The stylish bistro, located in the city centre is a surprise for art lovers and fine food enthusiasts. Its little bookstore of art albums and cookbooks is also a dining room!
The bookstore
Walking around the city, I came across Bistro Kaprova, which seemed a little too fancy for my end of the month, budget-friendly trip, as I had initially planned it. I went in anyway, mostly to look inside their bookstore, as I was sure it would be full of cookbooks. When I am in a new city and pass by restaurants or cafés that look interesting, I always go in, look around, take a few photos and check out the menu. This tends to be better than choosing a restaurant from a guide, although I’ve become quite an expert in using TripAdvisor to pick restaurants that rarely disappoint.
The stylish décor, with bold colours and nuances of gold and beige immediately caught my designer eyes. The staff, very friendly, asked if we wanted a table. We had just had breakfast, but did not have any dinner plans. When I discovered the few tables in their bookstore, I knew that would be the place I would want to have dinner at.
What a privilege, to be able to eat around books from your favourite chefs, renowned restaurants, great artists and photographers. I could be surrounded by my favourites: Heston Blumenthal, Salvador Dalí, Daniel Humm, Andy Warhol, Gordon Ramsay, Helmut Newton and The Rolling Stones.
We booked a table for later, specifically in the bookstore, then went to finish our sightseeing tour.
The dinner
We started with some oysters: probably the most photogenic oysters I have ever had the chance to eat! Each fresh and topped with exciting flavours of chilli mayo, milk foam and bacon powder, shallot vinaigrette, and kumato tomatoes mixed with fennel seeds.
For mains, I chose the pork belly, cooked beautifully sous vide for twelve hours, served next to a refined sweet and sour sauce, a silky ginger and apple purée and apple chips. My boyfriend tried the beef ribs with whisky and apricot jam, so soft that the meat would fall apart with the mildest touch of the fork. The baked vegetables and burnt celery purée that sat next to the beef complimented the meat beautifully.
Finally, we shared the apricot and mascarpone trifle, which was a great way to end a delicious meal.
The overall experience
Prague is not exactly known for its great service, and I have developed high expectations after my years in the UK. From all my experiences in Prague, Bistro Kaprova was the only that ticked off all my boxes. The staff were genuinely friendly, smiley and chatty – to the point where you feel welcome and part of the family.
The set-up, the chairs, the tables, the décor, and even the towels in the bathroom made me feel welcome and valued, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed browsing through the cookbooks in between the three courses!
You can find Bistro Kaprova on Facebook, or book a table at +420 227 777 770.
