A taste of the Balkans
The Tvrtković family finally opened their desired restaurant Mon Ami, which offers a wide selection of salads, pizza, fish or Balkan specialties (such as pljeskavica, roast lamb, paella or real kebabche), in Žižkov in May 2000.
His Czech is perfect, although it is a bit softer than what the locals from Žižkov are used to hearing. No wonder – Vedran Tvrtković, who has all but become a „Praguer“, was born in Sarajevo 31 years ago. In 1993, when the crumbled-up Yugoslavia was embroiled in war, the 17-year-old Vedran left the country with his parents and sister and moved to the Czech Republic. The family ran a restaurant in Sarajevo and planned to continue the tradition here, but it was not easy in a foreign city.
They were in for seven years of hard work in Prague bars and pubs. Fourteen-hour shifts and years without a vacation are still an issue these days, but something has changed: In 2000, Vedran and his father opened their own restaurant specialised in Balkan dishes in Prague's Žižkov and decided to call it Mon Ami. „I thought it would be easier. Today, I advise everyone to think twice before opening a restaurant,“ says Vedran.
He is exaggerating because his plan has worked out just great. Vedran did not change his mind even though the situation back in his home country calmed down and his father was longing to return to Sarajevo. The son already considered Prague his new home and persuaded the family to stay. Four years later they opened another restaurant under the same name in the nearby Kodaňská Street.
Far from idyllic
The Tvrtković family did not…
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