Food in Warsaw, part 3

A bit of a change tonight, we happened on a Georgian restaurant in our wanderings around near our hotel and had a lovely dinner full of spicy flavours and the sharp rich tastes of Mediterranean vegetables--eggplant, capsicum, tomato. For 110 zloty for 2 people, we had what they called a 'set': a plate of of various starters, a main course of stuffed eggplant and capsicum and salad, and a glass each of Georgian wine. Delicious, and a nice diversion from Polish food for once.

Food in Warsaw, part 2

Lunch today was in a place recommended in just about every guide, a place simply called 'Pierrogeria', perched in a little street in the Old Town, which specialises in the Polish food par excellence, the pierogi, similar to pelmeni in Russia and ravioli in Italy and dumplings in China--little pasta parcels filled with various things. Pierogi come in boiled, baked, roasted and fried varieties. We shared a plate of boiled sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi and a plate of baked meat, cabbage and prunes pierogi, both served with onion sauce and a mixed salad of carrot, cabbage and spring onion. The pierogi were delicious, much better than the ones we had the other day in Krakow at Raspberry Grandmother's, which were too heavy because fried. These were lighter, the pasta thinner, the fillings very tasty and very freshly-made(we had to wait a while for them.) Good value too, even though it's in the Old Town which is normally tourist trap central--75 zloty for the whole meal including drinks, or about $25 or so.
We've been doing a lot of walking which is just as well as Polish food is not what you'd call light!

Food in Warsaw, part 1

Last night, our first night in Warsaw we went restaurant-hunting in the area near where we're staying, in the lovely Art Deco hotel, Hotel Rialto, in the southern part of the city, and happened across a most cosy and friendly one called Radio Cafe, named after Radio Free Europe for whom the owner used to work for in the mid-50's, when doing so meant risking ten years in prison. The resto's decorated with photos of Radio Free Europe personalities and the food's traditional Polish mostly with a few international dishes. Craving vegies other than brassicas and carrots, I had an avocado vinaigrette for a starter and then a nice plate of 'golabcki' or cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice, and David had the bigos, or hunter's stew, a characteristic Polish dish made of different meats and sauerkraut, the whole of which has been simmered for ages so the sauerkraut is very soft. It's a bit of an acquired taste--and I'm not sure we did acquire it! Both dishes were very well-made though and the place had a great atmosphere as well. Value for money as well--109 zloty for two courses each(David had dessert,a prune tart, instead of an entree)plus beer and vodka(bison-grass one) and water.

Food in Krakow part 4

Cheap lunch today at a little restaurant called Jadlodajnia, a classic 'self-serve' restaurant in the area just over the river, near Schindler's factory musem, serving traditional Polish food, simple and nicely cooked. And amazingly cheap, too--we had beetroot soup, carrot salad, sauerkraut salad and kompot(a drink made from stewed fruit, in this case plums--it's common in Russia too)for 19 zloty for the two of us--ie about 6 bucks! The soup itself, which was beetroot with some beans as well, was only 4 zloty a bowl--ie just over a dollar!

We had a light lunch so as to be able to indulge in another Krakow pasttime, cakes and coffee at one of the many wonderful little places scattered all over the city where you can order tea, coffee, wine or vodka with your gorgeous cake or lavish icecream concoction. And wasn't it well worth waiting for! I chose a cake called 'Angielski'--I think it means 'English' but I've never tasted a cake like it in England! It was a glorious concoction of layers of chocolate sponge, coconut, walnut and coffee butter cream, perfectly made, rich and luscious yet also light in feel and not too sweet--that's often the problem with shop-bought cakes in Australia I find: too sweet. These were more like cakes in France or Austria or indeed Russia where the cakes were also delicious(the best cake I ever tasted on an aeroplane was on our Aeroflot plane from Moscow the other day--a lovely crumbly base and delicious blackcurrant mousse on top--amazing! But I digress.) David had a beautiful raspberry and strawberry tart with a silky custard underneath. All the cakes in that cafe looked wonderful as witness the photos. And not too dear either at all--8 zloty each, or about $2.40!

Food in Krakow, part 3

Last night we went to the cutely-named U Babci Malini, or Raspberry Grandmother, restaurant in Krakow. Raspberry Grandmother means sweet and kind grandmother, indulgent no doubt to her grand-children, rather the same idea as 'grandmere gateau' in French. It's a gorgeous place, totally quaint and cosy and stuffed full of things--photos, dolls, wall hangings, in short decorated in a totally 'raspberry grandmother' way! And the food is nice too, and very good prices--we had two courses plus a drink for 98 zloty, or about   $28(and that's for two people!)

We shared a mixed plate of pierogi for starters--variously filled with cheese, mushroom, meat, fish--it was served on a big flat loaf of bread, very pretty. Far too many of them of course(portions are big here in Poland, much more than in Russia!) so David had to finish off most of them. Then I had a 'Transylvanian-style fried carp and potatoes' which was pretty nice except that the carp, though tasty firm white flesh had heaps of annoying little bones--you have to work for your supper! David had roast pork in a tomato and wine sauce, with kasha(buckwheat). Washed down with beer for him and a lovely honey vodka(and water, I hasten to add!). Too full for dessert again but am determined tomorrow to go to one of the lovely cake shops we've seen around here and indulge in some serious dessert!

Food in Krakow part 2

Last night we went to a famous restaurant in the Jewish quarter, called Klezmer Hois. It's in a lovely 19th cent building and the decor inside is very charming, lots of memorabilia, mirrors, etc. There's music there every night too, of the lively, melancholy traditional variety known as klezmer. And the food's great, all kinds of nicely-cooked traditional Polish Jewish food.
For starters, I had a clear beetroot soup while David had a thick hearty soup fetchingly called Yankiel the Inkeeper's Soup, which had mushrooms, meat and onions in a thick soup flavoured with cinammon. The soups were accompanied by delicious little crusty caraway-flavoured bread rolls. Then I had some nice but a little bland chicken knedlach matballs in a good dill sauce, and David had some great goose livers done in onion and apple sauce, over mash, which he washed down with beer. To finish off, as we were too full for dessert, a yummy little honey-flavoured 'Krupnik' liqueur as a digestif!

Food in Krakow, part 1

Arrived in Krakow now, enjoying it very much. And great to see the large variety of food for sale, both in restaurants, markets and shops. And it's so cheap! Last night had a lovely three course dinner for 32 zloty(about $10 AU), which consisted of traditional Polish sour soup, chlebie, which is made like kvass from fermented rye bread and then sausages, mushrooms, chicken are added--totally delicious and very nourishing! This was followed by breaded pork cutlets with horseradish soup, sauerkraut and buckwheat, all very nicely cooked, and for dessert a lovely, refreshing blackcurrant sorbet with fresh mint sauce. We waddled back to the hotel afterwards feeling a 'most elegant satisafaction!'
Today for lunch, a speciality from the markets--zapiekanka, or enormous sub-type sandwiches, on toasted fresh bread, with mushrooms and sausage or mushrooms and chicken and garlic sauce. Beat the Subway type stuff by a country mile, and very cheap--8 zloty, or about $3.