.Hardwood floors, painted black, were annoyingly noise and creaky to walk across.

What I liked most was the terraces. One looked out over Wenceslas Square.The other had a view down Jindřišská street to the 15th century tower on the other end.It was still too cold to sit out there, but it looked like a cool place to hang out in the summer.

I felt like starting out with a beer. I was surprised that they only had .33 liter Pilsner Urquell bottles for a rather steep price of 69 CZK.The odd thing is the menu said they also offered a .33 liter glass of Pilsner Urquell on draft for 59 CZK. The waiter said it was unavailable.

It's beyond me why they'd offer just those two options of the same beer. Who would order a more expensive bottle instead of a draft if was available? I can only speculate that it's often not available.

We received some bread.It was on the edge of dryness and nothing special. The olive oil on the table was good, though.

For starters, I had the rucola salad with Gorgonzola and pear (210 CZK).The leaves were nicely and lightly dressed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The small chunks of cheese were creamy and smooth. And they were a nice contrast to the sweet, stewed pear slices, which had a vanilla-like flavor.

It was good, but small for the price. For this type of salad, I much prefer Osteria da Clara's scamorza, Parma ham, fresh pear, walnuts, rucola, and radicchio. And what a contrasting bargain at just 115 CZK.

Mr. Big had the mix of Italian meats and cheeses (180 CZK).This included Parma ham, mortadella, copa, Parmesan, and Taleggio. It was a simple but satisfying appetizer. He was happy with it.

We decided to switch to wine and got a bottle of Vranac from Plantaže in Montenegro (545 CZK).We'd had this wine before, and it was as good as I remembered. A great wine for the price. Speaking of which, I only noticed while writing this that it did not turn up on the bill.

For a main course, I wanted the ravioli filled with seafood (230 CZK). But it was not available. Instead, I got the ravioli with spinach and ricotta (210 CZK).It's listed on the menu with a butter-sage sauce, but I had them make it with the tomato-basil sauce instead.

I thought it was great. Inside the al dente pasta pouches was fresh, still leafy spinach with just a light amount of cheese. On top, the sauce was rich with the flavor of fresh tomato and basil. There was fresh mozzarella on top. It was one of the best raviolis I've had in a long time.

Mr. Big had the tagliatelle with shrimp, zucchini, and fresh tomato (230 CZK).The flavors here were more restrained, but the properly cooked pasta did have the essence of the crustaceans mixed throughout. We liked it, but it didn't evoke nearly as much enjoyment as my ravioli.

I'm a chocoholic, so I ordered what the waiter called a "chocolate fondant." (80 CZK).These are most often a cake that is baked to order, with a liquid center. However, this dessert came out startlingly fast.

It had a very uniform shape that looked a lot like the frozen kind I buy at Marks & Spencer. Which are reasonably good, but not what I'd expect at a restaurant like this. And unlike the M&S cakes, this one, though warm, had no chocolate melting out of it. The fresh cream on top was a nice touch, though.

I went back for a second visit by myself, arriving at 7:15pm on a Saturday. I was the only customer for the entire meal. For 30 minutes, three waiters circulated around me, wiping the spots off wine glasses with cloth napkins. I wondered why that couldn't be done earlier, but it did make me feel less alone.

I felt like sampling a cocktail, so I ordered a mojito (119 CZK).For a club, a lot of the drinks seemed reasonably priced. I thought the drink was quite good.

It was well-mixed with no sugar at the bottom. It was not too sweet and had a good amount of lime. I'd only say there could have been more mint, and it was a little too jam-packed with ice. The second round had more mint and less lime, so they could work on consistency.

I wanted to order a grilled octopus starter, but it wasn't available. Instead, I got the tuna tartare (210 CZK).There was a generous amount of chopped fish, mixed with a few capers and olive oil.

My initial impression was that it smelled a little too fishy. It was also too salty, perhaps to cover its less than pristine character. I drenched it in lemon juice, and that rendered it much more acceptable.

For my main course, I got my old Kogo favorite, the risotto frutti di mare (250 CZK).It was a little confusing because the menu called it "seafood risotto with white wine sauce." But the waiter assured me it was done in the tomato-based style I was familiar with.

There was a good haul of seafood in there. Some of the many mussels were excellent, but a couple were slightly off. The whole, baby calamari were very fresh. There were some microscopic shrimp, but they did taste fine. The big tiger shrimp on top was the best -- cooked just right, with great flavor.

The rice itself had fresh parsley, but I wished for more. I also thought it could use a heavier shot of wine. The over all flavor was flatter and less complex than the best versions I've had of this dish. Still, I'd get it again.

Interestingly, I was served fresh, grated Parmesan cheese with the risotto.Cheese with seafood is considered by many to be a big no-no in Italian cooking. But I'm not dogmatic. It needed something so I threw some in. More lemon would have helped, too.

The bill for this visit was 708 CZK, with the cocktails accounting for 238 CZK of that.

As I was leaving, three customers entered. There was a man with hair gel, white pants, tinted glasses, and a light, white cotton hoodie. With him were two women in heavy make-up, spandex, and clunky high-heels that made Chinese foot-binding look like a walk in the park.

And it got me thinking about the interplay of food and ambience. The cooking at Kogo Duplex was pretty close to the other Kogos, and at least 20 percent cheaper in some cases.

On that level, I generally liked it. But the atmosphere was a different matter.

It felt cold and empty, even when dining at 10:30 p.m. And while the terrace looked inviting while empty, I had to consider the possibility of sharing it with the interesting assortment of humanity that night clubs tend to attract.

That's all well and good if you feel comfortable in that type of crowd. Just speaking for myself, I don't think it's my kind of club.

Kogo Duplex
Wenceslas Square 21
Prague 1
Tel: (+420) 732 221 111

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Ristorante Porto

“Imitation is at least 50 percent of the creative process” Jamie Buckingham

I first heard about Ristorante Porto almost a year ago, when "Christine" recommended it in the comments to my post about Osteria Da Clara.

She told me the Italian/Mediterranean restaurant in the up and coming Karlin neighborhood was very good, and she'd love to know what I think of the place.But I usually need more than one nudge.

More recently, I read a few positive reviews on Expats.cz, and they reminded me about the place. I didn't know these people personally, though I knew "Charlie" as a regular poster about food.

So I passed word to my friend, Hana Montanová, who works in Karlin. She had lunch there a couple of times and gave it a thumbs up. That was the tipping point. That, and the fact that Prague 8 is sorely underrepresented among my postings. Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge was the only other place there I'd done.

Jersey Girl, the Englishman met V and I for dinner at Porto on a Saturday night. We walked in and were greeted by two musicians I'd seen many times before around town.Boro and Janis (Ioannis) play acoustic guitars and sing beautiful harmonies on everything from Elton John, Eric Clapton, and the Eagles to a wide variety of folk tunes. I wasn't expecting live music, especially since the restaurant is somewhat small, but it was a nice surprise.

The restaurant has a modern, artsy look with silver print wallpaper, stylish lighting accents, white tablecloths, and comfortable, cream-colored chairs.V looked over the evening's offerings.

"It looks like Mirellie's menu, but with fewer choices," she said.

True enough, like other Balkan-run Mediterranean restaurants in Prague such as Mirellie, Kogo, and Giardino, the menu covered many of the same styles of salads, pastas, seafoods, meats, and looked quite familiar. The most noticeable omission, compared with those other places, was the lack of pizza.

We started off with some excellent bread.The interior was warm and dense, while the crust was pleasantly crunchy. Plates were on the table for receiving their good olive oil for dipping.

We ordered some sparkling mineral water for the table and received .75 liter bottles of San Pellegrino (80 CZK each).We also shared .5 liter carafes of the house wine (110 CZK each). Jersey Girl said the Farnese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo had a nice berry undertone. I thought it was mildly tannic. We were all pleased with the quality of the wine for the price.

Jersey Girl started with a green salad (70 CZK).It was very simple, just rucola and one other type of lettuce. Jersey Girl said it was "naked" and she dressed it herself with oil and vinegar.

I had the bruschetta con caprino -- baked goat cheese on toast with salad (150 CZK). The warm, tangy cheese was perfectly browned.Despite its richness, it had a light, ethereal quality. The generic wheat toast was less than worthy of its topping, and the salad was almost more of a garnish than a true partner.

V got the octopus salad with celery, red onion, parsley, and olive oil (250 CZK). She considers herself a expert on this dish, ordering it whenever she sees it on a menu.She declared this version to be OK, but on the bland side and inferior to the others she's had around the city.

As a counterpoint, I thought the tenderness of these particular tentacles deserved a kind mention. But I'll counter my counterpoint by saying the serving was not particularly large. I looked up the octopus salad prices at other places we've been, and Porto's was the most expensive.

The service was mostly efficient and attentive throughout. Between courses, there was a little show. The waitress put something that looked like a big, white antacid tablet in a dish. Then, she poured water over it. It then expanded and turned into a moist cloth for cleaning your hands.Later, Jersey Girl got something stuck in her teeth. As she discreetly tried to remove it, the waiter was there in a flash with toothpicks.

For her main course, Jersey Girl ordered the Tagliatelle all Pescatore (250 CZK).She declared the clams, mussels and calamari to be great. It also had small shrimp and a nice mix of herbs. However, the pasta was slightly overcooked and in need of salt. She said the sauce begged for more flavor. She said that more chopped tomato would have helped.

I got the Risotto di Mare (220 CZK). I had all the same quality seafood in my rice that Jersey Girl had.I like my risotto al dente, but it was also overcooked and rather soupy. The flavor of the mussels dominated, and I found it rather one-dimensional. I asked for some lemon. A good squeeze of that certainly helped.

But I've also had many better versions recently, including the one I had a few weeks ago at Pepe Nero Ristorante & Pizzeria.

V had what I thought was the best dish of the night: the tiger shrimp grilled in lemon (325 CZK).They were cooked in their shells and retained that flavor, along with the taste of the grill itself mixed with citrus. The balance was just right. The fresh crustaceans were on the heat just long enough to achieve the correct texture.

I loved them, and V agreed they were excellent. But she also lamented that the shrimp were on the small side.

The Englishman ordered the sea bass baked in salt (320 CZK). V recommended this cooking method over the grilled version, and he was very pleased.The fish was a moist, flaky, pristine white with the clear, clean flavor you hope for in a fine fish like this. A shot of lemon was all it needed. We all had a bite and everyone agreed it was excellent.

Joking he wanted to have "fish and chips," he also got a side order of fries (45 CZK). He liked that they were not greasy at all.I thought they weren't hot enough and had a dried-out texture. He took exception to my critique and declared them excellent. Who are ya gonna believe?

After she had sipped way some of the crema, Jersey Girl gave a good rating to the espresso (35 CZK).For dessert, I ordered the strawberries with sweet mascarpone (95 CZK).The simple combination was nice enough, but there's not too much more you can say about it.

The meal officially ended with complimentary shots of chilled limoncello and grappa. Nice finish. The bill for the four of us, without tip, was 2115 CZK.

Looking back at this meal, it's fair to say that Ristorante Porto imitates about 50 percent of the menu of other Mediterranean restaurants in Prague. As for what comes out of the kitchen, I'd only rate it at about 50 percent successful.

I've talked to some other people who work in Karlin, and one person called it "too expensive." But a couple said that, whatever its faults, Porto is still one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood. And based on the limited time I've spent around there, I'd guess they're probably right.

The Porto staff seemed like nice people. I hope they improve and find success.

But for now, for me, they're only half-way there.

Ristorante Porto
Urxova 10
Prague 8 - Karlín
Tel: (+420) 222 313 926

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Il Primo

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it." W. C. Fields

A very successful American businessman passed along the recommendation for Il Primo.The long-time Prague resident told V that the Old Town Mediterranean restaurant was "simple, but good." So she suggested we give it a try on Saturday.

It was fortunate I booked ahead. The small dining room has only eight tables or so, and we saw many people turned away over the course of the evening.From our spot, V enjoyed the view of the Spanish Synagogue across the street.

To start things off, our very friendly and helpful waiter brought us a basket of decent bread.Unfortunately, he also removed our plates, so we had nowhere to pour olive oil for dipping.

V and I felt like some wine. The house red was smooth, dry and pretty good for the price (80 CZK/glass).There were a few Italian and Spanish bottles on the wine list in the 400-500 crown range, but then prices went up quickly from there. We also got a 1 liter bottle of sparkling San Benedetto mineral water (110 CZK).

V began with the escargots à la bourguignonne (145 CZK). She enjoyed the six, plump, clean-tasting snails.On occasion, we've had escargots in the Czech Republic that tasted a little too much like a garden, but that was not the case here.

I only wished for a little more garlic flavor on these. I still used the bread to soak up what remained of the butter and parsley after the snails were gone.

I went for the grilled calamari (145 CZK). The flavor, with plenty of lemon and pesto, was excellent.However, the texture left much to be desired. They were overcooked and dried out. Flesh that should have been delicate and tender was bordering on tough. The larger but pricier grilled calamari at Luka Lu is much better.

For a main course, V stuck to the simple side of the menu and ordered the Beirut Kofta (240 CZK). She received a very generous portion of the minced lamb and beef.She liked it very much.

The overall flavor was quite good, but almost overwhelmed by cumin. In my opinion, it was too salty. The grilled eggplant, peppers, and potatoes were all excellent. V especially liked the raw red onions dusted with spices.

I decided to get a special the waiter recommended -- T-bone steak served off the bone with Béarnaise sauce (440 CZK).It took considerable time for our mains to arrive, and as soon as my fork hit the hardened meat, I knew there was a problem. I had asked that it be cooked medium-rare. A slice of the knife confirmed it was cooked well-done all the way through.

Fearing that I'd have a long wait for a replacement, I considered eating the tough steak. But V encouraged me to send it back. The waiter was very apologetic and promised a new plate would be out shortly.

A fresh plate arrived back at the table in about 10 minutes. This one was cooked perfectly. And it tasted absolutely wonderful.The steak was tender in a way that steaks in Prague rarely are. There was a perfect balance of salt, and it picked up some nice flavor from the grill. It also came with those nice grilled veggies.

To top it all off, the Béarnaise sauce was eye-rollingly good. It was so rich and creamy, V compared it to a crème brûlée, but with a balanced tartness with taragon instead of sweetness.

She was even dipping her kofta into the generous portion they put on my plate.

I'd love to have this again and enjoyed it as much or more than my more expensive rib eye at La Finestra in Cucina.

I was full, but needed a chocolate fix. I ordered the profiteroles (130 CZK).The dark chocolate sauce was satisfying, but would have been better if it was heated. The small pastry balls filled with frozen cream were not bad, but had obviously been frozen for a while.

We finished the meal with a couple of very average cafe lattes (60 CZK each).The meal came to 1710 CZK without gratuity.

We felt like an after dinner drink, so we then walked about 100 meters over to Zapa Bar on Dušní. Consider this a small bonus tip in this post.

The reason I go to Zapa Bar is because it's not a bad looking spot, but more importantly, it has no scene, as far as I can tell. Few people seem to know about it and not many seek it out. What that means is I can almost always find a table and then have an audible conversation and a drink, even on a Saturday night.

So V had a pina colada (120 CZK). She liked it because it had very little cream and was more pineapple and coconut oriented.I had a Benedictine and Brandy (115 CZK). I was somewhat taken aback that it was served on the rocks. I've always had it straight up and never had to specify. I drank it with the ice, but I'll make sure they leave the ice out next time.

As we sat listening to Zapa Bar's DJ play "Riders on the Storm" we talked about our meal at Il Primo.

Certainly, the restaurant did not succeed at a few things. But given a chance to try again on the steak, they provided one of the best and most memorable dishes I've had in a while. One great plate can really make or break a place sometimes.

So we're not ready to quit yet on Il Primo. We both said we'd try it again if we were in the neighborhood. Maybe we'd go for some of their cheaper mezze if a table is available.

I just hope it's more consistently good and the chef has a lighter hand on the stove. Otherwise, I'll feel like a damn fool.

Il Primo
Elišky Krásnohorské 1
Prague 1 - Old Town
Tel. (+420) 222 320 734

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