Atelier Amaro, Poland’s First Michelin Starred Restaurant

Ed had to be in eastern part of Poland for a trade show a few weeks ago, we made plans for me to meet him in Warsaw at the end of the week. While he was away, I learned that a Warsaw restaurant, Atelier Amaro had been given a Michelin star earlier this year, Poland’s first. I’d just finished reading Gordon Ramsey’s autobiography, so I had a better idea of what that star entailed.

The menu changes weekly

Before we got to the first course, we had three amouse bouches:

• apple crisps with a marjoram puree (grooves were cut in the serving dish so the crisp, thin slices of apple stood upright)
• a golf ball sized tidbit that looked like a little pearlescent apple but was actually made of apricot, herring, and horseradish
• sweet potato chips served with goose fat and garlic (I realized that I love goose fat)

Here we have herring with preserved cucumber, a green apple-chive ice cream, watercress, and jam Served on a thick chunk of pink Himalayan salt which imparted a wonderful salty taste

This was presented without the broth, the waiter added the consomme at the table This is oxtail with powdered leek, plum and “fermented bread” (our waiter words, I think we would say sour dough)

A sunchoke with boletus mushroom and purslane (succulent leaves that some may call a weed) The black garnish on the plate? You guessed it! Hay ash!

White fish with elderflower, broad beans, and begoina

Wild duck with nasturtium, watercress, and cowberries or lingonberries Thinly sliced beet root stuffed with buckwheat become “pierogi”

Our pre-dessert, cherry sorbet with mustard seeds served on a frozen slab my guess is that the seeds are in a jelly that’s been thinned with water, juice, or wine

While our dessert may look like a pear and we thought it was until we took a spoon to it it was really more of a pear flavored mousse The sweet, oat-y crisps underneath were the perfect crunchy contrast The little jelly at 2:00 on the plate – vodka and one final appearance from tonight’s novelty, hay ash, in the stem

We finished up the night with tea and coffee, which were accompanied by a small plate of house-made truffles. All in all, a really fun night.

 

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.