I have always had high expectations of the Restaurant Willa Poprad, but not anymore. I think it's a lovely place. They figured out how to frame their mediocre food beautifully. The menu descriptions of the dishes do not correspond to reality. Also, they try really hard to be sophisticated where simplicity would be the best approach.
Well, it's a take it or leave it situation.
I don't visit Rytro very often, but if I'm in the area, I'll definitely start the day with their coffee. It was probably my favorite thing on the menu so far. I felt like mornings at Willa Poprad were relaxing and energetic at the same time.
For dinner, we had a really good laugh at my 'Pork Tomahawk' with potato, oscypek (smoked cheese), garlic, dill, cabbage from Charsznica, caraway, bacon and asparagus. It turned out to be an ordinary cutlet (bone-in), mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Our server brought my order to the table wearing black gloves. He opened a little pot in front of me and there were... mashed potatoes! Yay! :)
Either way, a breaded pork cutlet is definitely one of the Polish signature dishes everyone should have at least once.
"Chicken Breast Marinated in Curry" looked promising on the menu. I tried some meat and to be honest the chicken didn't have a bit of curry flavor. It was rather bland. The feedback about the noodles was positive, but the celeriac with coconut milk was too sweet. The rest of the ingredients, such as arugula or ham were just a garnish.
'Placek po Rytersku' was plated wonderfully. It was a thick, gooey textured potato pancake, covered with smoked trout, bacon, garlic confit, and cranberry sauce. The smoked sour cream was a really interesting touch, but the mushroom was a big disappointment. Actually, it was a huge undercooked stem, with no flavor or anything worth consuming. It was a pity, especially since the local forests are covered with a lot of mushrooms this season.
The atmosphere and ambience during dinner is quite "stuffy", reminiscent of the interwar period. I'm usually backpacking and can't dress to better suit the restaurant's scenery.
Anyway, next time I will ask for advice on what to order. I would also like to know why this restaurant has received so many awards. read more