I had lunch at restaurant just of Grodka today. Two restaurants in fact that share a pretty little courtyard; a French one called Kokoriko and a Polish one called The Black Duck. I asked for both the menus and a Mohito. The guy who served me was French and really good value. He talked me through both menus explaining each dish and making recommendations, and when he couldn't remember the English word for something he got one of the waitresses involved.
I decided it was only fair to try something from both cuisines so settled on escargot for entree and duck with mushroom sauce for the main. I also made enquiries about the cheese plate just in case I was still hungry (a distinct possibility).
The courtyard is shady and quiet and big enough for 10 tables My table is next to a little lion-head fountain set into the wall which is gurgling happily behind me. They were playing French music on the PA. I asked one of the waitresses what it was and she said: "It's French music". Reasonable answer to to a badly phrased question I suppose.
The escargot was exactly what I expected. It's hard to screw up snails and they didn't; nice and chewy with a mild garlic butter and some fresh slices of baguette on the side.
I asked my French friend to recommend a wine to go with the duck and he suggested a 2011 Bergerac Le Mounant which he told me comes from around Toulouse. They usually only sell this by the bottle, but he offered to do me a glass.
The duck was very good. They'd baked it so the skin was quite crispy but the meat was still soft and succulent, and the mushroom sauce suited it really well. There was also a smear of sweet strawberry balsamic sauce on the plate which added an additional flavour to the dish. I ordered a side of potato purée which was a little dry, but nothing a couple of pats of butter couldn't fix.
I really wasn't hungry anymore but they had cheese. Impossible to say no to cheese, so of course I said yes. I asked for another wine recommendation and was steered towards another Cotes de Bergerac; the 2010 Lacour-Peyrade. They normally serve their cheese with grapes but I asked them to replace these with fresh red onion. No problem! The cheese plate was the biggest I've ever seen and included Camembert, Brie, Gorgonzola and a soft goat's milk cheese.
I really enjoyed Kokoriko/The Black Duck. The food's good, the surroundings are lovely and the staff very friendly and accommodating. read more