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.
Address: Plac
Szczepański, Kraków (Old Town)
Website: www.bistrocharlotte.com
PS. For the dessert, check
out this funny French song. :D
