Meet a Prague Local: Paul Day of Sansho and Maso a kobliha

Meet a Prague Local: Paul Day of Sansho and Maso a kobliha

It is really hard not to like Paul Day, the chef and owner at Sansho and Maso a kobliha, and the master butcher at The Real Meat Society butcher shop. What is actually really harder is to interview him in his restaurant: everyone who walks in is a friend or a fellow chef or a supplier or a regular. He may have stood up five times to greet guests and friends in the short time we interviewed him. His humor is dry and brisk and his laughter contagious. He’s the guy you would want to have a beer with.

He’s also the guy you would want to serve you meet: originally a butcher hailing from England, he has promoted whole animal butchery of organic and traceable meat from farms that let the animals live outside here in the Czech Republic. He’s also the man who has nearly single-handedly, with his partner Michaela, put the Prestik pig, an old breed of Czech fatty pigs, firmly back on the foodie map. He’s been serving fantastic breakfast sausages and buns at the farmers’ market from his white Land Rover Defender. And for us, he’s always been a great chef, steering Sansho and Maso a kobliha, two restaurants that really can stand up to the best establishments in the bigger cities to the west of the Czech border. We stopped by to interview him at Maso a kobliha after his lunch service.


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Czech sweets you should buy and try

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Czech sweets you should buy and try

A beautiful crystal chandelier? A larger-than-life painting of the Prague Castle? A 4-feet Moser vase? No. None of these are great gifts when you want to bring a cheap, fun souvenir from Prague to your colleagues, classmates or friends in your chess team. But some classic Czech sweets, candies and chocolate bars? That’s an entirely different story: they are cheap, fun and also unique to the Czech environment. Not something you’d give your loved one for Valentine’s Days, sure, but they are lots of fun for the right person.

Now, of course, you can go very, very wrong with choosing the right kind. Not all of classic Czech sweets taste great or - more importantly - have a story behind them. Because let’s be honest: story sells. Even gifts. You want a sweet or a bar that has a rich history, something that has a track record behind it, something that was the primary cause behind our first cavities, drilled without anesthesia when the whole school went to the dentist like we used to do in the last years of Communism (but that’s an entirely different story). You want some sweets we grew up with. You want sweets like those listed in this post.


Things to do and where to eat in Vienna, according to us

Things to do and where to eat in Vienna, according to us

We have a confession to make: we have this secret competition with Vienna. Many of the guests who join our food tours visit Prague and then continue to Vienna and Budapest, or start in Budapest and get to Prague via Vienna. And we always want them to enjoy Prague more than Vienna. (Budapest, you’re cool.) We don’t know what it is. Maybe because the people and the culture are so similar. We just feel this rivalry and we cannot put our finger on it.


Our Guide to Gluten-free Prague

Our Guide to Gluten-free Prague

Life is great when you don’t have any food allergies. When you are gluten intolerant, things have not been so rosy here in Prague. Typical Czech cuisine does use gluten rather than not, and choices have been limited. That said, things have been getting better even in the gluten-free food department. We have decided to set up a small guide of Prague for people with gluten intolerance. We have picked some places that are good in their own right but are also good options for celiacs. We have tried to avoid places that offer one gluten-free dish, instead opting for eateries that offer more variety even for a diner with gluten intolerance. 


Great sporting moments in Czech history

Great sporting moments in Czech history

The posts on this blog come from many inspirations: the food we eat, the countries we travel and, many times, the guests of our Prague food tours. While the itineraries might be similar in many cases, every tour is different… simply because the guests are. On one tour, we may talk about food exclusively, on others, the main topic can be travel, and on many more than you would have thought, sports. Yes, if you ranked the topics we discuss on the tours based on frequency, sports would end up fairly high. And, just like food, they are also a reflection of the society.


Must-Eats in Prague (early 2015 edition)

Must-Eats in Prague (early 2015 edition)

When we travel, we spend lots of time researching, and we are grateful for every little piece of reliable information we can get, especially when it comes to food. We want to eat the best food available in each destination we visit. Time is precious when you are on vacation and it is easy to settle for the second best. But you shouldn't. And this article is written for you, our fellow foodie traveler, who wants to eat the most authentic and the best local food in Prague. We bring you the ultimate "listicle" for Prague: our "best bites" in Prague, simply the food we love in Prague the most. 

We already set up a similar list last year, but we thought it needed an update. Logically, all the items listed are served in really good establishments that we love and endorse. We actually think the whole Prague trip could be built around a list like this: it is short to make sure you can taste all of these things within a short period of time. It caters to all budgets and takes you to different parts of Prague (and outside of Prague in one case) so it can be easily mixed with some smart sightseeing. And the food is delicious and represents some meaningful facts or trends in Prague. And we stand behind every dish. Heck, we even taste some on our Prague food tours. So without further ado, here we go! Our favorite bites in Prague.


Prague travel tips before you arrive: the dos and don'ts of Prague

Prague travel tips before you arrive: the dos and don'ts of Prague

The new summer season in Prague is arriving shortly and we think this is a great time to give visiting travelers some Prague advice. We like to travel a lot ourselves and always wish somebody would give us just a handful of first-aid tips for the first few hours before we begin to navigate the place and the culture, because the first few hours really can make or break any trip, and we are here to make sure your arrival in Prague really is trouble free. We often discuss this with the guests of our Prague food tours, so we give you a collection of Prague tips we have gathered over time.  


Prague local favorites: Tea Mountain

Prague local favorites: Tea Mountain

When it opened last year, Tea Mountain was a revelation. You see, while Prague may be a hidden kingdom of tea rooms, most of them did have a slightly annoying New Age vibe: people with linens playing the triangle who made you feel guilty because you had a cell phone. 

Tea Mountain is different. Nestled right next to the Veltlin wine bar in the Karlin district, it sports a modern design with clear reference points to Japan and the Orient. They do have wifi. They do explain everything without being patronizing. And, on top of that, they have fantastic teas. Even a very basic tasting can really open your eyes to what tea can be.

The founder, and really the face, of Tea Mountain is Martin. A friendly guy who seems to know everything about teas, and everyone in the foodie community in Prague and whose enthusiasm about everything food and tea-related is nearly as addictive as his teas are. We asked him a few questions.


The best vetrnik pastries in Prague

The best vetrnik pastries in Prague

The vetrnik is arguably one of the best pastries in Prague, and the weak spot of many Czech and foreign men and women (us included). Incredibly rich and creamy, this choux pastry seems very light at the beginning, yet can become very filling at the very end. Heck, we even finish our tours with one, and it is one of the highlights. As our recents guests said it: “How come this is not famous?” (Yes, they went back to have seconds the next day.)

But just like with every great pastry, every pastry shop has its own recipe and the variables are aplenty. Which begs the question: which vetrnik is the best in town? To answer that question, we have set out to put some of Prague’s vetrniks to the test. We have reserved a table at EMA Espresso Bar one Saturday (they do not normally make reservations, but the owners clearly understood the severity and importance of the task - thank you for that) and invited esteemed judges. 


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St Valentine's Day in Prague: romantic Prague itineraries

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St Valentine's Day in Prague: romantic Prague itineraries

Let’s get one thing straight right away: St Valentine’s Day is not something that the Czechs would traditionally celebrate, and is by some seen as an import of the 1990s. (The decorations of many retail shops would indicate otherwise, but that’s an entirely different issue.) Still, many of our guests ask us about romantic things that can be done in Prague ahead of St Valentine’s Day, and truth be told, the week of St Valentine’s Day is a small season by itself in the midst of what is one of the slower months for our tours. That is why we have created a few Prague itineraries that are best enjoyed in two, whether you like St Valentine’s Day or are against the whole idea. We think a romantic itinerary is in season the whole year around.

Thus we bring you our best ideas for a nice St Valentine's Day spent in the company of your significant other. Just like with everything we do, this post is really written for ourselves: we write about the things we would love to do to spend a few nice, romantic hours together. If you're like us, we think you may like these.


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