There was a late start to the day, something to do with a late end to yesterday. The rendezvous at Al Karim (11 Jindrisska Nove Mesto Praha 1 Czechia) was pushed back to 14.00. Steve and Hector entered the building and followed the signs down to the basement.
There were no diners at Al Karim, a chap was manning the counter. He explained that one helps oneself and then the meal is weighed. This means that Rice is being charged at the same price as Meat and Masala, where is the logic in this? Chicken was the only Meat on offer, we left.
No trip to Praha would be complete without taking a tram to Lipanska. From there we walked down the hill to Punjabi Tadka (Chlumova 199/22 130 00 Praha 3-Zizkov, Czechia) which Google Maps report as open all day. Wrong!
A bus and metro ride later we arrived at Punjab Bistro (nam. Hrdinu 728/10, Nusle, 140 00 Praha 4 Nusle-Praha 4, Czechia) in the southern end of the city. The aroma of Curry wafted towards us as we approached. The lights were off, nobody was at home.
Chicken appears to be the only Meat on the Menu at Punjab Bistro.
Why do businesses not check what Google have as their opening times, surely it is in their best interest to have these accurately reported? I also tried using the phone links on Google Maps to verify that other nearby venues were open, the Huawei was not playing.
Back on the tram, two stops, and we were at Spice Affair (59/14, Nuseleska. 140 00 Praha 4-Nusle, Czechia) which we spotted yesterday en route to the impressive Zly Casy bar. Spice Affair was open, empty, it was 16.30. This was a late lunch.
The setup was similar to Al Karim, however, I had already checked that Lamb Curry was available, but none was on display. The chap pointed to the photos on the wall, Lamb Curry (215Kc) on-the-bone was illustrated. Lamb Curry it would be, take it or leave it. The photo of the Chapattis (30Kc) actually showed White Paratha, if so I had to have one. The chap showed me the Chapattis, they were standard, so the photo was misleading. Qeema Paratha (80Kc) was not available, Aloo Paratha (60Kc) was. Steve would have the same. We helped ourselves to cans (30Kc) from the fridge.
The Bill
610 Kc (£20.33) Paid in advance.
The chap disappeared to the kitchen at the rear of the premises, our meal would be presented on a Thali. Some of the food on display was arranged on the Thali, it was only having ordered that I realised that Rice was inclusive, quite a Feast was being prepared.
Twice I asked for a glass from which to drink my Mango Rubicon, the request fell on deaf ears. Only when the food was brought was I able to obtain a drinking vessel.
It’s cold – remarked Steve whilst Hector completed the photographic ritual. I checked mine, the Curry was tepid, the Rice had not been heated. Everything was colder than everything else. We sent back both meals.
I’m very sorry – said our chap, quite profusely. This was becoming a Comedy Curry.
And so we waited whilst the food was heated. How this was achieved intrigued, he couldn’t simply stick the Thali in a microwave, Hot Salad anyone? The Thalis were returned to us, this time I had Steve’s, we swopped. The difference? Steve had a Daal in the corner, I had Potato and Aubergine. Why we needed Yellow Rice and Plain Basmati puzzled, the latter was still cold. None of the food was particularly hot, it was at least edible. Where was the Bread?
I counted eight large pieces of Meat in a standard Masala. Steve had one piece on a large bone, I only encountered a sliver. The Potato and Aubergine Curry added a welcomed Diversity, better than the Daal I thought. The Raita on the Salad added a bit of distraction. Where was the Bread?
A young lady came in, studied what was on offer, then left. Our chap was still busy in the back. We ate on. The meal was quite underwhelming initially, it got better. The Meat was quite chewy despite having been well cooked. There was a sense that it belonged to the Masala. The Spice Level was moderate, the Seasoning was OK.
The warm Yellow Rice eaten, I spread some of the White Rice on the remaining Masala. Four pieces of Meat left, there was much more eating here than was perceived at the start. I was approaching the end game when the chap brought two Aloo Paratha and Raita, why so late?
The Aloo Paratha was very hot. Served in Quarters, they were visibly well stuffed with Potato.
These are Spicy – I remarked – they truly were and will go down in these pages as the Spiciest Paratha ever encountered. I ate two pieces only, Hector was well stuffed.
Steve looked at the plates the Paratha had arrived on and wondered why we could not have eaten our Curry from one of these. The Thali did make the meal look like a school dinner. Steve’s verdict:
Apart from the shambolic service, reasonably tasty food. The meat was tender, it was a decent Curry but could have been hotter. I didn’t like the way it was dished up.
The Aftermath
I gave the chap the Calling Card, conversation was minimal. Was this his business? Was he the Chef? We shall never know, Hector will not be back.