No Reservations Season 6 Episode 4: Prague
Tony Bourdain visits Prague in this episode. As he looks through market stalls at various cooked foods he proclaims “In Prague, pork is king. Welcome to Porkopolis”.
As the episode begins, Tony recites a fast rendition of Prague’s history, finally getting to the heart of the matter when he says that Communism influenced the food for the worse here. Tony notices there are boatloads of dumplings and goulash offered in the restaurants here. Tony meets with local Chef Sahajdák for beer and eats. First the beer arrives with stinky cheese and dark bread to go with it. Beer is a staple drink here and beer making is a great pride for Prague. Lunch starts with a huge appetizer of slow roasted pig tails. Tony is in heaven. The main courses arrive featuring two beef dishes: marinated rib of beef in beer and beef with rosehip sauce. Tony loves the beef dishes.
Dinner at Chef Sahajdák’s restaurant La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise features a tasting menu of fried carp and potato salad with tripe soup, a menu similar to the traditional Christmas menu of Prague. Next is beef tartar between crisp chips. Aspic of ham with poached egg and lardon on toast are classical Prague ingredients that make Tony very happy. Rabbit three ways and beef tongue with chanterelle mushrooms complete the meal. Tony states this was “a fantastic meal, a taste of old and new”.
Beer and more beer is on the menu next at the old brewery. Local beer expert Evan Rail takes Tony on a tour of Kout brewery. The brewery looks very old and worn as they walk through the building. Evan tells Tony Prague drinks the most beer in the world, even more than Australia, mentioning workers often have beer with their breakfast. Tony and Evan meet that evening for dinner at the Pivovarsky Klub. The restaurant has six beers on tap. Soon a meal of pork shanks arrives at the table, along with a side dish of red cabbage. Observing how big the pork shank is, Tony exclaims “this one is the size of a medium Batali”, a reference to his friend, Chef Mario Batali. As Tony ingests a lot of pork fat with the pork meat he warns Evan flatulence is in his future. Tony is startled by the Giraffe beer, eight glasses of beer in a very tall glass.
Tony meets up with controversial artist David Cerny, a Czech sculptor, famous for painting a tank in the square pink and his upside-down horse sculpture. Cerny takes Tony to one of his outdoor sculptures, shapes of different countries on a tall metal shaped sculpture. Cerny’s country sculptures include Romainia sporting vampire teeth, Germany with a swastika built into its shape and Belgium portrayed as a tray of chocolates. Tony describes Cerny as a grumpy guy who likes his beer, very similar to himself.
Tony wants sausage and meets with local chef Zdenek Pohlreich to scour the Wenceslas Square sausage stands. Tony is enthralled with the number of sausages, eating two with relish, then spotting a cheese sandwich he knows he must have. Tony eats the melted cheese on a bun, calling it magnificent.
Next Tony decides he has had a bit too much goulash and wants Vietnamese food. Tony joins Tina to find a great bowl of pho at The Asian Trade Center Sapa. They get permission to film at Sapa Vietnamese Market, but are not allowed to film any where else at the trade center. When Tony and Tina arrive, the restaurant workers tell them they are out of pho. Tony gets loud and clear they are unwelcome there. Tony finds another restaurant where he and Tina get a bowl of rice with broth, snails and vegetables, for which he is very grateful. Tony still feels snubbed by Sapa Vietnamese Market.
Tony and the crew arrive at a suburban neighborhood, where traditionally neighbors chip in to hire a butcher to cut up a pig for a big neighborhood meal. Drinks start right away as the pig is cut up and cooked. Tony, being very cold as they cook the pig outdoors, is grateful for the alcoholic drink to warm up with. The pig cooks in pieces, with goulash with broth first on the menu. Tony states its “simple but delicious”. Next comes pig belly, pig cheek and pig jowl dipped in mustard, all of which Tony partakes of along with more beer. The camera crew and Tony find themselves permeated with pork steam as the pork cooks. Pork sausage is being stuffed by hand and Tony is stunned at the old-school methods the cooks are using. Next blood sausage is created, Tony’s favorite. Tony tastes the sausages and is thrilled. Blood soup is last, a soup Tony thoroughly enjoys. Tony says “the whole meal was amazing and delicious”.
Tony’s final meal is one of his favorite types, he is invited to one of the guides family’s homes to have dinner. They begin with an aperitif to start the meal. The menu consists of roast duck with caraway seeds, roasted overnight, homemade yeast buns (some savory and some sweet), red cabbage and homemade dumplings. Tony as always is appreciative of home cooked meals which tend to be his favorite.
