Confidently bold and inventive

Though its cuisine continues to trail behind other European capitals such as Paris, Brussels and Berlin, Prague is no longer a city desperately seeking culinary acclaim. Recent years have seen a vast improvement in top-notch dining pleasures, including an all-too-brief appearance by Michelin award-winning impresario Gordon Ramsey.

Given those circumstances, Le Grill, located in the elegant Kempinski Hybernská hotel, faces a solid level of competition unheard of in years past. Fortunately for the new restaurant, the spectacularly stylish creations of executive chef Marek Fichtner, whose relatively short career already includes experience in Switzerland and Saudi Arabia, are fresh and distinctive. While familiar names like Allegro and La Degustation may have generated more headlines and excitement, Fichtner should give the city's other high-end eateries a run for their money. His is a kitchen clearly confident in its ability to pull off eccentric and inventive recipes with brass and panache.

At a recent lunchtime visit, Fichtner's sole culinary mishap came at the very start of an otherwise extraordinary meal. The grilled tiger shrimp appetizer featured a trio of the most robust crustaceans to be seen in this notoriously landlocked country, and the crunchy pancetta chip topping adds just the necessary amount of salt. However, to the untrained eye, a somewhat bland green pea purée is easily mistaken for a spicier wasabi, and a touch of that Japanese horseradish, or at least a zesty equivalent, would have given the starter a necessary extra kick.

However, the second course was a solid rebound, as the main offerings, which came straight from the grill, did not disappoint. Crisp on the outside, but satisfyingly tender and rare inside, the red tuna steak is simply a not-to-be missed dish for this city's legion of seafood connoisseurs. Combining a gentle meaty flavor with the texture of melting butter, the tuna came served with a delicate cream sauce, along with a baked potato heaping with sour cream and fresh chives. The only minor blunder was an easy-to-overlook side salad. While pleasant, it arrived along with the main course, cluttering the table and putting the diner at risk of sensory overload. It would probably be better served earlier, perhaps as a follow-up to the starter.

Fichtner and his staff have already started rotating seasonal dishes through Le Grill's diverse menu. In May, the restaurant offers a full-scale asparagus menu, with young shoots of that renowned vegetable imported from northern and central Germany turning up in everything from starters to desserts.

Though some may consider asparagus, with its delicate flavor and stout stems, an acquired taste, even diners unaccustomed to it will find plenty to admire. Key here is an ability to marry the mild flavor of the asparagus to other ingredients, allowing the elements to build upon one another and creating a subtle continuity from the starter through dessert.

Fichtner and his staff handle the challenge with aplomb. As both the appetizer and the entrée proved, asparagus weds especially well with seafood. The homemade gravlax sets the palette with a tender strip of rare salmon set amid slices of cold white and green asparagus. The spears are relegated to a supporting role in the appetizer but are more centrally featured in the pan-fried asparagus with grilled tiger shrimp and monkfish entrée, topped with Riesling sauce, demonstrating the kitchen's maritime expertise yet again. The lengthy pieces of white asparagus came tender yet crisped by the pan, and enriched by a light dressing of salty butter. The shrimp is once again plump and sizeable, and the fillet is firm and flaky, with a subtle taste of saltwater splashes. Soufflé is one of Fichtner's specialties, featured as a starter as well as a side in many of the restaurant's dishes, and the side of potato soufflé is no exception, satisfyingly creamy yet light on the palette.   

But the kitchen saves its most daring dish for the very end - a dessert of asparagus mousse with confit asparagus, topped with wine jelly and olive ice cream with candied black olives. Just reading that aloud will no doubt raise more than a few eyebrows. Put your expectations aside, as both the asparagus spears and the black olives take to the sugary flavors surprisingly well, much akin to rhubarb or carrots.

While the warm summer months will surely draw most diners to the Kempinski's spacious outdoor garden patio, Le Grill's casually elegant dining room is well worth a visit, decorated in an especially dramatic flair in shades of violet, and dominated by an ornate Italian chandelier in maroon.

That smart design is yet another example of a refined-yet-welcoming appeal that extends to the menu, securing Le Grill's place among the city's best dining establishments.  

Curtis Wong can be reached at
cwong@praguepost.com