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A famous chef adds star power to upscale dining in Prague
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
December 12th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Plebeian pork belly becomes an upscale dish at much-ballyhooed maze.
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Ramsay protégé Phillip Carmichael.
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maze Prague

by Gordon Ramsay
V Celnici 7 (inside the Hilton Old Town)
Prague 1–New Town
Tel. 221 822 300
Open daily noon–3 p.m., 6 p.m.–11 p.m. (breakfast 6:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.)

Food HHHH
Service HHHH
Atmosphere HHHH
Overall HHHH

FROM THE MENU

Lobster salad 420 Kč
Roasted quail 400 Kč
Pan fried cod 670 Kč
Pork belly 700 Kč

Gordon Ramsay is a foul-mouthed impresario, a rigorous taskmaster who hunts down scarce Michelin awards by the bundle. The very arrival of his name in a city yearning for culinary acclaim — just two words etched into a brass plate — can stir anxious gourmands into a frenzy.
For the anxious many, Ramsey’s local reprise of his lower-case concept heralds a new era in Prague, once considered a backwater by serious diners. After all, the London chef almost demands honors from his kitchens.
Although Jason Atherton and Phillip Carmichael are handling local spatula duties, the pressure is just as intense. Few restaurants stand up to out-of-control hype, fewer still to tyrannical desire for instant success.
If you tear a piece from the bread basket at maze, the restaurant’s reputed desire for Prague’s first Michelin star would seem in doubt. There’s no excuse for serving either horribly stale or, more likely, inexpertly baked cardboard rods at a place with high aspirations.
Best to stop off at Albert for your daily bread first. Then settle in for an extraordinary dining experience.
To start, the kitchen turns prosaic quail into something almost wild in flavor, enriched by a dense, murky Madeira reduction, a tad oversalted on this occasion. The plate is dressed by near-perfect pan-seared foie gras, one sliver combining earthy, meaty flavors with the texture of melting butter. Bits of the outer skin, crisped by the pan, pick up a burnished, caramelized depth that at first mimics the gaminess of quail, then lures the lingering tastes further into the wilderness.
On the side, a quail egg “sunny side up” tops celeriac remoulade prepared with truffles. The experience is like that of sipping fine, vintage wine at its peak — an intricate, exquisite and lavishly layered orb. Yet it’s just julienned root and flecks of fungi, cooked until a liqueur develops. And don’t overlook the salad, smacking of spearmint and flaked with sea salt.
When I was working in television, one of the audio guys once bragged about his best work. “I didn’t notice anything,” someone answered. Exactly the point: Music, natural sound and special effects can be mixed so precisely that few ears distinguish where one element fades and another takes charge. Yet without the subtle play of indistinguishable noises, the thing feels empty. In much the same way, maze’s poached lobster salad blends shellfish with fruit — apple-backed by a more prominent taste akin to a good sauternes — and a glimmer of fennel into something both simple and thoroughly involved.
This is a kitchen clearly confident in its ability to pull off a certain amount of intrigue, even when handed the most plebeian ingredients.
For instance, overcooking by even the slightest margin destroys the flavor and texture of cod. But here it turns out firm and flakey, a piece cut from the flavorful, more durable tail, fresh enough so that the delicate memory of saltwater splashes across your palate. Seasoning pricks the tongue then falls away, allowing natural flavors to rush forward. It’s simple and clean, served with seared artichoke curled into sweet-tart, golden brown wedges.
Cod in a salted form was once the fish of the masses. Pork belly is also a proletarian choice, the source of bacon and a cut often used for larding thanks to its streaked layer of fat. Naturally fibrous meat recedes into a supporting role. The paunchy fat steps forward to soften mouth feel and lend richness. Meanwhile, lentils cooked al dente saddle the dish with an earthy firmament, countered by a fruity, acidic sauce, tugging your palate in opposite directions while slicing through heavier residue.
Even a pot of silky mashed potatoes melts into the very essence of cream and butter. You want to find a tub of it and dive in.
This is maze’s mantra: approachable yet refined, with a menu featuring ox tongue, short ribs and an upscale take on the everyday peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The room is smartly done. Gilded Art Deco fittings reinforce the atmosphere of casual elegance. Instead of gleaming brass, a patina of age dulls the metal. Mirrors bear the smudges and wear of everyday use. It all hearkens to the glorious optimism of jazz-age glitz.
Maze already ranks as one of the city’s best restaurants. But Prague’s revival began with the recent addition of other names like La Degustation, Essensia, Monsoon, Oliva and Allegro’s star chef, Andrea Accordi.
Far from heralding a new age, the arrival of Ramsay’s kitchen team makes it almost a foregone conclusion.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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