Archives for “Prague” tag

Like (almost) every woman I like to go shopping for clothes. I try to combine the visits in classical fashion chains with the ones at young Czech fashion designers shops – with clothes from them, you have quite a chance that you won’t meet half of Prague in the same outfit. I took in affection the brand Leeda. Every time I go there, I buy something new (and that is also the reason why I should not go there too often).

Leeda is an original Czech brand, created by a duo of designers Lucie Kutalková and Lucie Trnková. Their collections are thematically tuned and you can always find some extravagant models as well as normally wearable to the office and for leisure time. I find it interesting that Leeda is also cooperating with people from other creative areas (art, architecture, graphical design etc) – eg. the world-known architect Jan Kaplický was concerned in one of the collections named Leeda Kaplicky.

From time to time Leeda throws fashion parties to sell out old collections. It’s always a small event with a nice atmosphere – the small shop and its surrounding is full of people, chatting over a glass of wine and some chips.

P.S. Leeda is now known among movie stars – Tilda Swinton and also Kim Cattrall went shopping there while filming in Prague

The hall number 22 is one of my favorite places where I go regularly –  the vegetable market takes place there. It is an oasis of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers from local provenience (although you can also find there imported commodities) of course according to the season. It is actually quiet nice to see how the goods (hence seasons) are changing if you go there regularly. Now, I go there each Saturday to buy mainly apples, pears and pumpkins

Some people can not understand, why I tend to buy vegetables there if I do not live in the neighborhood. But it’s simple – the rate quality/price compared to what you can buy in supermarkets is definitely better, in spite of the fact that I like to support local farmers (one note: some are only re-sellers, but you still have plenty of local ones!).

Another favorite represents a small stall with authentic Vietnamese food (and would-be Chinese food). The stall is quite well hidden – you will find it in a small side street just under the hall number 8 schedule. Try any kind of phở soup, bún chả or bún bò khô, it´s delicious! To compare, you can check out the fusion Asian cuisine SaSaZu, which is a music club and restaurant under one roof.

For sweet lovers with refined taste, patisserie St. Tropez is a very dangerous place, where your passion for chocolate can fully break out.

Under the name Passion Chocolat the French married couple Musso ran their company at Vinohrady neighborhood, in 2009 they relocated further into the city centre to the passage at Dům U Nováků (just a couple footsteps from Wenceslas square).

The interior of the patisserie feels airy and holds our interest with the prep place where you can observe the production…fortunately all the goodies are separated by a glass wall. The place is strictly non-smoking.

Croissants for breakfast, cakes and tarts of various flavors to afternoon coffee or a cup of tea, delicious chocolate pralines, popular macarons or gateaux to order – everybody will find his or her favorite in St. Tropez.

If you have a dilemma, which one among the many sweets you should choose, try a couple of mini-sweets out (I also recommend the macarons, e.g. the lavender one) and then let the smiley madame Nadine pack the one which you like the most for you in its classic size.

Lokál is another baby that Tomáš Karpíšek – the well known Czech entrepreneur and founder of Ambiente group – can be proud of. Since its opening it became quietly known and tourists come here as well, but it is still one of the favorite spots among locals. 

I think that Lokál’s attraction is the beer (Pilsner) which is fresh and crisp – also thanks to the fact that it is kept in the special beer tanks. As far as food is concerned, you can choose from simple and classic Czech dishes – there is a nice selection of starters, soups and main dishes (and a lunch menu). I can recommend eg. the Prague ham with creamy horseradish as a starter and the fried cheese with home made tartare sauce from the main dishes (the cheese is quiet expensive comparing to what it is, but you know, from time to time, it is good to have it .

Lokál is also interesting from the design point of view. Some people do not like it because it is a long corridor (which can be as noisy as a beehive), but I like it especially because of the carved wooden walls and the funny “retro” posters at the toilets. 

There is a second branch located near Charles bridge, so you can try the beers there as well. Another one in Prague 4 – Kunratice and there will be another one opened very soon in Prague 7 near the Stromovka park.

I like receiving presents, but giving them even a little bit more. If I have a problem with gift selection or am only looking for some inspiration, I go to Naoko. I always stay there for a while – the shop is packed with many interesting things to see and buy, hence I have to watch my wallet carefully. If you like things with idea and uncommon design, you will definitely like Naoko.

Naoko is situated in Revoluční street (near the shopping centre Palladium) and has two shops side-by-side. The first is Eat & Drink, where you can find various things designated to cooking, eating and drinking. The second one, Home & Fun, is full of household and garden accessories, stuff for amusement and sport and last but not least funny „personal” accessories (if as a kid you were craving for a bath duck and never got it, you have a chance to compensate this with style

Naoko has a nicely done website, which works as an e-shop as well. The website is in Czech only, but you can check it to see the range of goods and also the prices.