Lenka Prokšová | interiér / interior: Jiří Lizler, jídlo / food: Hana Kožušníková
Café Imperial, Next Door by Imperial and Divinis. Three restaurants in Prague owned by the famous Zdeněk Pohlreich, who runs these successful businesses with his partner Lukáš Koubek, a man with a passion for gastronomy and a wealth of experience in the industry. In the interview, we asked him what kind of gastronomic experiences the restaurant offers today, whether he is satisfied with how the ventures perform and what the expectations are for the future.
What are the greatest specialities each of the three venues, i.e. Café Imperial, Next Door by Imperial and Divinis, offer today?
Café Imperial is famous for its Czech cuisine. We must remember that in 2007 it was not common to serve traditional Czech cuisine in such environments and with such concepts as the Grand Cafe. By traditional Czech cuisine, I mean dishes such as Kulajda soup, tenderloin in cream sauce or veal schnitzel. At that time we started with traditional cuisine placing maximum emphasis on the quality of the cooking. We hit the jackpot with veal cheeks on red wine with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables – the dish has been on our menu since 2007 and is still one of our best sellers. Back then we were perhaps the only ones offering cheeks, today they are available in a number of restaurants. Our Beef Wellington, which is our speciality inspired by the classics, is currently a big hit at Imperial, and guests can have it à la carte at any time. Next Door by Imperial is our newest venture and delivers a modern take on Czech cuisine. We offer both popular traditional dishes and the ones that not everyone dares to try. The menu includes such items as veal kidneys in mustard sauce or tripe on smoked paprika, crayfish soup and Prague-style snails, which are old Czech specialities that one no longer sees that much in restaurants today. Divinis is an entirely different story – our Italian restaurant that has received the Bib Gourmand award. The venture relies on authentic Italian cuisine made with first-class ingredients. The chef’s speciality and renowned dish is veal cheeks in Marsala wine with spinach and truffle mashed potatoes.
How do you manage to maintain the same quality and level of service across three different restaurants when each has its own distinctive style?
Although each of our restaurants has a different concept, the quality and service requirements are the same in all of them. The key is to surround yourself with a top team of people. In each of the restaurants there is a chef who is closely related to our company and understands our philosophy. My personal presence is also important – I try to spend as much time in each of the restaurants as
possible. Therefore, there is a big difference between running three or four restaurants. Visiting three restaurants on a daily basis is manageable; with four restaurants, you can pay a visit to each of them every day, but it won’t be efficient. At that point you need to change the system.
According to you, what is the key when you open a new business – is it the culinary concept or the atmosphere you want to offer your guests?
Clearly the concept is the key. It’s the be-all and end-all
of everything – ranging from the type of kitchen through the interior design to the last fork on the table. If you have a clear culinary concept, you can build the whole
restaurant around it. The atmosphere is the result of a jigsaw puzzle of all the details: a well-set concept, a well-coordinated team, the interior, the music, the servers – all this together creates an unmistakable
atmosphere within the establishment.
I was intrigued by the name of the youngest of your restaurants – why Next Door by Imperial?
The Next Door restaurant is just next door to Café Imperial (laughs). The name Next Door means what it means in English, so it fits perfectly – the place is adjacent to the Imperial, and at the same time we chose to show we are related to our first restaurant. The name is apt and easy to understand for all guests, whether local or foreign. Everyone will immediately understand that Next Door by Imperial is the ‘little brother’ of the Imperial around the corner.
Is it true that the menu at the restaurant changes seasonally? What do guests currently appreciate the most?
Yes, the menu at Next Door changes seasonally, just like at our other restaurants. From Monday to Friday, we prepare a daily lunch menu that always reflects seasonal ingredients and fresh local produce. In summer, guests will find lighter dishes full of fresh vegetables and herbs on the menu, in autumn game or pumpkin will appear, and in winter we rely on more hearty warming dishes. Guests appreciate the seasonality – they enjoy the variety and the fact that they can taste something new every time. The dishes on the menu are primarily selected based on the
quality and availability of ingredients. The team of chefs keeps an eye on the market to see what’s best, and we create new recipes accordingly. And we follow a simple rule: only the items we like and believe in end up on the menu.
What do you think best describes the character of the Next Door restaurant and how does it differ from your other two Prague ventures?
In its character, Next Door is a modern Czech bistro. The open kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant is probably the best way to describe it – guests can see the chef in action and the whole place is alive and smells nice. The atmosphere is more relaxed and energetic, combining tradition with a modern concept. On the one hand, we build on the inter-war elegance of Café Imperial, on the other hand, we are bolder with our innovation and serving. Compared to Imperial, which is more refined and carries the spirit of a famous café with a long history, Next Door is lighter and is more of an ‘everyday’ place. And compared to the intimate atmosphere of the Italian Divinis, Next Door is a noisier, livelier place focused purely on Czech cuisine.
Each of your restaurants offers a different cooking concept. Which one is closest to you personally?
It’s like asking a parent which child they like best – impossible to say. All three of my restaurants are close to my heart, each in a slightly different way. I love Café
Imperial for its atmosphere and traditional Czech meals – it’s a matter of the heart for me. Divinis makes me happy with its refined Italian cuisine and great wines – I have a soft spot for Italy, so they really are my cup of tea. What I love about Next Door is how it manages to combine Czech tradition with modern ease, and to appeal to a younger generation of guests. I can’t say which concept is closest to my heart – I put a piece of myself into all of them and I’m proud of each one.
