The Prague Post
August 22nd, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre

Home » Current Issue » Night & Day

A little bit of soul

And not much more at this uneven Old Town eatery
Restaurant Review | Search restaurants | Archives

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 20th, 2008 issue

Soul of the City


Dušní 9
Prague 1-Old Town
Tel. 222 315 880
Open Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.-midnight, Thurs.-Fri. 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sat. 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-
midnight

Food *
Service **
Atmosphere *
Overall *

MICHAEL HEITMANN/The Prague Post
Do global corporate entities have hearts? Heineken puts its face and logos on this enticing corner location.
FROM THE MENU



Beef carpaccio 185 Kč
Scandinavian salmon 175 Kč
Couscous with chicken 165 Kč
Grilled pork ribs 255 Kč
Cossack pork chop 225 Kč
Boar steak 295 Kč
Starobrno 36 Kč
Krušovice Mušketýr 36 Kč
Will one big plus outweigh two nagging minuses?
That’s the question hanging over a new concept occupying a heavily trafficked corner across from the Spanish Synagogue, the kind of real estate that drives profits for Kolkovna. Restaurants in such a prime location cannot help but succeed — unless, of course, they pour second-rate beer and tack a less-than-striking moniker above the door.
Oops.
Not only did some committee actually OK the name “Soul of the City,” it opted to carry Heineken, Krušovice and Starobrno on tap — although, since the restaurant is backed by Europe’s largest brewery and Starobrno holds a spot in Heineken’s Czech portfolio, two of the brands make sense.
But why choose Krušovice to round out what a certain outgoing president might call the axis of brewing evil?
A safe international brand may woo some people through the door, and the location does the rest, at least for now. But food service remains the real measure of any restaurant. And, in that respect, things at Soul of the City are, well, equally convoluted.
The kitchen fails to account for the natural tendency of pork chops to dry out, but manages the same tendency in boar nicely, turning out a stringy but still relatively moist cut, the gamey taste supported by hints of smoke. The boar, however, drowns in an overly simplistic, vividly sweet plum sauce so potent that it quickly overwhelms everything else. On the other hand, the “Cossack” pork chop brings straightforward grill-charred flavors to the front. Instead of a drenching sauce, it’s paired with beans, bacon and onions in a placid mélange that earns slight accolades for refusing to interfere with bittersweet caramelized notes seared into the meat. Yet the vaguely Oriental glaze adorning a side of potatoes seems out of place.
Couscous — yes, this is one of those amorphous Czech/international menus — winds up at once curiously sodden with oil and slightly dry. One wonders why Soul even bothers with such a dish, especially when the best the kitchen can do for a little dressing-up is toss a few pickle slices into the bowl. Its color extends only as far as a smattering of green (beans and peas), and orange splashes of carrot on the dull beige parchment. White meat in the chicken version flaunts brawny, acrid temperament burned into its character by well-spent time on the grill, and thus stands apart from the other, more timid ingredients.
Whatever the chef’s flaws — and there’s plenty to nitpick — he understands how to coax hearty, rustic, even comforting flavors from an open grill.
Pork ribs, for example, are pulled from the heat when ruddy and tart, with a burnished sweetness like caramelized molasses riding hard into the mix, very much like heavily basted ham. In fact, the meat shears into fibrous strands, clinging to its final wisps of moisture, but rich in flavor.
For pub-style ribs, these are surprisingly compelling.
Still, the kitchen seems incapable of completing a plate. The trio of sauces accompanying Soul’s ribs work against the meat, obliterating finer flavors and fighting against those more imposing. And two long halves of garlic bread hardly create a ripple, coming across as dull, commercial pieces of … of … nothingness.
Only when dishes demand no support — appetizers, in other words — does any kind of artistry emerge. Soul’s version of beef carpaccio is of the velvet Elvis variety: plebeian and perhaps even tacky (its silken texture manufactured by a mallet), but easily capable of pleasing crowds. Scandinavian salmon, on the other hand, stands as the chef’s masterpiece, the flavor plunging from tart and fruity overtones into an inscrutable earthiness akin to cinnamon. In between, sharp fermented flavors peek through.
It’s an experience that compensates — almost — for the Starobrno.
Two wrongs clearly don’t make a right; we’ve known that since childhood. But there’s nothing wrong with straying once in a while for, say, a taste of Scandinavian salmon or pork ribs done right.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day:

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Provokator
Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.