starry night

Our dining out expeditions have waned of late in conjunction with my ever growing belly. As my unborn child fights for what limited space there is inside me, my appetite loses its downhill battle as my stomach gradually moves up towards my throat.

Mr GluttonousGoat turned 35 last week and with our days of freedom slowly slipping from our grasps, we decided to celebrate the occasion with a meal out. God only knows when we'd be able to see any semblance of sleep again, let alone indulge in the luxury of a meal out in town. We took the opportunity with both hands and ran for the food hills.

The Alcron, located inside the Radisson Blu Hotel in the New Town recently acquired its first michelin star in 2012 alongside La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise. We've dined numerous times at the latter and have had great experiences each time, so the fact that both had acquired the same accolades left us to also expect great things from The Alcron.

The Alcron is an intimate 7 table arrangement seating around 24. When we arrived for our 19:30 reservation, the first thing we noticed was the lack of greeting staff at front of house. We were left standing around for several minutes wondering where everyone was before the only 2 serving staff noticed us and motioned us to our seats - not a good start for a michelin starred restaurant!

After the slight hiccup on entry, everything after that was smooth sailing. The service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing as can be of some fine dining establishments.

You can select from 3 courses for 900kc (roughly translates to £30) up to 7 courses for 1700kc (£58) with matching wines at the same price.
You also have the option to select the dessert painting at a surcharge of 150kc per person which we did. The sous chef appeared with a large piece of glass which he "paints" and decorates and creates your final dessert tasting plate.

l-r: assortment of butters - yuzu, chilli, smoked salt & seaweed

amuse bouche: foie gras crème brûlée

ceviche of scallops, cucumber, chilli powder and hazelnuts

imperial oyster salad with beef carpaccio

roasted norwegian langoustine with artichokes, cauliflower foam, 

fish roe

tuna sashimi, pickled cucumber

lobster bisque with popcorn

scallops with caramelised cauliflower puree 

foie gras escalope, smoked eel & pickled beets

beef flank with miso essence, smoked jasmin potato 

mash, parsnip crisps

sous chef creating the dessert plate

art in progress

the finished product: crème brûlée, coffee nougat, 

orange macarons, tequila & lime granita, mixed berries, 

mango & raspberry puree

Roman Paulus, the head chef of Alcron and the Radisson Blu Hotel pops out for a quick chat towards the end of our meals to make sure that everyone had enjoyed their food and to accept any feedback. We thought this was a nice touch seeing nowadays, most head chefs do not have the time nor are they in the restaurant to actually see through this small, but distinctive point.

Would we be returning? Most definitely. Once we can find a babysitter that is.


the alcron
radisson blu hotel
štěpánská 40, praha 1,czech republic
tel: +420 222 820 000
www.alcron.cz

beer o'clock

It's no secret that the Czechs are the highest consumers of beer on this planet (according to data collated in 2010) even knocking out super drinkers such as the Irish and Germans. When you enter any supermarket in the Czech Republic, there are aisles and aisles of alcoholic beverages that will literally make your head spin. The choices for beer are endless. I think if I had to stand there and count the number of beer offerings, I will be there til next week. I kid you not.

I've begun my count down til D-DAY - 26 days if he is on time. If not, then its anyone's guess. One of my greatest concern as a would be mum (and I'm sure a lot of mums out there have shared my sleepless nights) is whether my body will produce enough food for the little nugget. I've been told by my midwife and my landlord (who also happens to be a GP) that many Czech women drink beer to increase their milk supply (tune out now if this grosses you out!) Apparently the polysaccharide in the barley used to produce beer stimulates prolactin which helps mums make more milk!

I've never been a huge fan of beer until I moved to Prague. I guess I've been exposed to the over marketed and over commercialised big name beers (we all know the ones so I won't name names) and never thought much of them. Once you've tasted the beer here, you can't really go back to the watered down crap that you find in most places across the world. I also find that the check out chicks tend to crack a small smile if they see beer in your shopping basket (and we all know how surly they can be!). You aren't really Czech unless you have beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

This dark beer came highly recommended by my midwife. I bought a bottle and sampled some last night (some of the more righteous individuals out there are probably tsk'ing my irresponsible actions as they read this). It was only a tiny nip (ok, maybe nips) and it was super tasty (god I missed the taste of alcohol!). I will be stock-piling but making sure I leave a good 2-3 hours in between beer and feeds to make sure Bean doesn't suffer the after effects of my ill actions. 

Mums out there - please rest assured that there is light after a 9 month long tunnel!