PragueBuzz!

Meat-lovers and curious diners should not miss this simple five-table Bosnian-owned restaurant at Zizkov. They offer freshly grilled cevapi (cevapcici), minced Bosnian-style sausages. For 100 CZK, you’ll get a 175 gr of popping hot meat stuffed in pocket bread (Bosnian sarma). You can also get half portion for 50 CZK. Another variation of cevapi, spicy cevapi, is called Sis Cevap. The meat is made into longer-shaped sausage, similar to typical sausages you see in Czech restaurants. However, I don’t think the Sis Cevap are
as spicy as they are in Bosnia. Real meat-lovers can try  a combo plate of cevapi and sis cevap, Mamut, which comes in various sizes.

The cevapi is served exactly like in Sarajevo, with only onion slices dotted along the plate and no tomatoes seen in wall pictures. The proper way to savor every bite from this delicious meal is to use your hands, tearing a piece of sarma bread, picking the sausage and feeling the juiciness in your mouth and the grease on your fingers. Yummy!

And you know how they really eat this meal in Bosnia? They wash it down with plain, thick white yogurt instead of beer, soda as people here in Czech do quite often. 

Tasty, healthy salads are surprisingly cheap as well for only 35 CZK a bowl.

Cevapis are everyday dish but Bosnian pies (burek, meat pies; prompirusa, potato pies; sirnica, cheese pies) comes only on Thursday on daily menu. There is a little bit of something for sweet-toothers too. For 40 CZK, you can indulge yourself with Bosnian’s extra-sweet baklava and apple cakes.

Bosna Grill. Restaurace, Balkánská kuchyně. Havlíčkovo náměstí 4 Praha 3 13000.
Metro: (Line C) Hlavní Nádraží. Tram: 05, 09, 26 (Stop: Lipanská). [Map]
Website: Bosna Grill
Hours: 10 to 23

You can watch Mozart’s operas including Don Giovanni at the theater where it was first debut for a mere 30 CZK ~ 2$.

I almost bought two tickets for Don Giovanni for $600/$700 (already discounted by the people who could not go to the show) until J. said that we could buy standing tickets instead. A month ago, I paid 350 CZK for a side-balcony seat to see “Clemenza de Tita.” Didn’t like the seat because of the blocked view, I opted to stand at the exact location I was last night which I could have gotten for only 30 CZK.

540/640 CZK was saved and would go to my piggy bank for future purchase.

[Stavoske Divadlo]

The film festival featuring 138 documentaries from 40 countries all around the world will take place from Mar 5 to March 13th.

Tickets can be purchased at all festival cinemas for CZK 70. A Viewer’s Pass costs 350 crowns and offers unlimited admission to Lucerna, Svetozor (big theater0, Atlas (big theater) and Mestska Knihovna (Municipal Library). You can pick up the pass at the cafe in Lucerna theater from March 5th. The Czech version of the festival program catalogue will be available free of charge.

I was deeply disappointed by the result of Eurovision final when Tereza Kerndlova was crowned the winner. So this is how Czech wants to be represented abroad: a country which can’t find anything better than a pretty face who doesn’t know how to sing.

Though Kerndlova’s “Have Some Fun” and her images are Eurovision materials: English song, catchy tunes, cheesy lyrics, and pretty costumes, they won’t save this young singer from the embarrassment of performing live in an important European event, under the scrutiny of a broad international audience. Her voice is utterly horrible, if not the worst from all participants. She was off-key in many occasions and failed to sync with the music. Of course, she “can” sing in her music videos with all the aid from technology, sound filter and so on, but this is a live performance, period.

How pathetic! Has last year’s bottom finish taught these Czechs anything? Unless Tereza attends more singing lessons or conceals her weak, off-key voice, I don’t see how she can go very far in the final competition in Belgrade. Kabat, Czech’ previous representative, is both right and wrong when commenting that the ability to sing doesn’t matter so much as long one knows how to uniquely present oneself. Singing well does not guarantee a satisfying position; however, I have never seen any singer or group with a half-ass voice make it to the top ten.

Gipsy.cz and Cechomor

It is yet another disappointing year for this unique and talented group of young Roma artists. They write their own songs with unmistakable beats, and their performances are funny and original. If they can change one thing, it is their casual jeans and t-shirts.

Cechomor is a well-known Czech semi-folk band which crafts beautiful and soulful songs. Their entry “Józef, mój kochany” is blended with Polish folk; some of the words are spoken in the Silesia region, comprising of Czech and Poland. Unfortunately, Eurovision in the Czech Republic is quite young, thus the audience and those who care to vote are teenagers and young people who don’t identify withCechomor’s music. Additionally, Cechomor’s style is a bit high-class for Eurovision , certainly they will not get to the top five. Their song reminded me of Ireland’s last year performance which ranked near the bottom.

Having watched and listened to Gipsy.cz and Cechomor and some other groups, I can’t not help but “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Stupid audience.” They have all these great performers, and they had to choose this girl. Normally I vote for the singer/band whose country I have some affiliation with, but this year,Tereza won’t get any SMS from me or from other voters either.

Tereza’s Have some Fun

Gipsy.cz’ Benga Beating


Cechomor’s Józef, mój kochany