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

Home » Archives » Night & Day

Halfway there

Styl looks good but falls short of its flashy name
Restaurant Review | Search restaurants | Archives

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 31st, 2007 issue

KURT VINION/THE PRAGUE POST
It's got the look, but when it brings out starters, Styl's image changes.
enlarge
Styl

Opatovická 12
Prague 1–New Town
Tel. 739 317 702
Open Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–midnight, Sat.–Sun. 5 p.m.–2 a.m.


Food *
Service **
Atmosphere **
Overall **

FROM THE MENU

Baked pepper with "sardines" 90 Kč
Baked artichoke with capers 90 Kč
Halászlé 60 Kč
Tiger prawns 180 Kč
Spaghetti carbonara 145 Kč
Hortobágyi palacsinta 110 Kč
Caramelized salmon 210 Kč

You have to admire the dazzling versatility of a name like Styl. It promises, at first glance, the classic trappings of grace and elegance — or at least a wink toward the fickle whims of modern fashion.
Keep in mind, however, that mullets once attracted a stylish following. Ditto for orange Capri pants. So a fancy name is no indication of whether a restaurant leans toward trendy, lowbrow — or, in this case, just hasn’t grasped the English silent “e” concept.
An initial peek inside justifies the name’s swankier implications. There’s cool artwork, contrasting shades, cushioned lounge seating and a couple tall two-tops. On the other hand, the menu often appeases more, shall we say, eclectic tastes.
Baked red peppers with sardines comes across as decidedly unkempt: a single waxy Italian pepper — gaunt green, not red — split lengthwise, gutted and spread with salty anchovies. It’s something one might be tempted to replicate in a moment of post-pub hunger when faced with an almost barren fridge.
Not really a dish for restaurant consumption.
Then the kitchen turns around and produces two lumps of preserved artichoke, each stuffed with a caper and baked under complementary cheese. The distinct sour elements cascade across your palate en echelon, in a mildly interesting manner.
Red pepper is a no-show again in the “tiger prawn” appetizer. Presumably served in scarlet sauce, two musty, medium-count shrimp instead dominate a thin, pale, golden and entirely ineffectual puddle. The kitchen’s take on halászlé, Hungary’s paprika-laden method of disguising carp, tones things down considerably. What should be screaming red broth resembles water squeezed from fresh tomatoes, with very little reference to paprika and no hint of onion. It ends up as a tart, one-
dimensional, slightly oily soup containing a sizable hunk of blubbery bottom feeder.
This is not what one expects from a kitchen supposedly versed in Hungarian cuisine. In fact, during one visit I was offered a special menu featuring, among other items, hortobágyi palacsinta. The meat-filled crepes were tacky and quite nice. Shredded chicken suffered only from the usual commercial farming blandness; otherwise, it was moist and tender.
Yet both dishes cried out for more character, more bite, more pepper.
Carp soup, anchovies and tainted shellfish represent Styl’s appeal to the Wal-Mart crowd. And, despite the cool decor, presentation can also be disappointing. Three multicourse meals started off in lackadaisical fashion: mundane starters and competent service strained by short staffing.
Twice, however, the restaurant lived up to the higher calling of its name.
Spaghetti carbonara features pasta boiled marginally beyond al dente and gristly Czech bacon. Perhaps not the most auspicious beginning, but at least the meat is gently cured and fatty, providing plenty of support for the carbonara’s creamy base. To complete the ensemble, an egg yolk holds center stage. Specks of freshly cracked black peppercorn cover the entire plate. It was, after all, the semblance to sooty mine workers that accounts for the “carbonara” name, although many local kitchens skimp on pepper.
Because of the exuberance with the pepper mill, sparks leap suddenly from the dense, rich and ever-so-slightly smoked sauce to prick at your tongue before relinquishing the sharp lance and disappearing back into the mist. Aside from the unwelcome crunch of cartilage and soft pasta, this is a hearty and near-perfect interpretation.
Styl’s caramelized salmon may not start with the best-quality meat — the cruel arithmetic of import costs and price points no doubt coming into play. The kitchen shows some skill at handling mediocre fish, however.
Tender, clinging to just enough fishiness to satisfy stalwarts, the thick slab is crisped above and below. On top, a sugary crust is flamed to bring out burnished, slightly bitter molasses flavors. The skin side, seared almost black, counters with those drawn from the pan — dense, savory with a little salty crunch. It’s a compelling combination.
So, if you stick with it, and have no great expectations, Styl will meet you halfway.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (31/10/2007):

Browse the Current Issue

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.