Kampa Park Restaurant - Prague - TravBuddy

It is 9 years since I was last in Prague having lived part time there for some years, I have just revisited and thought what could be better than a trip to the "premier" spot in Prague for Dinner.

The arrival was pleasant, our jackets taken and shown to a table. It was pleasant enough in a covered area right next to the River, though the seating is rather garden furniture we settled in for a relaxing culinary delight, trying not to notice the dusty glass balls above our heads (they have Christmas decorations up all year it would seem). The waiter arrived and plonked down some menus and a wine list in a rather unceremonious fashion and rushed off, to do what I am not sure as the place was hardly busy.

He then came back and asked if we wanted drinks, great, which came in a short time, but again just plonked down on the table.

The menu was short and fairly un inspiring, my wife went for a seared scallop dish with nuts, I for a skewered squid. And we ordered a bottle of Crozes Hermitage at the equivalent price of around £45 or $85, which seemed a little steep, I had much the same bottle the week before in a 2 Michelin star London place for around half of that, but hey its further from France.

As our waiter came bumbling past I began to ask if we could have a large bottle of water, he showed me the hand and said "wait" In the end he came back and took the order for water, we latter asked for another bottle and were told they had run out of the “large” (half litre) bottles and we would have to have 2 small ones.

Then the farce really began, we had 2 little dishes thrown onto the table by a lad that looked like a kitchen porter, no explanation, I am very used to getting these tasting dishes in London but you usually get an explanation as to what they are at least and they come pre-each course. These dishes were and I kid you not, a potato crisp in a little mound of salmon caviar, very odd. It was thankfully the last of these tasting dishes we would see.

Within 30 seconds of these odd little concoctions arriving our starters hit the table. My wifes “seared scallops” consisted of 2 very small scallops a bit of salad and a drizzle of some nut sauce, which was some what congealed in appearance, my skewered squid was a single small skewer with a bit of squid, some salad leaves and a rather haphazardly poured sauce.

At this point the kitchen porter was back with bread, which he carefully forked and spooned onto our side plates only to return to the waiters table and rearrange the basket with his fingers.

So we tucked into the first course, well as best you could given the preposterous dimensions of my wife’s plate and to a lesser, or is that greater extent my own.

The Scallops were tastyish, if a little rubbery and my squid had to much of the sea (way 2 salty in the sauce dept) Our waiter did not come near to ask how the food was, or pour more wine or show any service whatsoever. This was to be the recurring theme. When he came to clear plates and ask how the food was, I remarked it was pretty poor as way too salty, this he stated was my fault as I should have called him over earlier! He had just finished an argument with the Americans at the table a few away about poor food, so I didn’t feel like engaging.

We waited for mains, my wife went for the famous Kampa Park peppered steak, I for a Monkfish and bacon dish. These arrived, again the sauce on my dish was a little congeled. My wifes steak was very nice, the peppering was not subtle but it was good none the less. My fish was OK, I would hazard a guess that the fish was Pacific and had been frozen, which is not a bad thing, but at the prices and reputation of this place you would think it better to be fresh. The sauce was good, however the onions which should have been roasted were close to raw.

Having again had no visit from our waiter to check on food, pour wine, see if there was anything we needed, we decided to call it a night and go back to Café Paris at our hotel for dessert and coffee. I paid the close to 6000czk bill (that’s over £150 or $ 300) for 2 courses, a mid range wine and mineral water, I left a tip which reflected the service we got 0. This was a 2000czk Bistro meal.

Overall, what I got at Kampa Park was what I remember of the old Prague, bad service, mediocre food, what we paid was international rates. It is strange as whilst in Prague we revisited one of my old favourites, and I did something I have never done before, I rebooked for later in the week, as the menu was stunning, the service exemplary and the price fair and reflecting what we ate and drank. This was a place that 9 years ago I used to say its worth it for the location and the food and service are a bit hit and miss. That place is Palffy Palac.

Perfectly prepared food with subtle seasonings in a waterfront setting looking back at Prague as the lights come on at night - what more could you want?  This restaurant is next to the Charles Bridge and reservations are needed.  Bring an appetite, your camera and money (about $75 to $100 USD per person)>