FUSSY ON HOLIDAY - MY CULINARY JOURNEYS

Holidays have come! At least theoretically, because at the moment I have to stay in Kraków and work. That's why I've decided to make some culinary journeys on my blog to the three of my favourite holiday destinations in Europe. I've discovered them all thanks to friendly locals who showed me the less touristy places serving regional delicacies.

MARINA RESTAURANT, COSTA BRAVA, SPAIN

 

A hot afternoon on the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain. We are strolling through a picturesque, medieval town of Tossa de Mar. Leaving behind the touristy centre, we're rambling through narrow, quaint streets. When despite the heat we're starting to get hungry, we ask a nice passer-by where we can eat something tasty. Without a moment's hesitation, he recommends Marina Restaurant.

We sit at the table with a green checked tablecloth and order the daily special. Gazpacho soup is cold and aromatic, while grilled salmon is hot and fresh. We wash it down with sangria, Spanish wine punch with fruits and ice cubes. The lunch is delicious and the waiter exceptionally friendly, even for a Catalan. With our stomachs full, we're happy to resume our sightseeing.

Address: Marina Restaurant, Tossa de Mar, Catalonia, Spain

Website: www.restaurantmarina.es

DOBRA TRAFIKA, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

When you enter Dobra Trafica cafe, you'll be surprised to see a tobacco shop. But insiders, including my Czech friend Misha, know that if you go to the back of the shop, you'll discover one of the coolest cafes in Prague.

Delicious cakes, especially Czech medovnik, crunchy toasts, thick hot chocolate... Yummy. Plus an ambient interior, summer garden and friendly waitresses. And if you run out of topics to talk about, you can start playing one of many board games lying around. Moreover, Dobra Trafika has two locations! One is near the Prague Castle, while the other is off the beaten track in a lovely district of Vinohrady. Both are equally addictive.

Address: Dobrá trafika, Újezd 37 or Korunní 42, Praha, Czechy

Website: www.dobratrafika.cz

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN, LILLE, FRANCE

Did you like the French cafe and bakery Charlotte in Kraków? If yes, you should also visit Le Pain Quotidien (meaning the daily bread in French) in Lille. We were brought there by our friend who's almost a local to this quaint city in the north of France. Pain Quotidien felt so cosy and homey, I couldn't believe it's an international chain and not a local cafe. We ordered pain au chocolat (kind of chocolate croissant) and œuf à la coque (soft-boiled egg). The bread was fresh and crunchy, the egg perfectly boiled and coffee with milk delicious. A lovely place for a lazy, holiday meal.

Address: Le Pain Quotidien, 35 Place Rihour, Lille, Francja

Website: www.lepainquotidien.com

And what are your culinary destinations? 
Feel free to give your recommendations on my blog or on facebook! :-)

Want to see more photos? Click here! 
Przeczytaj to po polsku

BOMBONIERKA - CHOCOLATE BOX WITH DELICIOUS FILLING

'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.' Do you remember this slightly threadbare quote from 'Forrest Gump'? It immediately came to my mind when I went to the restaurant Bombonierka (meaning 'chocolate box' in Polish) situated next to my favourite Mleczarnia in Kazimierz, the Kraków Jewish quarter.

Because of the sweet-sounding name I had expected a pink, rococo interior crammed with ribbons and frills. I couldn't have been more wrong. Bombonierka's interior is designed in a modern folk style, reminding me of the new rooms in the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków. The walls are decorated with patterns of Polish folk art paper cuttings and spinning dancers in flowery skirts. The lamps are adorned with crocheted tablecloths and one of the doors depicts a pair of gloomy peasants in traditional costumes from the Kraków area.

Such an interior would be a perfect setting for some vibrant folk music, such as Warsaw Village Band or Zakopower but, to my surprise, the music was mostly old Polish hits from the 1980s and 1990s sang by Krzysztof Krawczyk or Kayah and Goran Bregović. This kind of music is considered old-fashioned but it doesn't make it folk...

But the biggest and best surprise was the food! The menu is full of various kinds of meat and fish so vegetarians can feel a bit neglected but the dishes we ordered were absolutely delicious. Chicken breast with chanterelle mushroom sauce (PLN 19) melted in the mouth, and so did beautifully seasoned fried potatoes (PLN 5). In grilled pork sirloin steak in mushroom gravy (PLN 28) you could actually feel the crunchy wild mushrooms, while baked potatoes were garnished with spicy garlic sauce (PLN 6). For the dessert I couldn't resist the restaurant's speciality: a delectable chocolate pie with fresh fruit and whipped cream (PLN 14). Yummy. :)

At first when we came to Bombonierka I was rather disappointed that the restaurant's name, decor and music don't form a unified whole, but then the food was so delicious that it pushed all my concerns into the background. I have to admit that it was one of the best dinners I've recently had in Kraków. I recommend Bombonierka for a meeting with family or friends, especially ones that would like to try traditional Polish dishes with an unusual twist.

For the dessert, check out this song by two famous Polish singers. The title is bombonierka, or chocolate box. :)

Want to see more photos? Click here!

Przeczytaj to po polsku. :)

Address: ul. Meiselsa 24, Kraków

Website: www.restauracja-bombonierka.pl

CHARLOTTE IN KRAKÓW - FRENCH DELICACIES

I adore almost everything French, especially the language and the cuisine. Don't you sometimes think that everything in French sounds more dignified and elegant? A hilarious book 'Talk to the Snail' lists names of the dishes that sound appetizing in French and weird in any other language. For example pain perdu literally means 'lost bread' (French toast) and foie gras is actually 'fat liver.' No wonder the French eat seemingly inedible things - they just need to give them a proper name and voilà! :)

Tempted by the Frenchness of the bistro, I went to Charlotte with my friend, who writes a very nice blog about cooking (in Polish). We've both heard that Charlotte in Warsaw has the reputation of being 'posh' and 'hipster' but we haven't noticed anything of that kind in the Kraków branch. The atmosphere was very friendly and casual. We sat on bar stools in front of a big window near the entrance. The stools turned out to be most uncomfortable but at least we had a great view of the Szczepański square and the pavement café. There were some free tables on the mezzanine and in a huge, industrial-looking room at the back of the bistro, but we didn't feel like moving from our vantage point.

We ordered quiche with asparagus and croque-madame (PLN 17), which literally means 'crunchy lady.' Croque-madame is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, embellished with a fried egg. And it's the egg that distinguishes madame from her poorer relative croque-monsieur, aka 'crunchy mister.' My sandwich had a very nice filling of roast turkey and Gruyère cheese, but it also had one crucial flaw: it wasn't crunchy. Quel dommage! :/

We washed down the food with excellent (and inexpensive) lemonade (PLN 4.50). For the dessert we had hot chocolate (PLN 9), which - although not very thick - was tasty and aromatic. Finally, we decided to order a glass of white wine so that we could feel like proper French girls.

I think Charlotte is a great place for a solitary meal or a night out with friends. Because breakfast is served until 11.00 pm, you don't have to be an early bird to catch a French worm. The service was quite good but rather slow so we had to order almost everything at the counter. The biggest plus are the French delicacies (though there's still room for improvement) and a great location in the charming Szczepański square.

Want to see more photos? Click here!

Przeczytaj to po polsku. :)

Address: Plac Szczepański, Kraków (Old Town)

Website: www.bistrocharlotte.com

PS. For the dessert, check out this funny French song. :D