New Reviews in Warsaw In Your Pocket #95

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Feature: Round & About the Plac Unii Roundabout 

Krystian’s Kitchen 1470931840_restaurant

Krystian built their brand on the back of their fresh-baked breads, baguettes, and rolls as well as one of the better breakfast menus in town. Now they’ve expanded their menu to include all sorts of a la carte dining options from pastas to salads to lamb starters and of course the ever ubiquitous burgers (chicken and veggie options available). Portions are sizable, prices are small.

Sexy Duck 1470931840_restaurant

Arriving pretty early in the day at 12.30, imagine our surprise to find the place a packed, feeding frenzy of customers with the fantastic smell of Italian cooking and fresh herbs in the air plus the incessant natter of happy eaters. The two level interior ticks all the boxes in terms of nicely done rustic/semi-industrial design, that, while certainly nice, is really starting to feel a bit ‘old hat’ around town. As well as a list of pizza & pasta dishes, all beautifully presented in a truly rustic manner.

Marrakesh Food & Drink 1470931840_restaurant

A colourful little restaurant dishing up equally colourful Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes. It’s certainly highly enticing to the vegetarian, vegan and gluten free crowd, with numerous highly seasoned and super fresh vegetable options, but chicken and beef make regular appearances in their lunchtime deals and fragrant tagines. For a bit of a sampler, try one of their kemia sets; a mix of three, five or seven Moroccan, tapas style little dishes + a 0,5l carafe of wine.

Zmiana Klimatu 1470931840_restaurant

It’s becoming increasingly clear that some of the more exciting and innovative eateries in Warsaw are small places which manage to take their time in getting everything just right while patiently perfecting what they set out to achieve. A rich and varied trip around the cuisine of the Mediterranean, which takes a gentle sail around the culinary influences of North Africa, Israel, Italy and Spain.

Mokotowska 69 1470931840_restaurant1470931900_red_wine

An elegant little restaurant serving up an inspired menu of traditionally influenced Polish cuisine. The seasonal menu does not shy away from some more unusual Polish offerings like breaded calf’s brain, tench (a river fish rarely seen on menu’s) or Mazurian crayfish. Their world class steaks and the brilliantly selected wine list are never far from your thoughts.

The One 1470931840_restaurant

Forgetting the fact that we find the name inexplicably irritating, The One hits the bullseye in every other department. Perfectly situated on trendy ul. Francuska, a well thought out garden space – including an outdoor open kitchen area towards the back and an interior which is fresh and sophisticated. Every detail has been carefully considered. The seasonally changing menu may have an international slant yet at its heart it is heavily influenced by Polish cuisine.

La Sirena: The Mexican Food Cartel 1470931840_restaurant

Find the dodgiest looking building on ul.Piękna (ironically, it means Beautiful Street), subhead it a ‘Cartel’ for maximum effect, design a fantastic Posada, woodcut style ‘Day of the Dead’ take on Warsaw’s mermaid coat of arms symbol (which looks far better in its printed version, rather than the neon on the exterior wall), devise a splendid and exotic Mexican menu plus a brilliant drinks/cocktail list and watch the customers flood into this brilliant mini-establishment.

Bardziej  1471791072_cerveza coctail1470931840_restaurant

Advertising itself as Warsaw’s first steampunk bar, Bardziej is a nice little tapas and cocktail bar on the trendy, young folk orientated, ul. Oleandrów. Dark as a dungeon, even during daylight hours, it’s kitted out with higgledy piggledy copper piping, valves and meters; the whole place is very Jules Verne meets Isambard Kingdom Brunel for a plate of shrimp in coriander batter with a mango and chilli dip, followed by a few Tin Drum cocktails and a debate about where all the copper piping, valves and gauges actually lead to.

Chmielarnia 1471791072_cerveza coctail1470931840_restaurant

At first glance the mix of a real ale multi tap bar and a Thai/Nepalese eatery may sound a little odd but, on the other hand, what do most Brits do on a Friday night? – Guzzle beer and top it all off with a fiery vindaloo. So, in reality it’s a pretty crafty idea. Fairly non-descript interior – which suits the dour socialist-realist architecture of the building pretty well really, unpredictable staff – which is quite fun actually and a great selection of rotating beers on tap.

Warsaw Self-Drive Tour 

The Warsaw Self-Drive Tour is a brand new service from the people at WPT1313 tours. They now provide you the unique chance to explore Warsaw in a variety of vintage Polish commie cars including the iconic FIAT 126p. They also offer convoy packages so groups can tour the city together with your friends. Check out all of their different cars and packages on their website, then call them up, hop in, tuck in your knees and off you go!

Lovley 1470932049_shop

The charming district of Stary Żoliborz is home to the Warsaw based, independent womenswear label Lovley. Short run collections and unique pieces, using only the most luxurious materials from national and international suppliers. The owner approaches every customer individually and with her amazing eye for styling and fitting, discusses the needs of clients and advises on all aspects of the process in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

 

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