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Passing the time

120 Days crosses the 300 mark, with little improvement
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 4th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Still green after all these months: New Town's hot spot has become established.
When 120 Days first opened, the concept was unique. Every four months, crews would tear down the existing scheme, move the furniture around, splash on a new coat of paint — or at least change out the plants — and voila, a new restaurant.
More than 300 days later, the original lime-green walls and billowing paper ceiling effect are still in place.
No problem, really. While significant changes on a regular basis would appease the trend-followers, the décor is only just showing its first wrinkles. But the kitchen seems stuck in adolescence: stumbling, losing focus, making amends — all the inconsistencies of a restaurant struggling through opening-week jitters, even after 10 months of experience.
120 Days

Na Příkopě 24
Prague 1–New Town
Tel. 222 212 711
Open Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–3 a.m., Sat. 9:30 a.m.–3 a.m., Sun. 9:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m.

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Overall
Carelessness is evident in the fried calamari. Recycling may be economical, but on one visit it spoiled whatever was good about the appetizer. To wit: reusing oil to fry different ingredients over and over again, which turns the food gritty and adds unwanted flavors.
Rolled in rock salt and herbs, the crusted squid should be interesting. Instead, each piece picked up off-flavors and residue from the primeval tar pits that once held clean oil. A chili aioli served alongside tried to quell the nasty slick, but was almost wasted in the effort. Gentle yet tart, the aioli held all that salt at bay until wearing out and relinquishing control midway through each bite. But it couldn’t fight two opponents at once.
From the Menu
  • Crispy calamari 180 Kč
  • Mushroom soup 105 Kč
  • Thai chicken salad 209 Kč
  • Five-spice duck 259 Kč
  • Beef kebab 245 Kč
  • Japanese chicken breast 305 Kč
  • 0.3 L Budvar 65 Kč
Even McDonald’s fry-station drones are taught the sanctity of fry vats.
Five-spice powder fuels one of the duck entrees, with the combination of clove, cinnamon, anise, et al, pulling verdant flavors into the forefront, enriching the meaty heart of the dish, adding a bitter sharpness. It’s quite good — alone. Unfortunately, my order sat in a reason-defying puddle of fried rice, a scientific anomaly, being both watery and greasy at the same time. Individual grains mashed under the slightest pressure, leeching excess water.
Forcing oil and water to mix is quite an achievement, worthy of mention in Ripley’s. But the simpler art of short-order fried rice seems to have eluded the line cooks.
On better days, the kitchen shows promise. Although Thai chicken salad is only Thai in the vaguest sense — and for that matter, only salad in the vaguest sense — it manages to hit the same glorious peak as, say, Applebee’s. The arrangement consists of quite tender and bite-size chunks of chicken glazed with a translucent sauce flecked by promising colors. Like chain restaurants, however, the impulse to appease the common denominator eclipses authenticity, with flavors collapsing into salty-sweet boredom. As for the “salad” ingredients: Meat, peanuts, avocado, mushrooms and a few leafy greens do not comprise a salad for fans of iceberg wedges and bleu cheese dressing. But no harm, no foul. This is Prague, and restaurants need only nod in a direction to make it so.
The cream of mushroom soup wavers when it comes to depth of flavor. Still, it’s a compelling soup, thanks to a near-perfect velvety mouthfeel. A drizzle of olive oil adds bite, though a sprinkling of ineffectual chives kicks in very little. Two further elements steer things in the right direction: first, lingering sweetness from mascarpone, which, as it melts, builds a richer and richer character into the cream base. Next is an indefinable element — vegetal and peppery, but very subdued, perhaps the impression of a good mirepoix. It’s nicely balanced.
And that’s the high point. Beef kebabs presented in sports-bar fashion mock the spirit of Mediterranean flavors. They are memorable more for a high-revving dollop of clay-red chili paste. Chicken encrusted in “Japanese” breadcrumbs turn out to be white meat schnitzels, superficial in character, sitting in an equally shallow sauce. Although, I must say, the cup of puréed potatoes served on the side is impressive.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the extended life of 120 Days. The patina creeping over its kitschy décor doesn’t mean food service has matured.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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