I picked Vallmo for dinner from Eater's list of restaurants in Prague because it sounded as if they could accommodate people like us who don't eat a lot of meat. They could. But what we didn't quite anticipate was that everything about our meal would be so excellent. It's the best meal we've had in Prague in our three visits to the city.
Diners have a choice of 4, 6, or 8 courses. The highlights of our 4-course dinner were a cabbage cake prepared roti-style with a nice umami hit from a sort of stew with mushrooms, cheese and garlic. My main course was braised lamb neck, falling off the bone, served with crispy gnocchi, sheep cheese and slightly pickled tomatoes. My wife loved her mushroom ragout. We both loved the restaurant's silly and delicious poppy seed custard as a dessert. Portions were large enough so you had several tastes of each dish, but small enough to keep you wanting more.
The food was sophisticated without being fussy or stuffy. Every dish we ate was absolutely delicious and you could tell that the food was prepared from excellent ingredients and that there was a keen culinary intelligence behind it. Vallmo's small dining room feels spacious but is small enough to feel comfortable and quiet. The staff is really enthusiastic about what's happening at the restaurant: service is knowledgable, friendly and gracious.
Since we were in Prague, we took a chance on a bottle of Czech pinot noir that our server recommended. I was dubious at first taste, but once the wine opened up, it was perfect with our food. So there's also someone with a keen sense of what wine works with Vallmo's food putting together the wine list. read more