Hector and Marg are in Praha in the company of – The Carnoustie Two – Margie and Dr. Alasdair. As keen enthusiasts of Curry, it was a matter of when, not if. Hector planned two Curry sessions in the four day trip: Mailsi – Pakistani Restaurant (Lipanska 1, Praha 3 Czechia) is our first venue, an opperchancity to sample more Punjabi Cuisine in Czechia.
Tram 9 took us from the Ibis Mala Strana straight to Lipanska, we arrived exactly at noon, the opening time. I said they were keen.
I find it hard to believe it is almost three years since I was last in these premises, somehow Steve and Hector missed it out last January, but we did discover – Indian Happy Tandoori – which we plan to visit on Friday. Mein Host was in situ, Menus were provided, it took a few moments to interpret the layout.
The – Traditional Dishes – stand alone, thereafter one chooses one’s Meat/Vegetable then selects the style of Masala from the alphabetical list, simples, well almost.
Having had the Qeema Mattar (325 Kc) I was tempted to have the Rogan Josh as recommended by Mein Host last time. This is only available as Tikka Lamb, Hector’s preference is always Tender Lamb. Gosht Aloo (325 Kc) with a Pratha (95 Kc) was Hector’s choice. Marg declared she was having a Starter only until Margie planted the idea of a Vegetable Curry. Mixed Vegetables (275 Kc) and a Chapatti for Marg, Dal Palak (250 Kc) and a Chapatti for Margie. Dr. Alasdair was having Meat and Spinach: Gosht Palak (325 Kc) and a Naan (50 Kc).
Mein Host took the Order but had to explain to Marg that she needed to choose a Sauce. Masala (Butter), how could it not be? This is Marg’s favourite Masala.
A Litre Bottle of Sparkling Water (50 Kc) and a half litre of Pilsner Urquell completed the Order. Pivo? A bit early for the Hector who stuck to his usual Sparkling Water.
The Fish Tanks became the focus of conversation, – I’ll have that one – but there was no Fish Curry on the Menu.
The Bread
The Chapattis and Naan were great, quite dry, not greasy, the Naan in particular was not fluffy, both Pizza like in fact….
Pratha
The Paratha was Layered and Flaky with a slight Crispness. It was very buttery and presented in four pieces. I did not mind the Butter as this probably stopped it becoming more Crispy. I managed more than half enabling Marg and Dr. Alasdair to move in for the kill.
Dr. Alasdair concurred – Paratha was a bit greasy.
Gosht Aloo
I have never seen such a Peely Wally looking Aloo Gosht, there most certainly no food dye here. Normally would have eaten straight from the karahi, however, knowing my Fellow Diners, this – sharing – thing was likely.
I counted only six pieces of Meat and appreciably more Potato. The Meat was not spiced so only the Flavour of the Lamb itself was coming through. The yellow nature and consistency of the Masala suggested Lentils could have been added to the blend. The photo shows that there was far too much Oil in the karahi. Had I ordered Rice this would have been absorbed and eaten, not the healthy option then.
This was a Simple Curry, well Seasoned, lacking in Spice but still full of Flavour. The Menu desribed this Curry as Hot, it wasn’t. Compared to what I see at Karahi Palace (Glasgow) this was a completely different interpretation of Aloo Gosht. Very enjoyable, something different, my notes concluded.
Mixed Vegetables – Butter Masala
The Masala looked very authentic, Thick and Creamy, just the way Marg likes it. Too Korma-esque for a Hector. The Masala shrouded the Vegetables, however, Marg listed them: Cauliflower, Potatoes and Peas. What happened to the traditional Green Beans?
A lovely alternative to my usual Samosa – remarked Marg, – The creamy Masala was excellent, the Chapatti worked well.
Dr. Alasdair got his tuppence worth in here – Lovely.
One concludes that the Butter Masala is worthy of consideration at Mailsi.
Two Dishes featuring Spinach, I find across Europe that this is a license to present a Creamy Curry. If Hector has a Palak then the – Five Herb Mix – is what I prefer with Methi adding Bitterness. Basically I have stopped ordering this Curry in Europe, to have two covered today adds to the breadth of Dishes reported in Curry-Heute.
Dal Palak
So, here we have Lentils in Spinach and effectively nothing that Hector recognises as a Masala. A Soupçon came my way, it was more Flavoursome than I anticipated, but the quantity I consumed was quite enough. Dal Palak as a Main Course, not for Hector?
This was Margie’s choice, here is her verdict:
The first mouthful was absolutely delicious, I loved the creaminess, but there was no cream…and the texture of the yellow lentils... (was appreciated).
I liked the presentation, beautiful, and the perfect portion size.
The Chappatti was a very good complement
Gosht Palak
There was possibly more Lamb in here than the Aloo Gosht. Despite the appearance, it was not the Creamy Mush served across Europe, this had more going for it. As with the Aloo Gosht, the Lamb was – just visiting – a surprisingly Dry Curry with very little Spice… writes Hector who had but one spoonful. Again, the Menu described this as – Hot.
Dr. Alasdair was given the floor:
An excellent size of meal for early in the day, not too spicy. Between us we had a good range of dishes, none of which I have had (here) before. There was more spinach than I had anticipated, and less Lamb than I would have liked (he probably had more than Hector!) The Lamb itself was firm, but had lovely flavour.
Unusually for me I got to taste all of the dishes, even yours (Hector’s), which is usually verboten. My feelings were you had the Poorest Dish, the sauce lacked flavour and Spiciness, and tried to make up for it with grease. (To be fair to Mailsi, it was the Oil I had left which he sampled.)
Marg’s Mixed Vegetables was very creamy, maybe too creamy, but a lovely blend of Vegetables, I particularly liked the Cauliflower.
Margie’s Dal Palak had subtle flavours with more Spinach than I have ever seen in a Daal, not over Garlicked.
Hector had the final word on this:
I preferred my Curry.
The Bill
1595Kc (£62.23) One can eat cheaper than this in Praha.
The Aftermath
Mein Host accepted the pleasantries but engaged us no further even after I had gone up to the counter to show him the Blog from my last visit. Compare this to Taj Tandoori (Prestwick) last Sunday night.
From the ubiquitous Tram 9, I spotted Al Karim (11 Jindrišská Nové Mesto Praha 1 Ceská republika) another Pakistani Restaurant situated between Hlavni Nadrazi (Central Station) and Mustek. Also, the Himalaya Indian Restaurant (Soukenická 2, 110 00 Petrská ctvrc, Czechia), this time from Tram 15. Next visit.
Mailsi – Menu extracts
