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Four hits, one big error

New Malá Strana restaurant pleasant, but has a lot to learn
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 13th, 2007 issue

U Lamberty

Šporkova 5
Prague 1-Malá Strana
Tel. 257 533 964
Open daily noon-11 p.m.

Food *
Service ***
Atmosphere **
Overall **

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Head chef Sido Vincent at the grill. Sometimes U Lamberty's kitchen pushes classic recipes a little too far.
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FROM THE MENU

Caprese 159 Kč
Bouillabaise 120 Kč
Shrimp scampi 160 Kč
Tortellini 229 Kč
Steak Colbert 290 Kč

How many reasons are there to like U Lamberty? Let’s count the ways.
The restaurant sits in an admirable location, on a more or less quiet alley corner across from the German Embassy in Malá Strana — a nook once occupied by Faros. Outside on the triangular patio, crates of empty Bernard beer bottles invite backyard informality. Inside, a not all together failed attempt at a grandma’s-spare-room-meets-country-vinoteka composite evokes warm, nostalgic thoughts. Owners and wait staff fawn over guests without intruding, a feat not easily achieved.
Let’s see. Location, atmosphere, décor, solicitous service … make it four. But balance that against one big cause for concern.
Although the kitchen staff tries, they cannot seem to finesse recipes. Time after time, dishes end up curiously contorted, almost lopsided. A torrent of bitterness here or a puckering sour blast there goes unchecked. Off-flavors creep in.
Steak Colbert, for example, reads well on the menu. The listing promises almonds and flambéed Cognac hinting at what should be a rich, caramelized filet redolent of earthy spices with a gentle finish. It turns out to be a slab of tender meat topped, inexplicably, by whole nuts. Still, on my first visit, it achieved something of the intended byplay between spices and burnt Cognac — inelegant, but nonetheless satisfying. Another time, the entire plate was tainted by the smoldering residue of, well, what tasted like a generous splash of the much-dreaded Božkov.  
Inconsistency aside, it’s difficult to figure out just what is so Colbert about the dish. Presumably the meat is grilled with seasoned butter. The ad-lib introduction of whole almonds and the flambee seem over the top, considering the simple beauty of nutmeg and cinnamon — both widely used in Colbert butter — when left alone. Ersatz Cognac is particularly capable of destroying such subtleties.
U Lamberty’s principal shortcomings lie not in the preparation of meat or seafood, but in the sauces. Shrimp scampi is served in a scallop shell. While we can blame presentation on the landlocked setting — after all, Les Moules had scallop shells painted on its windows to advertise mussels — it’s no excuse for the smothering puddle of meaty, sour, fatty brown liquid in one shell and equally potent dip in another. Mixing the two sauces only gives their acerbic sides an excuse to vent.
Two bites twists your face into an uncomfortable, bitter grimace — sort of like Dick Cheney’s when he’s being questioned by reporters.
Tortellini succumbs to a concoction resembling Thousand Island dressing. But it’s a deceptive thing, this pale pink goo, for it tastes almost like that godawful candied citrus grandmothers once kept around as “treats.” Chunks of rind form pincers of sour and bitter flavors. A creamy base does little to stem the quarrel that orange scraps seem to have with your tongue.
Sometimes recipes gone awry turn out fine in the end. An unusual interpretation of caprese is an example: mounds of lettuce, olives and a dusting of Parmesan, along with the more familiar mozzarella (in slivers), tomato (bite-sized cubes) and cracked black pepper. The few leaves of basil carry ardent bursts of pepper and spearmint at first, unfolding as they interact with other ingredients into a flavor akin to cloves.
Just as often, however, you end up with culinary monstrosities. The bouillabaisse consists of green beans, diced carrots, baby corn — a concoction suggesting that either the local Albert had a special on frozen mixed vegetables, or cooking instructors from Escoffier on down got it wrong. Three melting baguettes add a gummy texture similar to baby food. Garlic dip spread onto each piece of bread sinks into the broth, loaching it into a murky, whitish, frightening sight.
The final score — four pluses against one minus — would seem to favor the plus side.
But it’s a really big minus.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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