Bohe(my)a

The scene: an expansive rooftop terrace in Prague, with tables several meters apart, giving the space a feeling of luxury and privacy. The seats are wicker, cushioned and cozy, arranged under wide cloth umbrellas that bring to mind cabanas.

On the menu are affordable Spanish tapas and Middle Eastern-hued dishes: Chorizo and jamon iberico, zucchini pancakes, patatas bravas, olives and lamb kofte. Salads with gorgonzola and pears, cold Persian yogurt soup, fig and goat cheese paninis. Oh, and cheeseburgers.

On a recent visit, the service was quick and friendly, and the manager came at the end of the meal to warmly ask how we had liked it and to answer questions about the restaurant's focus. He also revealed that the restaurant is bringing in a Spanish chef.

Now here's the hilarious part: You're sitting atop Tesco, at Národní třída. Before you can plunk yourself down in the swanky surroundings, you must walk through masses of people on their way to the tram stop, take the elevator up to the fourth floor and weave your way through household goods and kitchen utensils to reach the store's roof.

Our eyebrows were raised for a good 15 minutes, the dining companions on this evening continually scoping out the surroundings and occasionally uttering various versions of "Really? Tesco?" and "This is actually really cool. Is this cool?" "Yes it's cool."

We jumped into the tapas list, which is served from 5:30 to 9:15 p.m. every night. Breakfast can be ordered from 8 to 11 a.m., and from noon, the full entree menu, outside of the tapas, is served.

The tapas arrived quickly and were plated as well as one would expect at a Tesco restaurant. After all, they want you to like the plates, in case you pick up some on the way out.

First, the bad news: The foccacia that accompanied some of the tapas was just terrible. Stale, crumbly and disappointing. It's a shame, because you'll want it to scoop up a lot of the dips and sauces that come with the tapas. In contrast, the baba ghanoush tasted fresh and garlicky, dusted with paprika and sprinkled with pine nuts.

The gambas also fared better - three shrimp sauteed with garlic, basil, fresh chilies, white wine and olive oil and enlivened with paprika. The shrimp were decently cooked, if on the small side, and would have done well with a lemon slice, but on the whole, were a great, beautifully presented snack.

The papas were wedges of fried potatoes that could have used a bit longer in the fryer. They were not quite piping hot, and the insides were just shy of perfectly cooked. But again, what an easy, simple snack to enjoy on a terrace, especially dipped in brava sauce, a paprika-spiked mayonnaise.

The tablao was a crowd pleaser, with three types of cured meats. Iberico style chorizo, salchicha and lomo, according to the menu, and quite authentic, according to a food critic who sampled all of these in Barcelona last year.

Of course, it's hard not to order a cheeseburger when presented with the opportunity, especially one with cheddar cheese and homemade fries. The cheese oozed and draped over the craggy beef cliffs, tall and irregularly shaped. It was a sexy burger. But looks aren't everything, the saying goes, and the burger turned out to be a bit of a tease. The meat had a nice char from the grill, but it was cooked a little too thoroughly with no pink to be seen. A large dice of onion and green fresh herbs meant well, but they were a distraction from the meat. This is being slightly picky, however, as it was pretty damn good, and at 148 Kč, on a rooftop terrace in Prague 1 with great, steak cut fries, it can't be beat.

Carrot cake is also hard to pass up on a menu, as is cheesecake. The cheesecake, drizzled with caramel, was fine. The carrot cake was pleasant, but let's face it, both had arrived in a box. You can't have everything.

Alas, this rooftop restaurant is temperamental. Bad weather means you have to pay up and finish your meal, because if it pours rain, the umbrellas might save you, but it won't be pleasant. And where are you going to take your food and drinks, anyway, the Tupperware aisle?

When we visited, the clouds broke just as we had finished - lucky for us. Unlucky for us, the bad weather persisted for a couple days, right up to deadline, so our experience was limited. But as soon as the sun reappears, we'll be hitting our favorite out of the way terrace, right behind the nonstick pans.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com