A whimsical evening in Prague
Other than a hotel room, the only two things that I planned ahead of time for Prague are a seat at the Opera and the dinner reservations for the two nights I have in Prague (priorities!).
Instead of pushing myself to hit every recommended must-see spots in Prague, I decided that spending an evening to indulge in the classical music culture of Prague, and top off the evening with a modern symphony of Czech cuisine.
Genuinely surprised by the affordable prices of the Opera, I ended up in one of the box seats. One of the perks of being in the box is its vantage point not only of the stage, but of the orchestra below. Guests start to flow into the balcony and the orchestra under the chandelier ; along with chatters and laughters in their elegant attire. This is the moment that I've been longing for: to immerse in a culture where everyone appreciates and respects arts and music.
Then, lights dimmed and voices silenced. A well rehearsed opera unfold itself on the stage.
Against the velvet back drop and decor, this evening was timeless.
At a corner of a quiet street in the Old Town, my excitement and anticipation are spilling over as I walked into Field Restaurant. As the name suggests, the food here is oriented around local ingredients. The restaurant is simple yet elegant, with no more than 15 tables. Defying the unusualness of dining alone, I sat down and found my place at the table. One often says, (and I agree) that a meal is more about the company than the food. With an absence of company, my mind and senses are wholeheartedly devoted to tasting the delicacy served in front of me.
The journey began with amuse bouche, a warm welcome from the Chef. While I'm still deciding on the menu, this small bite was a message transferring energy from the kitchen to me, and at the same time challenging my senses.
The first small bite came on literally a "field". Just as much, if not more, thought was put into this amuse bouche than the edible portion itself. A sphere of potato covered in ash ; a mouthful of earthiness. Returned to its original state of being harvested from underground. The second is a goat milk panna cotta with pepper in a spoon. Smooth, creamy and sensational. The third is far from a bite! It's a sip of cherry juice flavored with thyme and potato skin. Tangy, earthy and savory. Was I ready for this?
Just after I decided to go with a 4-course tasting (not a very hard decision). The second and short round of amuse bouche came to me standing in a small deep dish of grains. It was cucumber and dill caviar in a trout wafer cone. The refreshing and herbal sensation bursts as the wholesome wafer crunches. Who would of thought of trout wafer, let alone serve it with cucumber and dill in a bubble caviar form? Am I really ready for this?
As expected, the next dish in front of me is bread and butter. I've always known and believed that bread is a mirror of truth for a restaurant. Bread-making is trivial yet takes time to get to perfection. Bread is omnipresent in most European and American restaurants yet generally always the supporting role of the supporting role. So would you as a chef treat it as food that your guests go for to sooth hunger or avoid boredom? or a small and significant detail of the experience offered to them from the first step into the restaurant till the door closed behind their heels? At Field, the latter it was. Not only was the bread freshly homemade, every bite is a balance of chemistry from flour, water and yeast. Most importantly, the bread was accompanied by cream cheese and a carefully sculpted piece of butter infused with bone marrow.
The first course is served in a black nest with light dew. Among all the smooth black rocks is a round of cherry red jelly, with the dim light reflecting off the surface, it screams for attention. I was carefully instructed to not make an attempt on the black round rocks, as they are actually rocks ; whereas the cherry red rock is a scoop of divinity. With curiosity, I picked up the round with my fingers, the thin layer of jelly bursts with a light bite, then duck rillette melted right after.
The second course came in a tilted glass bowl bursting with colors. The layer of deep burgundy red is wine spirits jelly, covering an abundance of foie gras. On top of the glossy surface, pistachios, candied cherries and mustard seeds are sprinkled around a small scoop of foie gras ice cream. A wonderful combination of texture and flavor blended within every bite. The foie gras is silky as the wine jelly gently bounces between every bite; the crunch of the pistachio along with the tiny explosion of mustard seeds contrast with the juicy and chewy cherries ; and the ice cream fills each spoon with an aroma of foie gras but disappears on my tongue before I knew it. Served along side with the foie gras, there is a slice of lightly seared heavenly buttery brioche and a zesty house-made lemonade with black currant, grapefruit and blueberry. "With enough butter, anything is good" as Julia Child once said, this slice of brioche is no exception, and I didn't have to think hard to know. It was a perfect balance that made me want more of anything that's coming out of that kitchen.
The third and main course is an all-time delicious dish - Suckling pig. I could literally stop the descriptions there, as I've not had bad suckling pig before, nor is it a common item on restaurant menus. Not hard to imagine, the juicy tender meat with crispy flavorful skin is an incredible amount of work. A strip of cream divided pieces of suckling pig and a dark reduction sauce of porks ribs. A collection of peas, yellow beets and cabbage livened up the plate ; there is an abundance of vegetables to balance the boldness of the meats.
At last, the dessert. It was the chef's interpretation of Semolina dessert, which is typically in pudding form. Underneath the round piece of white chocolate, there's a scoop of wine ice cream surrounded by wine jelly and wine reduction known as Defrutum, and with semolina and raisin sprinkled on top. Every spoonful was full of sweetness in complexity, natural and coherent with the taste.
I protest the passing of time as the evening comes to the last verse. It was truly one of the best dinners I've ever had. It was the first time I was accompanied by myself with exquisite food ; I focused on nothing but enjoying the food. It was also when I realized why I've always been fond of molecular gastronomy. I love being told what I'm having yet still be surprised as every dish reveals itself. I love not being able to anticipate how a combination of flavor may taste like. I love tasting a familiar flavor in a form I never imagined before.
Being challenged on what I know about different ingredients, cuisine and dishes, I felt refreshed and enlightened. As I walked back to my hotel, I thought to myself, this was the perfect ending to a whimsical evening.
