Restaurants

U Kucharzy (The chefs), is a renowed establishment, set in the old kitchen of the once famous Hotel Europejski, on Ul. Krakowskie przedmiescie. My expectations prior to arrival were extremely high due to a recommendation I recieved from Gazetta wyborcza's resident food critic. A mountain of a man, (who has a more than passing resemblance to one of Spinal Tap's dead drummers) I spotted him recently in one of Warsaw's smoky and dimly lit bars and decided  to ask him outright what he believed was the best place to eat  in the city. "U Kucharzy, without doubt" was his reply.

A few days ago, I had something to celebrate, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. The first thing that you notice is the decor. Minimalist and sparcely decorated with plain white tiles adorning the walls, a remnant of it's old incarnation as a hotel, it has the feel of the old world about it. Secondly for me was the atmosphere, this is a place full of characters. The majority of the waiters look like they've lived a little and possibly drank a lot but they also have the air of professionals. In the background a live pianist played a Chopin number and it felt like a pleasant experience already.

I did still though have some reservations, as the signature dish is steak tartare (raw mice meat, raw eggs and raw onion), something which in the past I'd found hard to view in a favourable light. Still, after entering and getting to our table I was told in no uncertain terms by my dining partner that I would be eating it, so there. The chef arrived a short time later with a large wooden chopping board, atop a metal serving trolley and proceeded to prepare it right in front of our eyes from a large piece of prime steak and I have to say that this got my taste buds going. The result was delicious and actually tasted nothing like any previous tartare I'd eaten. It was much smoother and perfectly seasoned.

While waiting for the main a waitress who must have been pushing seventy ambled past our table pushing a trolley laden with spirits bottles, "Anything more to drink?"  We declined to which she gave a rueful smile and a shrug of the shoulders. A moment later and another chef arrived at our table accompanied by two waiters, who took hot pans from a trolley and began to plate up our food at the table. This is the most enjoyable part of the evening, you feel like you are somebody because the waiters take time over you. The food itself was excellent. I ate the duck in cranberry sauce and not only was it an enormous portion but it was cooked to perfection and full of flavour.

After waddling out into the cool night air my guest and I we're in agreement - a fantastic evening in a restaurant with excellent service and real character. If you get the opportunity please visit this place, you won't  regret it.

http://www.gessler.pl



Bombay Masala - A Taste of England in lovely Mokotow

After a bit of a delay Warsaw is slowly beginning to embrace a notion that in Britain has been well known for many years - Indian Cuisine is delicious. Well most of us feel that way, although my father likes to pull his face at any even slightly curried dish and say something like "all that cream, I feel sick just looking at it".

Luckily if you are a fan of Indian food, the standard in Warsaw is excellent. One quite recent addition to the food map is Bombay Masala based in the heart of Mokotow, one of the cities prettiest and wealthiest areas. The restaurant itself is quite small but rather than this seeming a disadvantage it actually makes it for a more intimate experience.

The menu contains all the typical Indian favourites - Samosa's, naans, chicken tikka masala. As well as a few more unusual additions. I ordered mutton curry which I attempted to get with rice and naan but through a combination of my poor grasp of the Polish language and the waitress' obvious confusion that anyone would be greedy enough to have both, I lost my bottle and went for naan only. I also tried a little bit of the spinach with cheese which seemed like a nice vegetarian option.

The biggest surprise came with desert when we decided to try Gulab jamun (milk balls in syrup) and it turned out to be a hybrid miniature version of treacle sponge - what a great surprise that was.

If you are still not convinced, let me just throw this one in - it's BYOB! "It's a what? What you talking bout?" Well so I'm reliably informed by my friends from over the pond, it means bring your own beer, yes you can bring your own alcohol as they don't serve it themselves. All in all a great place for a curry - get it while it's hot.