It was a mission getting to this restaurant in southwest after a longish day at work in the City but thankfully, it proved well worth it! I hadn't read up about the more rustic setting provided downstairs so we sat ourselves down at the table in the modern, red-and-black themed section (which, to the paranoid passerby, might suggest a completely different sort of an establishment :P).
There were originally supposed to be 4 of us so we had a table for four booked but one had to drop out and another came an hour late (!). We must have been a very difficult table to manage for the poor lone waiter on our floor. I'm normally not fond of dining with fussy eaters but this evening I had two on my table, including someone allergic to egg (you'd be amazed at how many things have egg!) and another who's a vegan, but the waiter was exceedingly patient and even went downstairs to the kitchen to get suggestions from the chef himself on what's safe to consume. To top it all, my co-diners had bizarre requests on splitting the soup between two bowls and separating the vegetarian and non-veg peirogi (traditional dumplings) on different plates - yes, I'm not proud of these tendencies amongst some of my friends! But the waiter was exceedingly obliging and uncomplaining, to the point where I genuinely felt bad for the poor chap.
We needed to linger till our very late friend arrived but we found the drink and starter choices ample to fill our time. For drinks, I had the cocktail Grass Night - Zubrowka (Polish vodka), Apple juice, Fresh cucumber slices - refreshing! My friend had 50ml of the home-made flavoured vodka, Wisniowa Sour Cherry, which tasted lovely. For starters, the two of us who'd sat ourselves first split a Krokiet soup (rolled crepes filled with sauerkraut and wild mushrooms lightly fried in breadcrumbs, served with borscht) - Borscht is an clear burgundy soup with an earthy beet flavour and winey tones, and an excellent way to whet your appetite, can't recommend this enough!
For mains, by when our much-delayed friend had arrived, we had Zbojnicki ~ potato pancakes served with a hearty beef goulash (my egg-allergic friend had the pancakes replaced by mash) - a most hearty meal of tender beef and rich spices, I was most impressed! The potato pancakes were deep fried too, so all in all, already a heavy meal, before digging into the variety of peirogi (dumplings) in varieties of Pork, Sauerkraut & wild mushrooms and Farmer's cheese, potato and onion - all brilliant but I do like the variety with mushrooms the most. My vegan friend had ample choice and she went for Vegetarian golabki ~ cabbage leaves stuffed with wild mushrooms & rice, mash potatoes, mushroom sauce, a decidedly less spicy rendition than the other mains but most flavourful nonetheless.
To accompany our substantial mains, we ordered a pitcher of Miodowa Honey, hot honeyed wine which is more potent than it sounds. It had a little tealight underneath to keep it warm throughout. Come dessert time, we were stuffed silly and most loathe to eating anymore for days to come, but I had been recommended the home-made cheesecake at this place so we sat put for a while (the ever-patient waiter was understanding) and recovered till we found room in our stomachs to split the giant slice of Sernik ~ home baked cheesecake - a crumbly, light, not overly creamy cake which provided the perfect finish to the perfect Polish meal.
We left the waiter (Bartek) a well-earned generous tip and yet paid only 28quid/person for the staggering amount of food and drink for the three of us. We resolved to come back to be patrons of their excellent food and service. Next time, I shall be asking for the seating downstairs in the rustic decor and all... I urge all Yelpers to go check this place out :) read more
