Krystal – Prague (Czech Republic) en

I don’t remember who recommended this one to me but it was THE GOOD NEO BIRSTROT PICK of the stay. Perfect service! Cozy atmosphere, smart cooking, a nice establishment.

Located on the outskirts of the touristic center, but not far either, there is a metro and tram stop just there.
The space is large and it was far from being full that night, but that’s a good thing, there’s room: the tables are pleasant, good seats.
There was some lounge-jazzy music but not in a schmaltzy way, usually I don’t like it at all but in this case it was alright, the volume was good and the music was good enough to accompany the meal, and not kill it .

Round of applause: our waiter was not only francophone and anglophone ( my Czech friends told me that it was a rare thing in such a young person to be perfectly tri-lingual) but also very nice, and very professional! He told me he had worked a while in France actually.
He gave good advice for the menu, and the quality of his service was noted- present but not obnoxiously so. He was working with another waiter which was also very good.

Apéritif
We started with a lemonade, in Czech Republic there are monstrous and terribly good, for someone who has a fondness for lemon such as me, it was awesome.

Mains:
My friends got:
-veal osso bucco, white wine and saffron

– the beef burger

-I chose the “sous vide” salmon ( slow cooking at a low temperature), pumpkin and ginger (?) purée, gratin dauphinois and pumpkin seed oil.
You know the story, in Paris I avoid salmon when I can, I don’t see the point. Here, the waiter assured me it was good salmon, so I went for it. Delicious salmon and well cooked, good purée, nice gratin, correctly seasoned mixed green salad, a classic bistrot dish but executed really well, healthy and with no excess fat. I was completely won over by the dish, especially since usually I’m suspicious of these types of dishes, so my happiness was only better for it.
I also took a glass of white wine which was totally acceptable, but I forgot to write down which one.

– dessert
C’est servi chaud et délicieux.
The traditional dessert: Švestkové knedlíky, or plum”balls”. These balls can be cooked as a savory or sweet dish. The dough can be made with cream cheese ( tvarohové), potato ( bramborové) or leaven flour, inside: plums, on top: poppy seeds.
It’s served warm and delicious.

With dessert I got a Czech digestif: la becherovka. The myth says that no one knows the recipe of this precious elixir concocted with about 20 plants. Very pleasant, not very strong in my opinion.

The good pick of the stay: warm and professional customer service, comfort, quality food, and simplicity in its terms ( the chef goes straight to the point, doesn’t overdo it).
And the prices are perfectly acceptable, it was 2000 korunas  for 4, so 500 per person: 20 euros per person.