Yakumo (Closed)

** This restaurant closed in early 2013

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." Yogi Berra

I got a Twitter tip from a reader I trust to check out Yakumo. I read good things about it on the Czech foodie guide, Scuk. Hospodářské noviny called it "breathtaking."

So I went and I liked it. But you shouldn't go. Not because I'm selfish, but because you are not wanted. I'll explain later.

The bar and restaurant opened in August in the Hotel Belvedere.It's located at street level on Milady Horákové between the Kamenická and Strossmayerovo náměstí tram stops.Over the doorway, is a noren, a traditional fabric curtain.The dining area's design is sparse and simple and feels quite Japanese.The restaurant is quite small with only five or six tables, a long bar, and two semi-private rooms on the back with rice paper walls.The majority of the customers were Japanese. Everyone should be aware that smoking is allowed throughout the restaurant and it did get irritating at times.

Yakumo is an izakaya, which is a bar that serves food. The menu lists 14 kinds of sake from 90 to 4700 CZK. There is also Pilsner Urquell Kozel Dark at 50 CZK for a half-liter and Gambrinus for 40 CZK.

The restaurant serves yakitori, which are various types of grilled chicken including offal. But they also have pork and beef skewers. The chef cooks them on a grill behind the bar.The meat on sticks can be served with just salt or tare, which is a sweet teriyaki sauce made according to each chef's recipe.

Neither I nor my friend was drinking, so we both had .2 liter glasses of mineral water (20 CZK each). We received a gift of diced chicken, tofu, and cucumber marinated in a soy-flavored sauce.We got straight into ordering the grilled meats. They go for 60 CZK for two skewers. We had all of them with the tare sauce.

First up were the tori momo or chicken thighs.Juicier than breast meat, these hot, succulent morsels with sweet glaze and a slight char were a pleasure.

Then came the gekkikara tsukune, which is a spicy mince of pork, chicken and beef on a stick.It had plenty of kick and is not for the weak of tongue, but it'snot deadly hot, either.

Third, we had the mochi-bacon. These are sticky rice cakes wrapped in bacon and grilled.The lean pork remained soft and ham-like. This was interesting, but not as decadent as I imagined. I probably wouldn't get that again.

For the last round, we had the buta bara, or pork belly.I was expecting something fatty, but it was very meaty, though not too tender. I liked it, but I'd probably rate the chicken as the best we had.

There are also grilled chicken livers, hearts, and stomachs, but I wasn't in the mood for offal. Next time, I'd try the gyu hire or beef tenderloin skewer.

We were eager to try the grilled meats first, but then realized we wanted to sample sushi and appetizers.

From the nigiri menu, we ordered tuna (200 CZK), yellow tail (180 CZK), and salmon (140 CZK).The fish was fresh and buttery tender. There was only the slightest hint of wasabi between the fish and the loosely packed rice.

The rice was rather bland side, with almost no flavor of rice vinegar or wasabi. It was decent nigiri, but I didn't feel it was so special that I wanted to pay that much.

Each order is two pieces. For perspective, The Sushi Bar charges 298 CZK for two tuna nigiri, Miyabi's cost 180 CZK, and Sushi Tam Da's would be 76 CZK (according to their websites).

We tried the ika no yubiki or little squid (150 CZK). It was a small portion in a small bowl. But this was probably our favorite dish.The very fresh and tender tentacles and rings of flesh bathed in a vinegary soy with a clump of finely grated ginger that mixed in. Small, yes, but in this case, I thought it worth the big price.

We wanted a seaweed salad, but they didn't have the usual wakame. Instead, they offered a type I hadn't seen before called mozuku su, which is farmed in Okinawa (150 CZK).The small, teacup-sized bowl was filled with delicate, slimy brown tendrils of seaweed with vinegar and ginger. It was a unique flavor and texture that I enjoyed. I was glad I tried it. But I probably wouldn't pay that much again for so little.

My friend was in the mood for some maki. Their selection of rolls is limited and conservative by American standards. We had the tekka maki (220 CZK).They were a little larger than many places, but the tuna in the middle was small. It was very basic and not cheap.

During the course of the meal, we received a gift of tea.Finally, I wanted to try another hot dish. I briefly considered the full order of the gyu hire or beef tenderloin. Instead I got the ebi chili (220 CZK) and rice (40 CZK). This was a kind of basically sweet and sour shrimp.The small, delicate, snappy shrimp come in a thick, jelly-like sauce. It is not as sweet as it looks and was balanced with tart and savory flavors. It wasn't bad, but I'd try something else next time.

But what about you? Why shouldn't you go?

When Hospodářské noviny sent a photographer for their story on Yakumo, no photos were allowed. "We have enough people," they were told.

When I was there, the chef told me a "business man" complained about me taking pictures (thus the extra blurring of those shots). He asked me to stop. I told him I just wanted to take more pictures of the food for my friends on the Internet.

The chef said they didn't need more business and the menu is only in Czech and Japanese, so it wasn't good for English speakers like me. I told him in Czech I knew many people who understand Czech, and he finally relented.

What I liked most about Yakumo was the yakitori. I'd have that and some beers. I tried an assortment of other stuff on the menu to get an overview. That "other stuff" boosts the bill quite quickly. The final tab was 1640 CZK.

And things do move fast there. We were in an out in just over one hour.

Still, even if I am not wanted or needed, I'd go back again. I just hope it's not too crowded.

Yakumo
Milady Horákové 19
Prague 7
Tel. (+420) 233 931 698

Mirellie in Vinohrady (Closed)

** This restaurant closed around the beginning of 2012 

"All who would win joy, must share it; happiness was born a twin." Lord Byron

Almost 10 years ago, I used to go regularly to Kogo for my fix of Italian/Mediterranean food.

But it got too expensive.

A couple of years ago, I discovered, Mirellie in Dejvice. Founded by Kogo castaways, it boasted essentially the same menu and almost the same quality for almost half Kogo's prices.

But it was too far away to go regularly. I live on the other side of town.

So I was quite pleased when I saw that Mirellie Vinohrady opened recently, not far from Náměstí Míru.The immediate question: would the second outlet maintain the quality of the first?

I went solo on my first visit. The larger of the two dining areas is for smokers.It's a smart-looking space, with a beautiful stained-wood floor, modern, comfortable furniture, and big, round light fixtures. It's essentially the same design as in Dejvice.

The non-smoking area has lighter colors and feels cozier.Sometimes non-smokers get second class treatment in this country, but I liked this smaller room better, and it is completely separate from the smoking area.

The music was at a good level, with some soulful ballads and brassy R&B.

I began with a half-liter of Stella Artois (45 CZK).I prefer other brands, but it was cold and fresh.

The waiter brought sliced bread in a basket.There is a 10 CZK charge for this. It's served cold, and not bad, but nothing special.

For a starter, I ordered the grilled octopus with beans and leek (185 CZK). Very good.There was a generous portion of tender, charred tentacles. I savored the smoky flavor and crunchy/soft texture.

Together with the salty, tangy, creamy beans, this is Mediterranean comfort food at its best. It's similar to the much-loved version served at Giardino Enoteca con Cucina.

For my main course, I had the risotto alla pescatore (190 CZK).It's a good point of comparison, I almost always ordered it at Kogo and also at Mirellie in Dejvice. When done well, it's one of my favorite dishes.

This one was perhaps slightly better than the one I had at the first Mirellie. The rice was al dente, as it should be. It was stocked with many small, fresh, but overcooked shrimp. There were also mussels, little clams, small, unsliced calamari, cooked cherry tomato, and leaf parsley.

I thought it could use some wine in there. I added salt and lemon to suit my own tastes. That said, I found it delicious and satisfying at a bargain price.

An interesting note. The dish was served with a bowl of Parmesan cheese on the side.Many Italians consider putting cheese on seafood to be heresy (and at least one Italian restaurateur told me so directly). They say it works against the delicate flavor of the seafood. But rules are meant to be broken, and I'll add it if I feel like having that flavor in there.

I asked the waiter which of the desserts were made in-house. He said there was only one, a homemade "chocolate cake" (75 CZK).He said it is a regional specialty of the former Yugoslavia. What I received certainly looked homemade.

Syrupy chocolate covered two layers. But it wasn't cake-like at all. It was very heavy, gooey, sugary and was studded with what tasted like chopped peanuts. The waiter told me it was also made with caramel.

I don't want to appear insensitive to the cuisines and tastes of other cultures, but I really didn't like it. It took my understanding of cloying to a new level. And I have a big sweet tooth.

I had a cappuccino to pull my taste buds back down to earth (50 CZK).Unusually for me, I didn't add sugar. But I found the coffee to be on the bitter side.

The service throughout the meal was excellent -- efficient and very professional. The bill for three courses, beer, and coffee was 555 CZK without tip. Great deal, I'd say.

I went back the very next evening with Jersey Girl and SS. I thought it appropriate because Jersey Girl was present for my review of Mirellie in Dejvice.

We sat in the same area I was in the night before.This time, the music was Tom Jones and what sounded like 80s pop. Later, it thankfully switched to Barry White.

The ladies were drinking Campari and orange juice (115 CZK each).I started with tuna tartare (180 CZK). The fresh, chopped fish was dressed with lemon, olive oil, and chopped capers.I'm not a big caper fan, but having a hint of it in the mix really worked for me.

SS had the rucola salad with cherry tomato and Parmesan (145 CZK).She said the rucola had a great, peppery flavor. She added that many leaves had thick, inedible stems that she had to remove. The shaved cheese was top quality. But this dish seemed too expensive for what you get.

Jersey Girl had the roasted red peppers with Feta cheese (125 CZK).The peppers were lightly vinegared and heavily olive oiled. I liked them, but Jersey Girl thought they were too sweet. We both agreed that the cheese was rather pedestrian and way too salty.

The restaurant has a nice wine list, with many fairly priced Italian and French labels.I've often enjoyed the Vranac from the Plantaže Winery (390 CZK)

But on this visit, Jersey Girl picked the Morellino di Scansano (460 CZK).We all liked this dry red. It smelled great.

We also shared a big bottle of Italian mineral water (85 CZK).I'll note here that I had the same brand and size of water at Restaurant U Emy Destinnové last week, and I was charged 150 CZK -- one of the few cases were the prices there were out of whack.

For a main course, Jersey Girl got the grilled dorada (295 CZK). She loved it.And they did something she had never seen before. The whole, grilled fish was deboned before being brought to the table, and then put back together.She really appreciated that nice touch. She felt that the spinach on the side was too salty, but I thought it was acceptable.

SS had the mussels in white wine (195 CZK).The meat inside the shells was very tender. She liked them and thought they were fresh. They tasted slightly too fishy to me.

I ordered the linguine with lobster (285 CZK).When I order lobster and the price is this low, I don't expect much meat. But what I got was all shell and no meat. I stopped the waiter and showed him the empty shells.

He was profusely apologetic and promised a quick remedy. Within about five minutes, another waiter brought me a cooked piece of claw meat.Even so, the dish was just OK. The sauce was mostly salty, with a hint of the sea. Some mussels, shrimp, and clams were thrown in along with zucchini and fresh parsley.

The bill for this dinner for three, with wine, drinks, water, and two espressos was 2200 CZK. Again, I thought it a good price.

Not every dish succeeds But there are some real winners at excellent prices. There's definitely value for money, along with a good atmosphere.

So my verdict is that Mirellie in Vinohrady is virtually identical to Mirellie in Dejvice.

And that is something to be happy about.

Mirellie in Vinohrady
Korunní 23
Prague 2
Tel. (+420) 222 521 814

Esse

** Esse has closed and has turned into a Potrefená Husa restaurant. The phone number remains the same.

"There shall be wings! If the accomplishment be not for me, 'tis for some other." Leonardo Da Vinci

A few months back, while writing about Baterka, I lamented the dearth of decent restaurants in Prague's Holešovice neighborhood.

More recently, I noticed a similarly styled place called Esse, a cafe, restaurant, and club.It's across the street from the National Gallery at Veletržní Palace.It has a modern look that makes artistic use of blond and dark woods mixed with creative, integrated lighting.That extends to the eye-catching bar area as well.I met G-Man for dinner and drinks to catch up on the many and varied happenings of life.

Esse is a Staropramen branded pub, but neither of us like their regular lager. I had a half-liter of Hoegaarden (63 CZK), which was very good. G-Man had the .4 liter glass of Staropramen Granat (35 CZK), an 11-degree amber lager.His was fine on the first visit, but on a return trip, it was flat and G-Man thought it had gone bad. He was not happy.

We received some bread.It was very ordinary Czech bread and some baguette slices.

I started with the grilled goat cheese salad (110 CZK). It wasn't bad, but a very simple affair.The wheel of cheese was warmed all the way through, and there was a slice of bacon across the top. There was a small amount of frisee and other nice leaves underneath with a basic oil and vinegar dressing.

G-Man ordered one of his stand-by dishes: Fettuccine aglio olio Tagliáta (155 CZK).Versions of this pasta at other restaurants are often bland, but this one was not.

We both remarked on how tasty it was. The fresh Parmesan, the marinated beef, the roasted garlic, cherry tomato, and rucola all worked together well. The pasta was not overcooked. We started with low expectations that were more than surpassed.

I had the ESSE Wings (135 CZK). I loved them.They were fried, but not greasy, with dark, crunchy, crispy seasoning clinging to the outside. They were meaty, tender, and juicy on the inside.

Lovers of American-style hot wing sauce will be disappointed, but they are only served with a sweet mango-chili sauce. It is exactly the same as that served by Ambiente on Manesova. In fact, these wings are every bit as good as those, for a much cheaper price.

The main disappointment on this visit was the cocktail I tried. I ordered a Mojito (92 CZK).
The price was good, but that was about it. The drink was watery and I never thought I'd say this, but it needed more ice.

With some other beers and water on the bill, it came to 789 CZK.

I was interested in seeing how far the quality extended through the menu, so I returned the following week.I met G-Man along with his girlfriend, Miss Soprano, and their colleague, Mini Driver.

G-Man knew I was going to write about the place, but he ordered the wings again. He knew this wouldn't help me get a broader understanding of the restaurant, but it made a useful statement. He liked the wings too much to order anything else.

Mini got the salmon on a baguette (70 CZK).The menu (in Czech only on the Internet) was confusing because it called it "smoked salmon" and then went on to describe it as marinated in the "grave-lax" style. It was indeed marinated, which I much prefer.

The fish was buttery and fresh. There was also balsamic syrup, garlic butter, and salty feta cheese spread. Frankly, there was too much going on with these other flavors. They overwhelmed the excellent salmon.

They have a tapas menu, but a few things were unavailable, including the fried jalapenos with cheddar. I did want to see if they were the same Makro stuff at every other restaurant.

Instead, I got the little beef tartare tapas (35 CZK).It was a cute little portion of meat with mini fried bread. It was simply seasoned with salt and ketchup. It was a nice, small snack.

Then, I went for the appetizer of fish tartare (115 CZK). It was fresh salmon and pike-perch formed into a cylinder.The waitress told me there was tuna in there, but I didn't see it.

I squeezed a lot of lemon over it. The salmon tasted a bit fresher and had a better texture than the pike-perch. It was very basic, with just some olive oil and pepper.

For a main course, I decided to check one of their Czech specialities: the svíčková na smetaně or beef in cream sauce (155 CZK).Where to begin?

The sauce was watery and was more like a salty broth. There was no lemon. The beef was tender, but cooked into desiccated hunks. The dumplings were dried out, crumbly, and tasted old. I called it the worst svíčková na smetaně I'd ever had. Everyone had a taste and agreed. It was awful.

I'll end on a positive note and say that the service on both visits to Esse was excellent. The waiters and waitresses were friendly, efficient, and cheerfully switched between English and Czech with me.

Though there was that bad cocktail and beer, a lot of the food was above average for this type of place. There was better value and quality than I expected.

I do like the Burgers at the Bohemia Bagel down the street, so if I'm in the area, I might still head over there. But as G-Man said, Esse's wings are better. And it's always good to have more than one option.

So if there shall be wings, for me, Esse is the way to go.

Esse
Dukelských hrdinů 43
Prague 7 - Holešovice
Tel: (+420) 233 931 003