Eastern flavors in Žižkov

When it comes to pan-Asian dining, there's a tendency among restaurants in Prague to lump more than one type of cuisine together, with the expectation that both are prepared with the same degree of success. This approach is common not only here but in many large cities internationally, where one can find eateries serving Chinese-Japanese and Thai-Chinese. (These are, of course, not to be confused with the widely known "Asian fusion" trend, whose origin is attributed to Austrian celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck in the mid-1990s).

However, even an inexperienced diner would be able to tell you that while there are plenty of similarities with regard to ingredients, individual Asian cuisines vary considerably in both presentation and flavor. Compare, for example, a simmering Thai green curry with a delicate Japanese sushi roll, and it's easy to see why culinary skills of two very differing degrees are required in their preparation.

That same gastronomic faux pas hovers over Žižkov's Hanil, much like the rain clouds that have rendered summer 2009 thus far a washout. Hyping itself as a Korean-Japanese restaurant, Hanil ultimately fails to meet Western standards for either type of eatery. Still, while few of the dishes are true standouts, many - particularly the Japanese items - are well-prepared and authentic enough to warrant a visit to Hanil if you're in the neighborhood.

While not especially elegant or cozy, the restaurant's ambience is crisp and clean. With a contemporary, no-frills design in pink and green pastels as well as blond woods, the main dining room should look familiar to anyone who's visited a sushi bar in any number of cities. The individual cushioned booths that fill the rest of the space feel a bit like a hotel restaurant or a chain franchise, while the beaded curtains masking the entrance to the restrooms add a sort of hippie flair. Interestingly, aside from the two Japanese chefs manning the sushi bar, there is little Asian acknowledgement throughout. The wait staff do not wear kimonos, and the piped-in soundtrack is mostly easy listening.    

As for the food, Hanil gets off to a strong start with fresh green salad, served as a complimentary starter. Ingredients are fairly basic: iceberg lettuce, radish, cucumber and carrot, but the kicker is a ginger-laden Japanese soy-vinegar dressing, simultaneously savory and sweet.  

Those familiar with Prague's reputation as a city of suspicious sushi will be impressed by Hanil's selection. As is the case in most Western cities, the restaurant wisely provides diners with a photo booklet showing snapshots of each item, as well as the breakdowns of each of the set platters. On our first visit, I opted for the sushi and maki set, which is just one of several different menu options available (though individual pieces are also served a la carte). Though the selections were fairly conventional - including tuna, salmon and shrimp nigiri, or a palm-pressed mound of sticky rice with a fish topping draped over it, alongside a salmon and tuna roll - all were freshly made and firm. The pastel-pink salmon tasted pleasantly buttery and soft, and the tuna was nicely fleshy, though a few of the other items, in particular the two rolls, had a slightly more robust vinegar flavor.   

On a second visit, the recent mercury poisoning plight of Entourage star Jeremy Piven persuaded me to limit my raw seafood intake to the mixed Japanese appetizer set, which came with several pieces of sashimi alongside a seaweed salad, and a small side of tuna mixed with cucumber in a mayonnaise-and-salmon roe dressing. While sushi traditionalists would've cringed, that pleasantly creamy side dish was no doubt the highlight of the platter. An order of pan-fried pork dumplings, or gyoza, was also quite good, with crispy skins and nicely seasoned meat fillings.  

The rest of the items we sampled were hit or miss. The salmon teriyaki was brought to the table on a sizzling fajita-like plate, but the cloyingly sweet sauce seemed an odd match for the fish filet, which was also quite dry in texture. And the oddly sliced bits of onion and bell peppers that accompanied the dish made it seem unrefined. We were alarmed when the marinated barbecued beef, a Korean specialty, arrived bearing a strangely foul odor. Fortunately, however, that dissipated rather quickly, and the meat was surprisingly tender, flavored with a hint of sesame.

Though desserts in Asian cuisine are not the big feature they are in Western meals, Hanil has a few decent options, including a nice, palette-cleansing green-tea ice cream, and the Japanese buns filled with sweet red-bean paste, which are an acquired taste.

On both visits, the service staff kept their distance, though they seemed to know exactly how to pace the presentation of each course.

Though it will likely be a while before the quality of sushi options in Prague is on par with other international cities, Hanil is overall an enjoyable local joint that will no doubt satisfy your wasabi craving.

Curtis Wong can be reached at
cwong@praguepost.com