Restaurants Poland

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.

 

Taking advantage of their patio this time of year

Restauracja Bazar 1838 is named after its historic building and the year construction began.   The Bazar Hotel was the center for economic and social life in Poznan when it opened in 1841 – the place for movers and shakers to see and be seen.

We’ve walked by this beautiful restaurant so many times, and we always promise ourselves that the next time we go out for a meal that we will come here.  We’ve been saying that for at least 6 months, and we finally remembered!  We stopped by here on a Friday night, Noc Kupały actually, and had an early meal before going to the river to watch our fellow Poznanians launch tens of thousands of paper lanterns into the sky.

From the outside, the restaurant looks very posh, very expensive, almost intimidating.  Its decor is very nice and the menu very interesting, as Poznan in Your Pocket put it, “looking far pricier from the outside than it actually is.”  Once we braved the doorway, we found everyone was sitting on the patio that night.  One large table had just stopped by for coffee and dessert, and another was an extended family celebrating a birthday.  A young couple came in wearing what seemed to the uniform for young Poznan – a girl dressed to the nines in a very short dress and a guy in tennis shoes, baggy pants and a t-shirt.

I have to give our waiter his own paragraph.  The service was fantastic.  It was fantastic by American standards.  For Poland, it was over the top, worth writing home about.  He was personable, attentive without being intrusive, and very knowledgeable about the menu.   He was so good that you have to be careful.  The young man has mastered the art of selling up – and I don’t mean that in a bad way.  He would suggest something with the enthusiasm I would expect if we were guests in his home.  I just have to remind myself that these fun recommendations come with a price tag.

We both had starters, a salad for me, a soup for Ed.  I had planned on a braised meat (beef, I think), mainly because I was intrigued by the side, carrots cooked with anise and other interesting things.  Our waiter strongly urged me to try a steak that may have been the special that night, promising me that it would be much better.  My first response was to think, he’s been in the kitchen and must know what he’s talking about, but we’ve been watching a lot of BBC lately with Gordon Ramsey going in to fix restaurants.  I can hear Gordon telling the wait staff to push a dish, for reasons other than it’s the best.  He’s made me a cynic.

The steak was cut from the tenderloin, one of the few identifiable cuts of beef in Poland.  My main dish was OK, nothing memorable.  I’ve bought a couple of whole tenderloins in the last couple of months, and I’ve cooked steaks at home that I found more enjoyable.  Surprisingly, part of the meat was not particularly tender, and I would have liked more seasoning.

I felt much the same way about my Cesar salad.  Here’s a google translation of the description on the menu:

Fresh crispy romaine lettuce with Caesar dressing type (crushed garlic anchovy paste, mixed with egg yolk, Dijon mustard and finely chopped parsley, grated with oil), served with garlic croutons and finished with freshly grated parmesan cheese,
served with:  Flambirowanymi brandy grilled shrimp, arugula and pumpkin seed oil

I’ve made Cesar salads at home and that’s just how it should be.  The only problem is that the large shavings of Parmesan are the only taste that was identifiable.  There was no garlic, no anchovy, no Dijon mustard; the croutons were just crisp bread – no garlic.  It wasn’t a bad salad, but I found it lacking.   They were kind enough to cook my shrimp well done as I’d requested.  I’m sure it bothered the chef, but that’s how I like them, very firm.

While I found this meal on the bland side, Bazar 1838 does have a lot going for it; I’m sure we’ll give them a second chance.