Following on from my previous entry, like I say after braving the crowds at the Hala 22 Farmers’ Market, it was definitely time for a breather and of course to think of my own much needed lunch. Bypassing the many and various greasy langose / burger / smažený sýr stalls scattered liberally around the market, I headed instead down one of the little lanes nearest to the Penny Market, where there is a little stand which (in contrast to the rest of the faux Chinese places in Pražská tržnice) has just a limited menu mainly based on authentic Vietnamese items.

On this day I went for my long-standing favourite of phò bò, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup which I developed a serious addiction to during my time travelling between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Of course, back in Vietnam each bowl of soup was served with a huge side tray overflowing with fresh mint, coriander, chillis, lemon, lime and beansprouts, which was more than I could hope for here – still, I’ve always found this stand’s version the best I’ve yet encountered in Prague, not to mention pretty cheap at just 70kč a bowl.

On a previous visit I also had the bún bò (or at least I think that’s what it was), a concoction of egg noodles and beef curry, which was also duly delicious, as well as infinitely better than the Vinohrady ‘Hanoi’ equivalent.

I’ve not yet been to the fabled Sapa, where apparently truly authentic Vietnamese food and ingredients abound, but there are still a couple of stands at Holesoviče offering a selection of soy sauce, fish oil, Asian juices (mango, tamerind, lychee etc), massive bags of rice or noodles, and a whole variety of other mysterious stuff tantalisingly labelled in Vietnamese.

And of course, phò and Farmers’ Markets aside, Holešovice is still the place to come if you are in need of a variety of deadly weapons...

outlandish headgear...

Karel Gott CD in a cardboard box...

freaky Moomin-like plastic toys...

gigantic underpants, holographic pictures of the Virgin Mary, and – most bafflingly of all – the seemingly ubiquitous over-sized, giant, furry dildo...

usually all from the same stall... :-))))))

Living in the culinary desert that is Holešovice East, one high point of the area is the full-blown Farmers’ Market that takes place most weeks in and around Hala 22 of Pražská tržnice.

honey and preserves...

fruit and vegetables...

sausages and cheese (naturally by far the most popular stalls)...

flowers (OK, not strictly a food stuff, but still pretty)...

lebkuchen, strudel and coconut sweets...

and last but not least a combination of honey, slivovice and absinthe liqueurs.

Must admit I haven't been to any of the other larger farmers' markets on the outskirts of the city so don't know how this one compares, but still I did enjoy having a poke about here anyway. That said, by the time I'd fought my way through the crowds and queues to stock up on fresh fruit and veg, my feet were well and truly sore, and I was in dire need of refreshment myself (to be continued in next entry)...