Fine dining in Prague

November 12, 2015May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

When we were in the beautiful city of Prague a few months ago, we had the pleasure of dining at one of their Michelin star restaurants, Alcron. There are only two Michellin star restaurants in Prague, both having been awarded a Michellin star each so we felt really lucky to be able to secure a booking at one of them.

Alcron is located in the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel and is furnished beautifully with art decor and a fireplace from the 1930s. There are only 24 seats so not only did we feel lucky to get a booking, but as soon as you walk in, there is a real intimate and personal feel to the whole place.

The staff were very welcoming, warm and friendly. They provided us with menus and explained that we were able to choose and create our own set menu ranging from 3 courses, 4 courses or 5 courses from their a la carte selection. They were so flexible and were happy for us to choose whatever dishes we wanted to make up our courses and also suggested that we could order a few dishes first before we decided on the next dishes, or even stop if we were feeling too full. They were also very open to talking through the menu. Of course we decided to go all out and went with their 5 courses!

The food that came out absolutely blew us away. The restaurant aims to use the freshest ingredients and to perfect all their dishes. We were in awe of not only the quality of the food and combination of ingredients but the presentation of each dish, which were all like pieces of artwork.

Some of the highlighted dishes captured above include the tuna sashmi with tapioca, daikon and parsley mayonaise, the organic goats’ cheese with baked leeks and beets which tasted so heavenly, the marinated Scottish salmon in dark rum with tabouleh and ginger infusion, and the lobster bisque with sweet corn and poached egg yolk. The lobster bisque was rich in lobster flavour, and the poached egg yolk gave it a creamy dimension. It was definitely one of the highlight dishes of the night.

The US-prime beef fillet and shoulder was complimented with a miso glaze and jasmine tea smoked potato puree. This was also a dish we really enjoyed as we found that the smoked potato puree went really well with the beef fillet. The combination of ingredients was exceptional.

Oh and have I mentioned the bread and butter? We had never come across a restaurant that offered such an extensive array of flavours. We had 9 different varieties of bread and 4 different kinds of butter to choose from. Some of the bread choices include pumpkin seed, green olive, black olive, onion, tomato, and the list goes on. Had we not been served their other dishes, we would have been happy eating just the bread and butter for dinner because it was so good!

We were so full from all the dishes that we had to settle for a very light dessert. We were really disappointed that we couldn’t fit their special ‘dessert painting’, which we could see another table thoroughly enjoying. This dessert painting was prepared right in front of them and the end result looked like something from an art gallery.

After trying numerous restaurants around the world, we came to the conclusion that this was the best 1 Michelin star restaurant we had dined at. The quality of the food in comparison to the price was unmatched. The dishes showed amazing cooking techniques and the presentation really wowed us from all aspects. We were also really impressed with the attentive and personalised service. I highly recommend Alcron to anyone visiting Prague!

Alcron Restaurant
Approx 1500 CZK / $85 AUD per person (excluding wine)
Website: www.alcron.cz/en
Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel, Štěpánská 40,, Nové Město, Nové Město, Praha 1
Phone: +420 222820000

Delicious Afghan Feast

November 4, 2015May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

We discovered how scrumptious and delicious Afghan food was a few years ago when we decided to visit the Afghan town of Dandenong, where there are an abundance of Afghan restaurants to choose from. Ever since we had our first taste, we’ve never looked back! So I wanted to share one of my recommended restaurants to go to if you are ever in town or wish to try out the cuisine.

Pamir Restaurant, which is located in the heart of Dandenong on Lonsdale Street serves up authentic and hearty dishes of Afghan food. On arrival, the entrance is narrow and leads you upstairs to their open and spacious restaurant. Once you enter you’ll notice the beautiful and extravagant decor and surroundings. The furniture is handcrafted with solid wood and complimented with Afghan artwork and decorations throughout. Staff are very welcoming and friendly and like to check in and make sure you are happy with everything.

On this occasion we ordered one of their banquet specials which was $35 AU per head and included a bit of everything. It came with steam cooked mantu, Afghani traditional rice, chicken and lamb kebab skewers, meatball Kofta, salad, dips and bread. All the dishes were amazing but the chicken kebab skewers in particular were to die for – the chicken itself was so super soft and tender. I also really enjoyed the Afghani rice here, the sweetness of the cranberries made it really appetizing.

The steamed mantu which are like Afghan dumplings with minced meat are also always a hit. Served with yoghurt, they tasted like soft, fluffy pillows, bursting with flavour. And of course I loved snacking away on the dips and warm bread which was probably why I felt so stuffed in the end but I couldn’t stop!

Overall, all the dishes were exceptional and we are always so full after an Afghan meal because they are ever so generous with their servings. As previously mentioned, the staff are all so friendly too which makes the whole experience worthwhile. I highly recommend checking it out as they never seem to disappoint us!

Pamir Restaurant
Approx $40 AUD per person
Website: www.pamirrestaurant.com.au
195 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong VIC 3175
Phone:+61 3 9792 0197

Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul

October 21, 2015May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

When we were in Seoul, one of our top to-do things was to try out their famous live dancing octopus at the Noryangjin Fish Market, oh and of course their super fresh seafood! Before travelling to South Korea, we had on many occasions watched people experience eating these wiggly octopuses on YouTube and discussed at lengths what we would do if we ever had the opportunity to try it. I remember seeing in the video clips the tentacles wrapping around the chopsticks while people would pop them in their mouths and quickly chew and swallow. Well our time finally arrived!

Noryangjin Fish Market is easily accessible and located right next to Noryangjin Station. You can get there by taking the Metro line one and exiting at exit 1 at the station, then walk under the bridge and follow the crowd, they’ll take you straight there. The coolest thing about it is that it is open 24 hours! The fish market is located in a massive open-air warehouse and there are just endless stalls of the freshest seafood for you to choose from. Also, because it’s a wholesale fish market, prices are considerably a lot cheaper than supermarkets too.

So after our amazement and awe of how many stalls of fresh seafood there was, we started exploring and getting lost in the huge warehouse. Almost everything was still alive and swimming or wiggling around so you are guaranteed that what you are getting is fresh. You can also bargain and haggle with the vendors for the right price and it was just fun watching people haggle. But we finally decided we wanted in on the action, so we ended up picking up the freshest king crab, assortment of sashimi and octopus.

The next best part about this market is that once you’ve purchased your items, there are many restaurants dotted around the warehouse which you can take your bag of fresh seafood to and they will cook you the most AMAZING feast! Yes you heard right! These restaurants around the warehouse are there just to cook the food that you buy. With a small fee of about $5 – $10 AUD, they’ll cook you up a storm and also serve your seafood with their side dishes like kimchi and rice. You can also buy beer and soju to go with your meal. The king crab, which is what the market is famous for, was simply steamed, just showing of its sweet and succulent flavour. They will also make you a crab flavoured fried rice served in the crab shell which was so delicious!

Now onto the octopus. It has been a long standing tradition and is quite common in South Korea. As I’ve mentioned before, it is served really fresh! As soon as you hand it over to the staff at the restaurant, they will chop up the octopuses live and serve it on a plate still wiggling around. They give you a bowl of sesame oil and salt like sauce to dip the octopus in. Just by touching them with your chopsticks, you’ll cause a ripple of movement and wiggling around LONG after they’ve been chopped up. I have to say, it took a bit of courage to finally pop one of them into my mouth (and probably after Davin had already tried one and confirmed that he was still fine) but I finally did it, chewed really fast and got it down as fast as I could. The verdict? It was quite chewy and there wasn’t much flavour to it. I wouldn’t say it was delicious but I think it is something you just have to try if you’re ever there.

Overall the Noryangjin Fish Market is a place you must visit and experience if you’re ever in Seoul because you may not come across anything just like it. If I’m ever in Seoul again, I will definitely be back. My mouth is just watering now thinking about the delicious seafood feast I had there.