Prague
Jarošek Slivovice
The bad news coming out of the store this week is that the distillery of Vladislav Jarošek has halted production of it's various brandies for the time being and will not be supplying it's store (over here) with any new product until such time as they decide if it's worth it.
I managed to pick up a huge bottle of Slivovice and the last bottle of Jalovcova (a fantastic, old-style Gin of pure, distilled, Juniper berries). Run over there now while supplies last.
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Shochiku, Japanese Market
29/10/09 09:52 Filed in: Food
Japa, Japanese Goods
29/10/09 09:30 Filed in: Food
There used to be a very nice place to go for Japanese foods and ingredients over at the park near Ural but it disappeared just around the appearance of this place. It’s located right across from a very good Potrefena Husa in Prague 6 and has a very extensive stock of wines, vinegars, noodles, sauces and even a decent amount of frozen fish and meats.
It’s owned and operated by a “famous” Czech fellow whom you might have seen on local TV commenting on food topics, don’t remember his name (Tomio Okamura, article in Czech), but if you’re in need of something Japanese this place probably has it. And if they don’t there is another place which while smaller, looks like it might be a little more authentic, not sure.
“Japa” also have what looks to be a wide selection of Japanese books, Anime and Manga for the kids; as well as a small area for them to sit down and play while the ‘rents do the shopping.
One last thing I should say is that Mr. Okamura puts in a lot of his own time to promote the culture by also offering free cooking classes at the store every three weeks, on a Monday. I’ve spoken to him on occasion and he’s very willing to help with any questions you may have though he doesn’t speak English, but at least one of his staff does.
Japanese Goods
Verdunská 21/709
Praha 6, Bubeneč
10:30-19:00
tel. +420 233 320 629
e-mail: japa@japa-shop.cz
Web: http://www.japa-shop.cz/
Barakat, Middle Eastern
29/10/09 09:30 Filed in: Food
Right next to Casa Del Parmigiano, one of the local Italian delicatessans, this Middle Eastern market has all the spices you could possibly be looking for; as well as a good supply of fresh lamb, tons of rice, lots of canned goods, some Bio products AND halal meat.
Another good addition to the neighborhood, I hope it lasts.
Ok, they have ice cream too!
Monday-Thursday 10:00-20:00
Friday 10:00-13:30, 14:30-20:00
Saturday 10:00-16:00
Italian Deli, Casa Del Parmigiano
29/10/09 08:55 Filed in: Food
Another Italian deli, in pretty much the same neighborhood as the other one, is just around the corner across the street from the park at Ural and next to Cafe Orange. It used to be run by the folks at this deli, but changed ownership sometime last year when Little Italy opened up.
The Italian guy is very nice and very friendly and his shop is small, but offers a very nice selection of Italian wines, vinegars, a little oil, and a good basic set of cheeses and salamis. Also, they probably have the nicest coffee of any of the places in this neighborhood. Their English is non-existant and their Czech is minimal, but the service and the food is great.
From the info on their business card they also seem to have a place in Prague 3 at : Vlkova 22, Žižkov.
Casa Del Parmigiano
Puškinovo náměstí 13
Praha 6, Bubeneč
tel. +420 602 223 913
A New Kid in Town
28/10/09 15:08 Filed in: Food
Just a couple of weeks ago this little place opened up at Dejvicka 36 street next to the Hurvinek and Špejbl theatre. I finally popped in yesterday for some salami and cheese and was inundated by people wishing to help me and offer me tastes of just about everything in the store. I think they are already afraid of going out of business.
Ok, they’re new. Anyway, I was looking for a Gruyere for the French Onion Soup I was making and they didn’t have it; in fact, they really didn’t have anything close except for a normal Czech, Swiss-style Madeland. Ok in a pinch but not what I was looking for. They did have a nice Milano salami which my son loves, and a few others that I think I will try out in future, but nothing I can’t find at either of the other two Italian places. Some of the pre-packed stuff is kind of higher-end but I’d rather have fres, so I’m still not sure what to make of this place, whether or not it will be around much longer or whether or not it will have something new and good to offer. I’m hoping for the best though.
As opposed to all the other places in the neighborhood which are much more quaint and mom & pop, personal and friendly, I think that this one is more aimed at supplying restaurants and bigger shops. It feels it, even it’s web address is kind of indicative of this goal for expansion.
Dejvicka 36
Prague 6, 160 00
tel: +420 222 745 363
cell: +420 603 549 584
Little Italy, Italian Deli
28/10/09 14:49 Filed in: Food
“Little Italy” is right across the street from the Greek deli. It belongs to the the Italian restaurant next door, “Ristorante Da Emanuel”, a very nice Italian place which has been in this particular neighborhood for several years now.
The people who run the place are very knowledgeable and very friendly. They have a very well stocked wine selection, coffees, a variety of pastas to choose from whether it be dried or fresh, lots of antipasto and cheese and are always willing to give you a taste or a recommendation. Good folk here.
Charles De Gualla 6
Praha 6
tel/fax: +420 224 312 934
Open: Mon-Sun. 12:00-23:00
Greek Society Deli
28/10/09 13:34 Filed in: Food
“Kavala” the restaurant has been in this location for a long time and Sophia the owner is a wonderful person and a great help, but the deli is comparatively new. It’s right next to the restaurant, which has undergone several upgrades in the last few years and yeah, the deli has probably been there a couple of years now and I’ve been going there since it opened, I just haven’t had a chance to comment on it yet.
If you need (or desperately want) a fine bottle of Wine, Ouzo, Phyllo dough, some great Kalamata olives, good authentic Feta, choose from a variety of excellent olive oils or a lot more, then this is your place.
Greek Society, Greek Deli
Charles De Gualla 5
Praha 6
tel/fax: +420 733 132 615
e-mail: mail@greek-society.cz
http://www.greek-society.cz/
Out of Town
24/03/09 16:33 Filed in: Happenings
News of the Day
27/01/09 14:24 Filed in: News
Since I’m home sick with the flu today why don’t I just re-cap some of the news in today’s Mlada Fronta Dnes?
With only four more years to go until the next Presidential election by Parliament, Parliament is reconsidering the possibility of having direct Presidential elections.
The Czech Republic has just borrowed 200 million Euros from Latvia. The money will be used to help with the current world financial crisis.
Ukraine, which just turned on the gas last week, is arguing to once again stop the flow of gas to the EU.
Nachod Brewery, the 13th largest in the Czech Republic, is up for sale but has only one legitimate bidder. The brewery makes over 180 mil. kč annually, the country argues it should receive at least 150 mil. kč, but the bid so far is only 135 mil. kč.
The view of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge has put the city on the UNESCO list of cities worthy of receiving funding, but “developer creep” and new criteria from the city for preserving historical buildings could put that listing at risk.
And finally, the Hard Rock Café is looking for employees for it’s new location at the Irongate Hotel in Prague’s Old Town.
With only four more years to go until the next Presidential election by Parliament, Parliament is reconsidering the possibility of having direct Presidential elections.
The Czech Republic has just borrowed 200 million Euros from Latvia. The money will be used to help with the current world financial crisis.
Ukraine, which just turned on the gas last week, is arguing to once again stop the flow of gas to the EU.
Nachod Brewery, the 13th largest in the Czech Republic, is up for sale but has only one legitimate bidder. The brewery makes over 180 mil. kč annually, the country argues it should receive at least 150 mil. kč, but the bid so far is only 135 mil. kč.
The view of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge has put the city on the UNESCO list of cities worthy of receiving funding, but “developer creep” and new criteria from the city for preserving historical buildings could put that listing at risk.
And finally, the Hard Rock Café is looking for employees for it’s new location at the Irongate Hotel in Prague’s Old Town.
Prague Spring Over, Normalization Begins
02/09/08 16:27 Filed in: News
The 40th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia has come and gone (now we know where McCain’s brain is stuck) and not a whole lot happened in terms of events, but the city did do a good job of keeping the event in our collective consciouses by putting up flags around certain parts of the city; for example, in Prague 6 we saw reminders that certain events in Czech history seem to happen when the year’s date ends in an ‘eight’: 1968, 1948, 1938, 1918 just to name a few.
If you were to visit Valdstejnska zahrada (Valdstejnsky palac), you would have seen an historical exhibition detailing all of the other ‘eights’, and, at the back end of the garden, near the Malastranska metro end, you would have seen this Russian armored personnel carrier :
Sorry about the glare.
Though I don’t have any pictures of them, there were other tanks, tanks sawed in half, pink tanks and other pictures and events commemorating the event and, most importantly, reminding us not to forget.
If you were to visit Valdstejnska zahrada (Valdstejnsky palac), you would have seen an historical exhibition detailing all of the other ‘eights’, and, at the back end of the garden, near the Malastranska metro end, you would have seen this Russian armored personnel carrier :
Sorry about the glare.
Though I don’t have any pictures of them, there were other tanks, tanks sawed in half, pink tanks and other pictures and events commemorating the event and, most importantly, reminding us not to forget.
The Russians Aren't Coming, The Russians Aren't Coming
02/09/08 16:05 Filed in: News
Haven’t done much by way of informing you of what is happening here in P-town, but one thing that is definitely NOT happening is another Russian invasion. One can only imagine what the clown at the LA Times was smoking when she wrote this article, but whatever it was, we want some over here.
Firstly, the only people sourced/quoted were Poles. Secondly, the only connection made to the Czech Republic was this line, “The Czech Republic, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of a Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring reform movement, is fretting about history repeating itself.” Really? And were there any actual living people of the Czech persuasion questioned before you came to this line of reasoning? Because, all of the ones I talked to laughed at the idea; I mean, big-ass, absurd, are-you-crazy, belly laughs.
Once can only imagine what the Ukrainians and Moldavians thought of this ludicrous article. They didn’t seem to be consulted either.
I’ll get to the 40th anniversary of the Russian Invasion in a bit, not much really happened. No one is sweating it happening again, but folks here do tend to remember their history.
Firstly, the only people sourced/quoted were Poles. Secondly, the only connection made to the Czech Republic was this line, “The Czech Republic, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of a Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring reform movement, is fretting about history repeating itself.” Really? And were there any actual living people of the Czech persuasion questioned before you came to this line of reasoning? Because, all of the ones I talked to laughed at the idea; I mean, big-ass, absurd, are-you-crazy, belly laughs.
Once can only imagine what the Ukrainians and Moldavians thought of this ludicrous article. They didn’t seem to be consulted either.
I’ll get to the 40th anniversary of the Russian Invasion in a bit, not much really happened. No one is sweating it happening again, but folks here do tend to remember their history.
iPhone in Prague 6
22/05/08 13:29 Filed in: News
So after having a good look around P-Town and other cities nearby (Dresden, Vienna, Munich, Paris) for a cheapish iPhone I settled on a store in Dejvicka after my son ran into the shop to check and see if they were stocking it, and sure enough they were.
Standard price around these parts seems to be in the 14-15 thousand crown range for the 16Gig model. While it's cheaper in other countries, transportation costs eat up any savings you might have from buying it abroad. Having said that, what with the dollar so low right now, having someone in the U.S. mail one over here would cut the cost down to about 8.000kc. Nice price if you can get it.
Gratuitous "iPhone in Prague" picture:
And, as you can see, the phone comes all nice and cracked for use on whatever network you happen to be on. And after three weeks of playing around, I have to say that it works very well on T-Mobile here; and, I'm seeing more and more of them appear around town despite not being released officially here yet.
Also, if you are on T-Mobile, the smart move might be to go the Surf&Mail+ route for the 199kc monthly flat fee and get unlimited surfing abilities, rather than get nailed for EDGE & WAP charges. T-Mobile are still not up to speed on what an iPhone actually is yet, and I'm not sure anyone should use them given my current bout of problems and arguments with them, but as long as you tell them that you don't plan to hook your phone up to a computer to give the computer internet access, they seem cool with only charging 199kc.
Standard price around these parts seems to be in the 14-15 thousand crown range for the 16Gig model. While it's cheaper in other countries, transportation costs eat up any savings you might have from buying it abroad. Having said that, what with the dollar so low right now, having someone in the U.S. mail one over here would cut the cost down to about 8.000kc. Nice price if you can get it.
Gratuitous "iPhone in Prague" picture:
And, as you can see, the phone comes all nice and cracked for use on whatever network you happen to be on. And after three weeks of playing around, I have to say that it works very well on T-Mobile here; and, I'm seeing more and more of them appear around town despite not being released officially here yet.
Also, if you are on T-Mobile, the smart move might be to go the Surf&Mail+ route for the 199kc monthly flat fee and get unlimited surfing abilities, rather than get nailed for EDGE & WAP charges. T-Mobile are still not up to speed on what an iPhone actually is yet, and I'm not sure anyone should use them given my current bout of problems and arguments with them, but as long as you tell them that you don't plan to hook your phone up to a computer to give the computer internet access, they seem cool with only charging 199kc.
FSM in Prague
22/04/06 17:09 Filed in: Sightings
