Imagine a slightly-thicker pasta tortellini, with unidentifiable meat inside, served with a dollop of sour cream on top instead of a broth or sauce. Well, you can stop dreaming of this dish – just visit Pelmenarna, at JzP and ask for Pelmeni!
We visited the new Pelmenarna location, just opposite the Jiřího z Poděbrad metro station. Apparently, this is one of three Pelmenarna locations in Prague, all specialising in Pelmeni – a classic Russian dish.
The interior looked cosy and eclectic from the entrance.
There are a few steps down.
We took a table in the back room.
A 0.1l glass of house red was 41 Kč – still not sure why Prague restaurants have started selling 0.1l glasses instead of 0.15l. We asked for a jug of tap water and were told, sternly, that they didn’t serve tap water. We asked for a large bottle of water and were told that only 0.33l bottles at 35 Kč each were available. So not a good start and Pelmenarna goes on the bad end of our list of restaurants that serve free tap water in Prague.
We chose two plates of Pelmeni; one filled with lamb (125 Kč), the other venison (145 Kč). Sour cream was charged separately as 10 Kč each. Both dishes looked exactly the same – this could be a picture of either dish.
The contents were impossible to identify. There was a small piece of meat inside each Pelmeni, but it was impossible to tell if it was lamb or venison, even when eaten separately. If you visit Pelmenarna then you may as well order the pork or chicken as they cost less.
I’ve never eaten Pelmeni before, but I can’t believe that these are good examples of what is touted as ‘the heart of Russian cuisine’. I’d hope they’re not supposed to be bland, boiled and served without any garnish.
The bathrooms (downstairs) were clean and modern. I also noticed another dining room downstairs – no doubt waiting for the day when bland food becomes popular again!
Pelmenarna
nám. J. z Poděbrad 1552/3, 1200 Vinohrady
Czech Republic
The Prague Review 