Eat Local Soup: Polevkarna

When I first moved to Prague, I was on the look out for cute cafes where I could grab a bit to eat, read a book, sip tea, or meet friends for lunch.  In my opinion, what makes a good city or community are loads of these types of places.  These cafes and small stores are what adds vibrancy to an area and encourages a social aspect of a district.

One of the first places I made a mental note to go and try was Polevkarna, an adorable soup cafe in my neighbourhood (yay for Prague 8).  I was first attracted to their cute storefront with its big glass windows adorned with loopy, white cursive writing.  I thought to myself, this creative looking-out-of-the-box-for-Prague-place must be good if it looks like some time, thought and effort went into the cafe’s branding, interior and food.   Likewise, I was excited to give Polevkarna a try because a) they serve one of my favourite foods , soup, (typically six flavours a day), but also offer nice sandwiches, a selection of sweets and to-go grain salads AND it was non-smoking.  My first visit to Polevkarna was with two friends who were in visiting from Toronto.  I tried a vegetarian Moroccan tomato based soup with curry, lentils and chickpeas.  Very tasty.  I returned a second time, solo, with my Bon Appetit magazine in hand and had a mushroom and walnut soup that was thick and a bit on the salty side.  The good thing about Polevkarna is that they rotate flavours and typically carry three meat and three veg options.  You can expect to find soup flavours such as carrot and ginger, beef borscht, tomato and basil, and chicken and tarragon.

If you haven’t checked this place out, or are passing through Prague and are looking for a lunch place, during the week (open 8am-6pm M-F) outside of the tourist centre, and appreciate a little gigham on the walls, bay window seating with cushions and lovely ceramic soup bowls, I’ve found your place.

Interview w/ The Pillarbox

I don’t know about you, but if you have every tried to find a beautiful, English language greeting card in Prague, it is nearly impossible.  Same plight goes for wrapping paper.  Last week, I conducted an interview with local entrepreneur, Roisin Lamb, on the recent opening of her fabulous stationery store, the Pillarbox, located on Balbinova 24, in Prague’s Vinohrady district.

During my morning chat with Roisin, I learned that the Pillarbox was named after the free-standing, red post boxes found in the UK, and aims to provide Prague-ites with a wide array of English language greeting cards, invitations, wrapping accoutrement, kids items and gifts under one roof.  Carrying both local and UK stationery and product lines such as Rachel Ellen, Jellycat, One Green Bee, Glick, Woodmansterne, and jewelry from Louise Maystrenko, the Pillarbox is the place to go if you have forgotten someone’s birthday, are looking for colourful gift wrapping accessories such as bows, ribbons, stylish wrapping paper and bags or are in need of adorable invitations for a party.

As you get your mind in holiday mode, if you haven’t stopped by the store, it is a must for the upcoming holiday season, especially if you are on the hunt for some quality gifting accessories.  The best part about the Pillarbox is that it is open on Saturday from 11am to 3pm, quite uncommon for your typical Prague boutique!  Filling a necessary gap in the Prague market for stationery and paper products, the Pillarbox, with its knowledgeable and helpful staff ready and willing to gift wrap for you (boys/men- take note!!), will surely grow to become the new go-to store.

If you are looking for other places and spaces to get acquainted with the Pillarbox in Prague, you can find Roisin on December 3rd at the International Women’s Association of Prague’s (IWAP) Christmas fair at the Diplomat Hotel, as well as at the Prague British School’s holiday market event on December 15th and on their Facebook page.

pancake factory

What is a girl to do when she is craving pancakes in Prague?  When palačinky, the Czech Republic’s answer to the pancake, are not enough and you are craving North American-style pancakes that are found flipping on every diner griddle on the continent on a Saturday and Sunday morning?  The solution, is the Pancake Factory.

Last week I was at the gym and was flipping through a Czech magazine that was left on a table and noticed a red advertisement that screamed for my attention.  The small box on the middle of the page contained two words that were heaven to my ears, “American and Russian pancakes.”  I was sold.  I scribbled down the website and went home to Google my find, “Pancake Factory, Prague.”  To my delight, I found the restaurant and it was only located 34 km south of Prague, in the village of Kamenice, which makes for a nice drive on a Saturday morning.

The Pancake Factory specializes in American and Russian style pancakes in addition to offering other non-pancake restaurant items like meat and fish.   This place is part bakery and part restaurant and is open from 11 am to 11pm.

On our pancake-seeking mission, we ordered banana pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, a mint tea and a cappuccino and I have to say, it was all pretty good.  The pancakes were light and fluffy and came with a side of two sauces, a raspberry sauce and a maple-esque caramel sauce.  The restaurant’s interior looks like a cottage with wood panels, samovars and other antiques displayed on the shelves and a fireplace in the back room.  There is also a play-pen section filled with toys for kids.  Our pancake breakfast was a fun experience and a beautiful, quick drive and I would totally recommend it to satiate your next pancake craving in Prague.

cake from emil gaigher

Bakeries in Prague rarely disappoint.  On every street, the most marvellous aromas waft out of doors into the noses of pedestrians, luring them in for a treat.  I am all about exploration and trying new things. I had walked by Emil Gaigher,a bakery located in Prague 5,  several times en route to my fiance’s office and had high hopes for this coconut covered, vanilla cake from Emil Gaigher, but to my dismay, it looked better than it tasted (my fellow cake taste testers agreed).  However the cute marzipan mouse on top of the cake photographed well!  I am off to Milan and Florence tomorrow and will report back on any delicious bakeries or fabulous design shops that I find in my travels next week.

bakeshop

I was in Prague a couple of weeks ago and checked out this adorable bakery in the middle of Old Town.  I was impressed with the bakery’s stunning poured concrete counter based with its name “Bakeshop” etched in the cement.  Lunch, dessert, baked goods and Bakeshop’s famous sourdough bread is what you’ll find here. 

I tried a couple of cookies along side a cup of tea and while they weren’t the best cookies I’ve ever had in the world, they were good enough for me to return and try something else.   The rest of the baked goods and bread looked amazing and the bakery certainly smelled delicious.  The interior design was interesting with lots of juxtaposition of glass, wood, metal and cement mixed with an ornate high ceiling, cool chandeliere and old posters.  This place is perfect for people watching out their big windows on both sides of the store.