The book documenting Michelin restaurant La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise
A Michelin-starred restaurant in the centre of Prague
The tasting menu presents a seasonal ingredients from select farmers, gatherers and hunters. We place a lot of energy into finding them, and cook to emphasise the individuality of each ingredient.
Our dishes are rooted in traditional cuisine, finding inspiration in the cycles of nature, and the relationships between the ingredients we select. When we prepare game, careful attention is payed to the environment in which the animal lives, what it eats, and how the seasons influence its flavour.
Our sommeliers contemplate and experiment with wine and non-alcoholic food pairings, mixing fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts into their drinks.
La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, the pioneer restaurant of modern Czech gastronomy and holder of a Michelin star, has its own book. It was written by Blanka Datinská, who has conducted dozens of interviews with chef Oldřich Sahajdák, the restaurant team, suppliers and long-time collaborators.
Blanka spent time in the kitchen and captured behind-the-scenes moments that normally remain hidden from guests. "The book was not initiated by the restaurant, but by the need to record its overlap, its contribution to Czech gastronomy "I had the opportunity to look into the past, which today seems almost unbelievable to us. It has been 'only' nineteen years since the restaurant opened."
A written documentary
The book also contains recipes inspired by the cookbook of Maria B. Svobodová. These reveal how the resteurant at Haštalská 18 treats taste, ingredients and the season. However, this is not a cookbook, it's a document of pioneering, perseverance and respect.
It recalls how La Degustation was the first in the country to introduce an exclusively tasting menu and proved that koprovka or svíčková can stand on a world pedestal. In 2012, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.
"Each chapter has its own importance and complements the others, but I would like to highlight one of them. I've called it The School and it's full of testimonies and testimonials that La Degustation has 'taught' many chefs and waiters. It has also contributed to better gastronomy in the Czech Republic," Blanka adds her personal impressions.
The authentic atmosphere is underlined by photographs by the restaurant's court photographer Honza Zima and graphic design by Zuzana Lednicka from Studio Najbrt. "Since I have been working with La Degustation for a long time, I knew what the concept of the book could be based on. The tiles, as an important element of the interior, are also written on the cover of the book, where their grid is stamped into the black coarse canvas. With the layout, I then wanted to emphasise the attitude of the actors of the book themselves, their consistency, demanding nature and even radical approach to cooking," says Zuzana Lednická.
About the author
The book was written by writer and editor Blanka Datinská. She drew on interviews and vivid memories, on archive materials and recipe books, but also on her own experience in the professional kitchen and in the team of La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise - while gathering information and words, she played cook, among other things. From the first to the last chapter, she wrote out of love for Czech cuisine, the Czech country and its people, with respect to her predecessor Maria B. Svobodová.
