ZEM Prague — Restaurant in Prague

We came as a group of 11 people, which gave us the opportunity to order a special menu (see picture). The waiters and staff were very nice and friendly, explaining all the dishes in detail. And that’s basically the only positive part.

Although we were 11 people, we received only 8 starters. The Kabocha Salad tasted just like plain pumpkin—nothing more, nothing less. Quite boring. The Trout Terrine had a strong fishy taste. Of course, it’s fish, but high-quality fish shouldn’t have that overpowering flavour. And if the fish isn’t high quality (which it should be at this price), spices should be used to balance it. The Pork Gyoza was okay; the ginger was a nice touch. Karaage was extremely bland. The chili mayo helped a bit, but on its own, it lacked any flavour.

Then came the main course—I chose Koprovka. It had several issues. Koprovka is traditionally a soup served as a starter, not a main dish. Here, they tried to present it as a main, but it ended up being neither a proper soup nor a satisfying main. There wasn’t enough dill (kopr), which is the key flavor and aroma of this dish. The color was unusually dark, suggesting they either didn’t use whipped cream or didn’t use enough. Traditionally, Koprovka contains smoked pork, but they used beef cheeks instead—probably to make it feel more like a main dish. I didn’t mind that, as the cheeks were tender (which was good), but they were completely flavourless. When eaten with the dumplings (which aren’t a typical part of Koprovka), the cheeks were barely noticeable. Even on their own, they lacked any taste. I understand the choice to skip potatoes since it wasn’t served as a soup, but the dumplings didn’t work for me. Also, using a hard-boiled egg instead of a poached one felt lazy. Poached eggs are much tastier and would have elevated the dish.

For dessert, I had the Cuban Cake. It was quite good—sweet enough, with complementary flavours that worked well together.

The biggest issue was that after the starter, main, and dessert, I was hungrier than when we arrived. The portions were extremely small. The first thing I did when I got home was cook dinner. That’s incredibly disappointing after spending around 1,700 CZK (~70 €) on a meal. With each course, I kept thinking, “Okay, it looks small, but surely the next one will make up for it.” It didn’t.

TL;DR: Extremely overpriced. Flavours were average at best. After a three-course dinner, I had to cook a second dinner at home because I was...

We stayed at Andaz and hotel was amazing. We had dinner at Mez and food was great but the service was bit of a nightmare and unexpected for hotel like Andaz.

First we came for our appointment on the 22nd March night, the lady seated us and she asked if we wanted drinks and gave us the menu. I wanted to order red wine from the menu itself and she said i can have wine only after dinner (still not sure why she said that). I persisted i want right then before eating and she said she will send someone as she doesnt know about wine much - even though i showed her on the menu exactly the red wine i wanted 😄

We waited for someone to come for 7minutes just to get wine order before eating - a guy finally came and i showed on the menu what i wanted same like before - but he asked me what kind of wine i like. I dont need to be asked if i like spicy, dry etc kind of wine if i showed/know in the menu what i wanted (i was okay being asked but there is a difference when your treated like you dont know wine which was an insult)

After i said i'll have spicy as he wouldnt listen to what i pointed from the menu, he came with a nice bottle of wine and just poured everything in the glass. Didnt even asked me to taste if i'd like that or not - thats least expected especially from a 5star restaurant 😄 (you pour a small amount and let your guest taste first)

We want to pay at the end and the lady who escourted us says she didnt know how to operate and she'll send someone. We waited about 8 mins and finally had to ask to pay again and finally someone came in another 5 mins just to make payments.

Overall the food and drinks were great. However for a hotel like Andaz, this is not a standard service i've experienced in other countries or any other luxury hotel/restaurants of the same range - I try to be nice and empathize always but we never get the warm hospitable treatment and positive energy we got at the front office at Andaz. Please teach your Mez staff the right kind of service, the knowledge required and standard service regardless of what your customer might look like. Yes the restaurant was busy but not to the extend that they were understaffed - would be even really sad if we were the only one experiencing this as we looked different. Regardless the service staff at Mez really need to be equipped with the right knowledge and standard...

I had the privilege to experience Zem when I went to Prague earlier this year. The newly opened restaurant as well as the hotel is located in the city center in the old town.

An event-gard of fused Czech and Asian cuisine, made from local ingredients. I associate the word avant-garde with fashion not with food. However I guess the theme avant-gard resonates with the hotel; It's unique,and incorporating the local history and folklore with the hotel design and structure. Apparently, throughout the hotel, you'll see a sculpture or an item based on some local story.

The venue is sleek and throughout the restaurant, you'll see references to farming. The name Zem is a reference to farm/farming. You would expect the restaurant to be big but capacity-wise it's small, they do have an outdoor area.

The staff was great and very energized but I guess being open for a few days the excitement still lingers. They are very friendly, and interact with the guests (hence why I know Zem is a reference to farming).

When you see the menu, you'll notice that most ingredients are local, but I guess some ingru they would have to import, after reviewing the menu I was curious about how the dish will result in with just a few ingredients. Will it be

Since we shared the dishes between the group we all got a taster, however, I didn't try the dish with the pork in it. The result was delicious, tasty, and something different. It's strange to look at the food in front of you and you sort of, mentally identify the dish as either European or Japanese, however the taste, the flavour and the smell is not what you expected.

After dinner we went to the bar next door, and if you were not full of avant-garde experience, then order the chilli cocktail. You might be lucky or unlucky on how spicy the drink will be. I was...