Sumptuous Meals | Kampa Park Restaurants - Prague, Czech Republic

In 2004, Marcelo and I spent 10 days in what turned out to be one of my most favorite cities in the world. Prague is a stunning city in every sense. We wandered through cobblestone streets for hours on end and gazed at ancient buildings and all of the art that poured out of every nook and cranny. We ate delicious meals every day and came across the mouth-watering, celebrity frequented, "Kampa Group Restaurants" owned by Nils Jebens.

In 1994, Nils opened the first of his restaurants on the Malá Strana riverfront in Prague.  During communism the Czechs were not allowed to travel freely and discover unique ingredients beyond the Iron Curtain. Variety lacked and the cuisine suffered. To fill the void, Norwegian-born Nils set out to revolutionize and introduce fine dining in Prague. The first restaurant he opened, Kampa Park, is situated right on the water beside the magnificent Charles Bridge.

Once Marcelo and I discovered these gems, we quickly planned to fit in every remaining meal at the Kampa restaurants. I still remember the delectable wild mushroom papardelle at Square. The asparagus risotto was also gorgeous and tasted just like freshly picked asparagus. And the coffee was to die for! I often wish I had a bottomless pit of a stomach where I could just eat and eat and eat and never get full or gain weight. Square was an elegant but casual restaurant that paid attention to detail, provided snappy service, and presented its food beautifully. At Bazaar, now called Cowboys, Marcelo ordered an incredible sole dish bathed in the most delicious butter sauce. And at Hergetova Cihelna the view of the Charles Bridge was remarkable as was the food.

On the last night, I purchased their "Park Life - Kampa Park Cookbook". It explains the journey of opening the different restaurants and the destruction that they had to deal with when the "Thousand Year Flood" of 2002 ruined Hergetova Cihelna. After six months of renovations, it re-opened to be better than ever. This guy has done admirable work and gives entrepreneurs something to aspire to. The cookbook contains amazing recipes and he advises novices to refrain from getting ahead of themselves. He stresses mise-en-place (have all ingredients in order before executing a dish) and after testing the recipes a few times to send Kampa an invitation for dinner. I'm not at that stage yet but one day I may extend the invitation ;)

Every now and then I am brave enough to pick up his book and give one of the recipes a try. If you are ever in Prague, make sure you go to at least one of his well-priced restaurants. I guarantee that you'll be hooked! And if you can't make it there just yet, surely you will find some inspiration from the menus on his website.

Click here for more pictures from Prague.

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