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Sami Grill

Brewsta visits a new Korean restaurant in Vinohrady where the waitresses cook the food at your table

Sami Grill
Photos: Brewsta
By Brewsta
Tue 10th Mar, 2009 [updated Wed 11th Mar, 2009]
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I shall make that trip. I shall go to Korea.
Dwight Eisenhower
I've never been to Korea. I've rarely even eaten Korean food. One of the few times was at Hanil in Prague, which we usually go to for sushi.

So I barely know kimchi from bibimbap.

Still, I was intrigued when I saw that Sami Grill opened up in the Vinohrady space formerly occupied by the Thai restaurant Tiger Tiger.

Sami Grill, Prague

The interior was changed with new lighting and a white and light green color scheme. It was too bright for us.

Sami Grill, Prague

They have special tables with built-in gas grills imported from Korea.

There was another unique feature. The tables have buttons you can push to call the waitress. Push it and you hear an electronic "ding-dong" in the other room.

Sami Grill, Prague

We had two half-liters of Krušovice (40 CZK each) and a 0.33-liter bottle of Mattoni mineral water (40 CZK).

Sami Grill, Prague

The menu had no real appetizer section to speak of so we went straight to the main event.

We really wanted to try out the grill. I took a peek under the protective stainless steel cover.

Sami Grill, Prague

There were a few pieces of charcoal, with flames fueled by a built-in gas can with a control knob.

V asked for the duck, but was told it was not available. She didn't want the pork, so she ended up ordering the pricey grilled rib eye (390 CZK).

The unmarinated meat was well marbled. The waitress cooked it on the grill along with mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

Sami Grill, Prague

It was a somewhat awkward procedure.

We were given side dishes. There was a dish with bean sprouts, kimchi, another kind of pickled cabbage, and a little seaweed salad.

Sami Grill, Prague

There was another little dish with sesame oil and a very salty soy sauce-flavored paste.

Sami Grill, Prague

And there was a salad with a lot of onions and what tasted like a rice vinegar dressing. The waitress said there was wasabi in it, but I didn't really taste it.

Sami Grill, Prague

The beef itself? I'd be hard-pressed to identify it as rib eye in a taste test. It wasn't tough, but it wasn't rib eye tender, either.

The flavor was pretty unremarkable. Disappointing. I dipped it in the salty soy sauce paste or the sesame oil to keep it interesting. The vegetables were only lightly fried and had nothing special going on.

When they said it was grilled over charcoal, I was really looking forward to that smoky taste. It wasn't there.

When the food was removed later, I saw that the charcoal under the grill had barely burned at all. The food was mostly cooked by the gas flame and the heated ceramic blocks.

Sami Grill, Prague

I ordered the bulgogi (280 CZK), which a table next to us recommended. I had, in fact, heard of this dish before. I have a friend from LA who has spoken of his love for it.

It was brought to the table raw.

Sami Grill, Prague

There were onions, carrots, mushrooms, and sesame seeds mixed in with marinated beef.

The waitress/chef threw it all into the wok at the table and fried it up. The beef was not the highest quality, but it was pounded hard and shredded to the point that it achieved a certain tenderness.

Sami Grill, Prague

It tasted pretty good, but perhaps it was a little too sweet. As I was eating and thinking this, I realized it would have been much better with rice. It did not come with any, and none was suggested.

Halfway through, I ordered a side of rice (35 CZK), and it really helped. However, it brought the price of this course up to 315 CZK, which was really more than I thought it was worth.

Whether it was a good iteration of this dish, I don't know. I have nothing to compare it to. Perhaps a Korean foodie can say. It was nice, but didn't excite me enough that I'd be dreaming of having it again.

Sami Grill, Prague

The service was friendly, but chaotic. The waitresses/chefs were moving in and out of the rooms, alternately stirring the food in a wok, clearing plates from another table, running out, coming back, taking an order, and then stirring some more.

The cooking was not getting the attention it deserved. I also had trouble getting clear descriptions of the food from the waitresses.

There was also a humorous moment.

A couple in the same small room as us didn't like the bright lighting, either. They realized they were sitting next to the dimmer switch and turned it down to a more romantic level.

They looked over at us, wondering if it was OK, and we encouraged them to leave it low.

We all had a little laugh.

A short while later, the waitress came in, took care of some things, and walking by the dimmer on her way out, pushed the lighting all the way back up again.

We all had a big laugh.

Our final bill was 825 CZK without tip.

They bring some complimentary peeled apple slices with it.

Sami Grill, Prague

One could certainly eat more cheaply by avoiding the rib eye (which I would).

But it wasn't so cheap for basically two courses, a couple of beers, and a water.

There are several other places that combine Japanese and Korean cuisine. A real Korean food expert will have to tell you how Sami Grill compares.

The Prague Post critic brought one for a meal there, and the review had a more positive perspective on the place.

We were on our own. I can relate our experience as Korean food novices.

Sami Grill wasn't bad, but nothing special for us.

I shall probably not make that trip again.

Sami Grill, Prague

Sami Grill
Anny Letenské 5
Prague 2
Tel.: (+420) 222 524 666

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• This article was originally posted on Czech Please, a weblog dedicated to the food and drink scene in Prague and beyond
Article added on Tue 10th Mar, 2009 [last updated Wed 11th Mar, 2009]
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