Zapiecek Polskie Pierogarnie, Warsaw…Grandma’s cottage cooking and ambience

The staff were very attentive  and the waitresses have short dresses and wear a corset on top of those dresses.  The restaurant itself is small but comfortable. It has the “Grandma’s country cottage” look, with pots and pans hanging from every shelf, and lots of hard timber touches.

The pierogies were very good. These are Polish dumplings –  one of the most popular choices for a meal in Poland, and it’s also one of the most popular Polish exports abroad. Nearly all Polish restaurants feature the standard choices of pierogi with such fillings as meat, cabbage, and cheese and potato but here in Zapiecek, you can also choose from spinach, cheese, and seasonal fruit fillings. Grandma’s broth and the Polish sausages are good also.

I highly recommend this place for a good Polish dinner or lunch. It is here that I had my best Polish meal in the 3 days of my first trip to Warsaw. By the way, that’s the true truth as I say it as it is…

Patrick’s Irish Pub, Warsaw…the only Irish pub with NO Irish food

I was looking for an Irish pub to watch the Manchester United vs Fulham game. The first Irish pub I went to said they were not planning to show the game, so I landed up in Patrick’s. It was a Sunday afternoon 2.30pm and there were agroup of less than 10 people in there watching the 1st Formula One race of the season. They switched channels to football after Alonso had won the race. The group of people left and I watched football in a Ghost town.

Other than the waitress serving us, the other staff have faces like monks in pain and it’s no wonder considering the atmosphere they work in. No Irish food on the menu here. “How can you be an Irish pub if you don’t serve Irish food,” I quizzed. “We serve Guiness” was the answer.

I’ve had had my share of pub going (Irish pubs included). If you like Irish culture and tradition, DO NOT GO, never, ever, go to this so-called “irish pub”. The fact that the tricolor flying inside is actually an Italian flag sums up the Irishness of this place. The only thing Irish about Patrick’s is the number of Poles working behind the bar. This sounds awful, but it IS the true truth because I only say it as it is

AleGloria Restaurant, Warsaw…a strawberry field day

The interior design is lavish and creates an awe-inspiring atmosphere. It’s difficult to interpret the almost exclusively red and white decor. Could it be the Polish national colours? Pleasure and purity? Life and afterlife? At the entrance one’s attention is drawn by a huge tree with red strawberries and the strawberry motif is repeated a number of times, so much so that you’ll quickly notice that strawberries take center stage in the design of this spacious basement restaurant.

Borscht is made with raspberries, beets and balsamic vinegar?  This is definitely Polish culinary “fusion.” It is amazing that the most well-known and traditional soup in the country may be given such subtle touches which have a big impact on the flavour. Meat-eaters will enjoy the half a duck polish style stuffed with apples and red cabbage.

Go ahead and indulge in this amazing combination of Old and New Poland, with taste and style but expect to pay for a belt-loosening feast. That’s the true truth and I say it as it is.