KARLIN

Hello again Karlin. The last time that I was here was back in the summer of 2011 with a pregnant Anna, since then I or should I say we have published a lot more posts and looking back to the previous one on Karlin I can see some changes between the two posts, some of which we thought were necessary to give the locals or people who are visiting the area for the first time a better idea of what there is available, especially when it comes down to affairs of the heart such as food and drink.
There have been a few changes in Karlin that are immediately noticeable so fortunately we don't have to go back and sift through all the old photos, and that is the addition of many new businesses not surprisingly in the food and drink department and there have also been some new residential and commercial sites that have improved the area somewhat compared to the time just after the floods back in 2002. There is now a farmers' market in Karlinske Namesti which is a permanent fixture during the warmer months which should be from March to October but looking at the weather that we have been having, you definitely wouldn't agree with that for sure. The last time we were in Karlin we also vaguely mentioned the summer cinema which is held at the Cesky Rohlas building close to the war museum around the back and starts some time in June, near the end I think until the end of August and although quite small (well apparently after checking the website I must change my description to rather large as they claim that it will hold a capacity of 500), it is a very nice way to spend an evening during the week, drinking beer and watching a movie which are generally English movies though not exclusively. You can find more information on their website at http://www.karlinske-filmove-leto.cz/.
For the review we decided to add more places for you to visit, we felt that the earlier blogs were a little bit scarce of interesting places and although we limited the numbers to around 10, it was very difficult and I think that is a lot to do with how the area is improving as a popular commercial and residential area.
This time I was sadly on my own so I took to my bicycle and flew around the district though it still took me a good 3 hours to complete and that isn't taking photos of everything, as now we have a better idea of what we can use and what we can't use. The things that stood out to me this time were a contrast to the last time. I noticed a lot of graffiti not all bad I have to say, especially on the Karlin railway bridge, which connects the main railway station to the station at Bubny. The viaduct was put into operation in June 1850 and is the longest viaduct in the Czech Republic and if you go through it you seem to be plunged into darkness for an eternity. The Viaduct for those googlees is called the Alois Negrelli viaduct (not a very Czech name, is it?). The other place of interest of which I failed to mention last time is the twin spire Church of Cyril and Methodius, who have their own holiday on the 5th July and they are coincidentally connected to Jan Hus. These people more than any other are responsible for the Czech language as we see it today, though I guess it has changed a little since their times. The church was built in mid 19th century and the architect was Karl Rosner and it was consecrated on the 18th October 1863, which is the anniversary of them coming to the Bohemian lands. That's all for this blog, if you have any comment or notice any new places opening up or featured places closing then please let us know. It is always nice to hear from the people who visit or live in the area and get some feedback of a positive nature, please, as this blog is a good week's work in the making and is done out of love, not money.

Review

When I was cycling around Karlin I found several new businesses but the one that stuck out was Peter's burger bar on Thamova near to the metro Krizikova. I was inspired to visit here after reading a discussion about the best burger in Prague and I noticed that Peter's burger pub didn't even receive a single vote so I thought that I would visit them and see whether they just don't reach the standards of the other places or maybe they had just been overlooked.

Before I went there I had a look for some information on the internet on the bar and I found a simple but well designed website and on it there was a menu to view which wetted my appetite a little. They had an interesting selection of Burgers, sandwiches and steaks as well as Kocour beer and flavoured lemonades and even lactose-free milkshakes. It felt as though the owners really care about the product that they sell and have gone to a lot of effort to offer something special.

I went there with Anna and Sammy as per usual and it looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did from outside, downstairs there is seating for about 60 and upstairs for an extra 40. When you walk in some places you can get a feeling that you are going to be treated to a gastronomic experience, well maybe I am stretching it a bit with the choice of burgers, steaks and sandwiches but still I didn't think that the food would be plain and ordinary and I was right. The staff were very friendly and showed us to a child friendly area which was a small room out the back where we could block the entrance off with a couple of chairs and gently contain little Sammy.

The waitress came with the menus and took our drink order. I had already decided on the kocour and Anna took what seemed like an eternity in Man years to finally choose a vanilla cola. The interesting points that Anna noticed as she perused the menu was that they serve cooked breakfasts from 7,30 and a lot of the produce that is on the menu has the name of the suppliers who deliver it to them such as the rolls for the burgers and interestingly the steaks as well and after watching my burger arrive sandwiched between 2 giant toasted bun halves I can see why.

When the waitress came back with the drinks, Anna ordered the classic chicken breast burger and I went for the PBP No.1 which was one of the most expensive burgers at 128czk and it came with bacon, cheddar cheese, black bean chilli sauce, onion and a fried egg. It was a monster and even though we ordered a side plate of chips and fried onion rings I struggled to eat the burger which was served perfectly flame grilled and medium rare which was just how I wanted it even though to be honest, they didn't actually ask me how I would like it served though there was a card on the tables showing us how the burgers can be cooked and that you should tell the staff when you place your order, so they should really ask you this as you order and I hope that the next time we go, it will be so.

I have to say that this burger of the many burgers that I have tasted in Prague is the nicest burger that I have tasted. It was nice and moist and seasoned well. It definitely ticked all of the boxes. The fried onion rings were homemade and served with a homemade mayonnaise but were a little bit greasy, my guess is that they either weren't drained well after frying or the oil wasn't hot enough and the fries on the other hand were homemade but baked instead of fried which made them healthy but not particularly tasty. The place was quite busy. there were about 8 tables having food and the service was very good. We didn't have to wait too long for anything and the staff were very attentive. We have marked this down as one of our favourites and we will be going back. One thing I thought was nice was the no smoking throughout the bar and all the furniture was around 100 years old so it gave it a special character.