Issue 21

Thai cuisine has spread all around the globe, even to the Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague. Horizon Thailand speaks with Lemon Leaf’s co-owner Ales Stanek.

Established in 2002, Thai SELECT Lemon Leaf not only offers a wide range of international food but also the unique Thai cuisine scarce found in the Czech Republic’s capital city. The ambience with its high ceiling and pleasing interior decoration goes well with the authentic Thai taste, and it is no wonder that this place has welcomed many important guests such as presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors and celebrities.

According to Ales Stanek, Lemon Leaf’s Co-Owner, the philosophy of the restaurant is to serve customers in a way that makes them coming back for more. “The way we make our clients’ experience an authentic Thai experience is to make their time here to be as pleasant as possible,” he says.

Stanek believes that the Thai SELECT mark is essential as it reassures clients about the standard of the food. The restaurant’s staff are painstaking in their efforts to ensure the authenticity of the cuisine. “When customers see that our food was judged good by Thais, the avid fans of Thai cuisine do not need to gamble on whether our food is authentic or not,” he says.

The restaurant has a wide variety of curries including green, red or Panang. “We have the largest selection of curries in town,” says Stanek. However, he recommends the restaurant’s signature Larb Gai, a dish from northeastern Thailand to Horizon’s readers.

“With the mixture of shallots, tiny sliced cilantro, scallions, mint leaves and roasted rice powder cooked with ground chicken and chicken broth, the smell of the herbs offers a mouthwatering aroma,” he says. “We serve this dish with steamed sticky rice to make the match more delightful.”

Stanek believes that the quality of service has been a major contributor to the restaurant’s success. “First we take care of customer satisfaction, then only second to profit,” he says. “We will not employ waitresses who have a negative attitude.”

So, if you are wandering around Prague and fancy some tasty Thai food, why not try Lemon Leaf.

Lemon Leaf
Myslíkova 14
Nové Město - Praha 2
120 00
(+420) 224 919 056
http://www.lemon.cz/en/

Words by Natthinee Ratanaprasidhi

Ingredient tip: Khao Khua

Khao Khua or roughly ground toasted rice is one of the most important ingredients for making larb. Apart from giving the dish a crunchy texture, it also provides the distinctive aroma of fresh roasted rice.

Thai Select

Lemon Leaf is endorsed by the DITP under its Thai Select scheme. The Thai SELECT programme was launched to certify and promote authentic Thai cuisine around the world. It is a seal of approval granted to Thai restaurants – both overseas and local Thai eateries that serve authentic food – and processed Thai food products. The objective is to increase the recognition of quality Thai restaurants and processed Thai food products as well as to encourage Thai restaurateurs and food producers to raise quality while maintaining authenticity. For more details of the scheme visit: http://www.thaiselect.com