Praha is another from the style bar production line

By Jonathan Trew

Details Praha  35 St Vincent Street  Glasgow          0141 204 5240 Click here for maps and directions. Like so many High Street bars, Glasgow's newish Praha doesn't do that much desperately wrong. Mind you, it just doesn't do that much great or original either. It used to be Henry's bar until earlier this year when it assumed the name of Praha or Prague, the Czech Republic's capital. I was never in Henry's so I don't know if much has changed. I doubt it. There is nothing to suggest it has been modelled on a Prague bar. Instead, it is like most other high street clone bars. The decor is a mish- mash of styles as though the designer could not decide what to go for so went for everything and ended up with nothing. It's a bar designed by committee where they have tried to please as many people as possible and come up with something that pulls off the trick of being weird without being interesting. There are Mediterranean touches, like tiled cupboards, clashing with art deco lamps and an abstract nude sculpture. Above the bar is a mural of two busty blondes against what looks like the jungle setting of TV's I'm A Celebrity... Why? For some unfathomable reason, the cocktail menu was illustrated with pictures of New York street scenes. Why not go the whole hog and have mementoes of other cities throughout the bar? You could have beer fonts in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, ashtrays designed to look like Sydney Harbour Opera House and toilets modelled on the House of Commons. At one point, somebody obviously told the designer that candles are fashionable at the moment so every surface is covered with them. Candles usually come into play when people want to create a warm, intimate atmosphere. That is fair play but it rubs the wrong way when the rest of Praha looks and feels like a hotel lobby. Just to reinforce the idea that Praha is a dog's dinner, the first tune I heard was a remix of Atomic Kitten slaughtering Blondie's Tide Is High. A crap remix of a bad cover sums it up. And yet, Praha was mobbed. For all my moaning, the place was heaving. Admittedly, it was half seven on a Friday night when a tent with a case of warm lager would pull in the punters, but still... It did have some plus points. The staff were friendly and unflustered, despite crowds four- deep at the bar making the most of the final half of a very long happy hour. The large sofas and big tables beloved of hotel lobbies were popular with groups of office workers washing the week away. Beyond that, I just didn't get it. I can't pretend to know all the elements of what makes a great bar, but I do know this wasn't it. Opening hours: Mon-Sat, noon-midnight; Sun, 12.30-8pm Drinks: Pint Stella, £2.55; vodka and coke, £2.50; Bacardi Breezer, £2.70; bottle Miller, £2.55; jugs of cocktails, £12.50. Happy hour, 3- 8pm, Mon-Sat Rating: 2 Star

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