Drying out a good thing

There are a lot of hit-or-miss restaurants both within and beyond the tourist center, but at least Hybernia has its location (steps from the Powder Tower) and reasonable prices going for it. It also has a pretty, hidden courtyard garden and the possibility to pour your own pints; now, if only they'd get a bit more consistency in their kitchen and not overcook the afterlife out of many of their meat dishes, they'd be as golden as the tanked Pilsner in their taps.

The service could also be a bit more attentive. On two visits, the waiters were friendly, if indifferent. There were some long lapses, such as our meals taking close to an hour and a half to arrive on one visit. Not only was the sprawling restaurant not particularly busy on that Saturday mid-afternoon, but the wait was boggling considering we'd ordered a salad, which hardly takes long to prepare. The other order was a lamb skewer, which in the end suffered considerably from being overdone.

The lamb's toughness was a shame, as the meat would have been delicious if it hadn't been over-seasoned with too much sea salt and cooked far too long. There was still a pleasant, rich taste to the lamb, and the dish came impressively presented: a towering skewer of meat and vegetable (peppers, red onion, eggplant and zucchini) held bolt upright on a veritable chopping block. The vegetables were nicely charred, but again, there was just a bit too much salt in what could have been a light dish playing off the simple, good flavors of lemon and thyme and the grill. The side chosen with this dish, roast potatoes with sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan, was excellent and would have outshone most entrees with its crispy-skinned, halved new potatoes and soft, flavor-infused centers.

Hybernia does a great Caesar salad, one that will ward off vampires and love interests alike with its powerful, authentic creamy garlic dressing. It's a big portion too, and would seem like a steal for only 155 Kč pretty much anywhere around town, let alone in the center. The Romaine lettuce is crispy and shredded into bite-size pieces; the croutons are plentiful, not too soft and not too crunchy; the smoky chicken breast that sits on top is grilled expertly, with the char lines to prove it. The kitchen doesn't hold back on the shaved Parmesan, either.

Back on the overcooked meat front, however, the "Buffalo" beef ribs were completely inedible. They looked the part: thick slabs of meat stacked onto a board, surrounded by a small cob of corn and rough-cut vegetables for dipping in the two sauces, chili-mango and blue-cheese, which were served quaintly in glass jars. But save for the look of it all - as well as a pile of Cool Ranch Doritos that came with - it was impenetrable. Firstly, I tried to gnaw on one rib, to no avail; I couldn't even break into the thick, tough meat that had been baked into a leathery mass. I did manage to saw off a tiny bit with an inadequate knife after some awkward positioning, but the effort yielded a disappointment, as the meat was flavorless and predictably dry. The other two of the three ribs on the platter verged on the repulsive, as a thick web of yellow fat cemented the two and could not be separated or cut around.  

Once I'd abandoned hope of getting a meal's worth out of the ribs, I tucked into my dining companion's much better choice: boneless pork knee, which came roasted in an intriguing sauce of tomatoes, peppers, red onion, soy sauce and dark beer. The creativity paid off, and the meat was tender, nicely crispy in bits but juicy in others. This paired excellently with another winning side dish, the mashed potatoes with marjoram and bacon. It was a good, hearty dish made to go with beer, and a comforting meal for colder months.

Another surprisingly substantial dish was Sedlčanský Pepa, baked puff pastry stuffed with brand-name hermelín cheese coated in roasted sesame seeds. It was smooth and rich, something between baked brie and a British-style cheese pasty, and came with rough-cut vegetables and a forgettable garlic-mayo dipping sauce.

Many of the dishes that appear to be starters, the cheese pastry included, would suffice for a light meal. The grilled lamb sausages (118 Kč), were also a massive plate; a string of about four or five still-connected, freshly ground links served with a spicy vegetable ragout.

Hybernia does have an extensive menu with many interesting-sounding dishes, the majority of which are based on grilled meats. The restaurant is a nice space of high-top tables and modern décor, and there's no arguing with the prices for somewhere so central. But the kitchen should show a bit more confidence in their technique and in the quality of the ingredients, and not forget things on the grill.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com