GLUTEN-FREE PIEROGI VS. PINK DWARFS (KRAKÓW)

This weekend my American friend came to visit me in Kraków and I was faced with a culinary puzzle. Where can I find a restaurant serving dishes which are gluten-free (Kathryn is gluten-intolerant), vegetarian (we both don't eat meat) and, most importantly, tasty? I found the solution to this riddle on the Internet (e.g. here and here) and below you can read an account of our culinary adventures.

POD BARANEM – GLUTEN-FREE PIEROGI 

Almost every foreigner visiting Poland wants to try our famous pierogi (Polish dumplings) but where can I find pierogi which are gluten-free? Apparently, in a restaurant near the Wawel Castle called Pod Baranem, which has probably the widest array of gluten-free dishes in Kraków. Our pierogi ruskie (Russian-style dumplings with cottage cheese and potato filling, PLN 24) and pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms (PLN 25) were delicious – covered in melted butter with fried onion and full of yummy filling. The effect was spoiled by dough which was slightly too thick but Kathryn explained that it could have been the fault of the gluten-free flour. All in all, we left the restaurant full and happy.

Address: Pod Baranem, św. Gertrudy 21, Kraków (Old Town)

Website: podbaranem.com

SHAKE & BAKE – GLUTEN-FREE CAKES AND SMOOTHIES

The following day, we had breakfast in Shake & Bake cafe close to the Bagatela Theatre, which serves gluten-free pastries and shakes. Savoury muffins (with cheese and olives) were very nice but unfortunately they were sprinkled with huge salt crystals turning the muffins into a salt mine. Luckily, brownie with peanut butter was very nice and almost salt-free. In the cafe, we were accompanied by two pink dwarfs and a cute pink deer. :)

Address: Shake & Bake, ul. Dunajewskiego 2, Kraków (Old Town)

Website: shakeandbake.pl

CAFE MŁYNEK – VEGETARIAN AND GLUTEN-FREE

We had a hard time choosing our food in a vegetarian restaurant Cafe Młynek because all gluten-free dishes and desserts seemed really nice. Finally, we followed advice from a friendly waitress and ordered crunchy potato pancakes and spicy pasta with vegetables and hot pepper. The servings were so big that we didn't have any space for dessert. But after lunch we stayed in the restaurant's beer garden to sip coffee with cardamom and hot ginger lemonade and admire the view of the quaint Wolnica Square.

Address: Cafe Młynek, Plac Wolnica 7, Kraków (Kazimierz)

Website: cafemlynek.com

CAFES

Fortunately, most of the drinks are naturally gluten-free so we could safely venture into my favourite cafes: Mleczarnia in Kazimierz (you can read more about it here) and Forum Przestrzenie near the Vistula River (it serves really nice coffee and home-made lemonade). We spent the evening in Domówka Cafe, sipping cider and playing a funny board game about shopping in the communist era called “Kolejka” (which means “queue” in Polish). On the whole, I think Kathryn's stay in Kraków was a great success, both from the social and culinary point of view. :)

OTHER GLUTEN-FREE PLACES

Here are a few other gluten-free restaurants and cake shops which were also on our list but we didn't have enough time to visit them.

WieloPole3 (read more here) – restaurant with unusual vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes Wielopole 3 (Old Town)

La Manzana – gluten-free Mexican restaurant, Miodowa 11 (Kazimierz)

Red – gluten-free cake shop, Smoluchowskiego 7 (Bronowice)

NovaKrova – gluten-free began burgers, Plac Wolnica 12 (Kazimierz)

PS. All photos in this post courtesy of Kathryn.

ZAZIE BISTRO – THE MAGIC OF FRENCH FOOD

Zazie, a French bistro in Cracow's Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, was on many occasions recommended to me by my three friends, incidentally, all of whom are called Michał. Now I wonder if Zazie is some kind of a secret meeting place for Michałs who like French cuisine. ;)

After all their praises, I expected something amazing so I was a little disappointed to find the interior so... ordinary. Even though one of the walls is covered with a large black and white photo of the Eiffel Tower and there is also a cast-iron lamppost bringing to mind Narnia, the whole interior didn't make a striking impression on me and the metal chairs turned out to be extremely uncomfortable. Luckily, friendly waitresses and delicious food compensated for all the shortcomings in aesthetics and comfort.

When I saw a long menu, I didn't know what to choose. I was especially tempted by escargot à la Bourguignonne (snails) but decided to try it next time. Finally, I ordered delicate foie gras with a sweet potato pancake and kohlrabi with port wine (PLN 22). I was slightly apprehensive about this dish but this unusual combination of the ingredients proved to be exceptionally tasty. I think that only a very talented (and brave) chef could have successfully carried out such a culinary experiment. Chapeau bas! :)

 I usually can't resists French onion soup if I spot it in a menu and this time was no exception. The onion soup in Zazie (PLN 9) was quite tasty, even though it was a far cry from the one I ate in La Taverne de l'Arbre Sec in Paris. Nevertheless, it was one of the best onion soups in Kraków.

My friend Gosia ordered very nice Alsatian quiche with bacon, brie, apple, and red onion (PLN 11 / a piece). For dessert we had a pear cooked in white wine served with almond sauce (PLN 11). The sauce was delicious but the pear itself was so sweet and overcooked that it was almost tasteless, which is a pity because the dish has great potential.

The interior is so neutral and the food so delicious that Zazie seems to be a perfect venue for practically every occasion: from a family dinner with kids and the dog, to a meeting with friends, to a romantic date. However, you should book a table in advance because the restaurant is often fully booked – which, taking into account their excellent French food, comes as no surprise. :)

Address: Józefa 34, Kraków (Kazimierz)

Website: www.zaziebistro.pl

More photos

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PS. And for dessert a French singer Zaz, whose name alwaysreminds me of Zazie. :)

HAMSA HUMMUS & HAPPINESS – WARM AND SPICY

HAMSA hummus & happiness israeli restobar caught my attention during a few food festivals this summer because their stall was always besieged with customers. Intrigued by this popularity, I decided to go to Kraków's Jewish district, Kazimierz, and find out myself about the phenomenon of this modern Israeli restaurant.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in November but to our surprise the restaurant was filled with both locals and foreign tourists. The bright interior is dominated by white and blue colours with green plants in the window niches and photos of modern Tel Aviv hanging on the walls. The air was filled with energetic Israeli music, which sounded like a mix of folk and rock, and with slightly musty smells of food and spices.

If you've never eaten Levantine food before, the menu can seem enigmatic but the friendly staff patiently clarifies all the exotic words. For starters, we ordered a set of 3 mezze (i.e. appetizers and dips) served in a so-called “hand” (PLN 34.80). Each “hand” is served with three types of bread: manakish, lafah, and pita. I especially liked manakish, which was covered in spices, but the other two breads were also quite good. It was nice that we could choose the 3 mezze on our own but there were so many tempting possibilities that we couldn't make our minds.  

Finally, we've decided to try the restaurant's flagship dish – hummus, plus baba ghanoush and marinated labneh cheese with za'atar (a mix of thyme, oregano and other spices). Hummus is a dip made from chickpeas and tahini (paste made from ground sesame seeds) blended with some garlic and lemon juice. It can be served with many different garnishes - we opted for pomegranate and pine nuts, which accentuated the taste of the hummus without overpowering it. The tahini paste – mixed with baked aubergine (eggplant) – is also the base for baba ghanoush, which was much more delicate than hummus. Both dips were so good that I've decided to include them in my everyday menu, especially as they aren't difficult to prepare. The labneh cheese, made from natural yoghurt, turned out to be a bit too sour for my liking but my Husband claims it was the best of the 3 mezze.

For the main dish we had Moroccan lamb with couscous (PLN 39.60), which wasn't very photogenic but was very tasty. The meat was tender and delicate, while the oriental sauce was very pungent, maybe even a tad too pungent... Even though the couscous with raisins, apricots and fresh cucumber toned down the spicy taste, I managed to eat only a few bites, but my Husband, who likes hot dishes, ate the rest with a great pleasure.

Because the lamb was very meaty, we decided to balance it out with something more veggie – a tagine, or a dish cooked and served in a beautifully decorated pot with a cone-shaped cover. Our vegetarian version of tagine (PLN 28) was filled with delicious cauliflower, tomato sauce, olives, and lemon. It was also served with couscous and stuffed vegetables, which unfortunately turned out to be the weakest link. The courgette (zucchini) was bitter and the filling was just unpalatable. After that we didn't dare to try the stuffed onions.

Of course, we couldn't deny ourselves a dessert. Even though baklava (PLN 5.50), i.e. filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and honey, is considered by many people to be too sweet, for me it was just perfect. On the other hand, basbousa cake with almonds and orange flower water (PLN 4.90), praised by many, seemed to me a bit too bland (but, unsurprisingly, my Husband loved it ;)). We washed down the dessert with delicious Arabic coffee brewed in a special pot called cezve (PLN 8.90).

Even though my Husband and I often disagreed about particular dishes, we were unanimous in one thing - food in HAMSA hummus & happiness is very diverse, totally different from what we're used to, and absolutely delicious. We left the restaurant full, warmed up and very satisfied. I think it's a perfect place for a meeting with friends or a spicy dinner on a wintry evening. There are many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes but meat eaters will also find something to munch away at. As its name suggests, HAMSA serves not only hummus, but also happiness, which takes the form of delicious dishes from the Middle East.

PS. I could write this in-depth review thanks to a culinary action Blogerzy Smakują (Bloggers' Tasting) organized by urodaizdrowie.pl and thanks to the owners of HAMSA hummus & happiness, who allowed us to try their cuisine for free. Because I had already been in Hamsa incognito, I know that their dishes are equally tasty and the staff equally friendly, even if you aren't a culinary blogger on assignment. ;)

More photos can be found here.

Address: ul. Szeroka 2, Kraków (Kazimierz)

Websites: hamsa.pl and facebook

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GENJI SUSHI - CROUCHING TEMPURA, HIDDEN UMAMI

 

Some time ago I wrote a short guide to sushi and gave a recipe for a budget, home made sushi (available here). Now the time has come for a review of one of my favourite sushi bars - Genji Sushi in Kraków.

 

Genji Sushi is a two-level restaurant: there's a light, quite spacious room on the ground floor and several smaller rooms in a dark, slightly musty cellar. Both levels are full of Japanese bric-à-brac and decorations, which create an oriental feel. The restaurant's name derives from a Japanese book from the 11^th century considered the oldest novel in the world. 'Genji Monogatari' or 'The Tale of Genji' is a story about life and love affairs of Prince Genji written by a Japanese noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu. I think the restaurant's name is an interesting choice - on the one hand, it's quite simple and eye-catching, on the other - it alludes to one of the greatest pieces of literature in Japanese history.

Eating sushi isn't a very cheap pastime but it isn't as extravagant as one may think, especially if you have a Kraków's discount card, Karta na Plus. Usually one sushi set in Genji (from PLN 35 up) will allow to satiate an appetite of a not-too-hungry person. If you're starving however, you should choose a set with lots of fish and tempura (deep-fried batter. Very tasty but also very fattening! :)). You can also order a starter, for example miso soup with soybean paste (PLN 5). Its taste is quite distinctive but if you like tofu, you should like it as well (but, honestly, I don't...). Fortunately, wantang soup with dumplings (PLN 13) turned out to be much tastier and more nourishing.

My favourite dishes are uramaki (or 'inside-out roll') with crunchy tempura shrimps and nigiri ('hand-pressed sushi') with butterfish. Butterfish, as its name suggests, is as tasty and soft as butter (but watch out because butterfish can sometimes cause indigestion). In all the sushi sets, thanks to the perfect balance of light food (such as rice, fresh cucumber, nori seaweed) and more nutritious ones (fish, seafood, tempura), you can taste a strong flavour of umami - one of the five basic tastes, described as meaty, fatty or simply delicious.

We went to Genji a few times and on each occasion the food was equally fresh and tasty. The waitresses are very friendly but I have a mixed feeling about the waiting time. Once we had to wait for our food for over an hour (!), because apparently the restaurant was inundated with guests. But next time we visited Genji, we told the waitress about the delay in the past and she made an extra effort to cover over the bad impression - our food was served in no more than 10 minutes. Genji Sushi is a perfect place for a romantic date in one of the dusky cellar rooms, a dinner with friends or simply a quick lunch with delicious sushi and umami.

Address: ul. Dietla 55, Kraków (Kazimierz)

Strona www: genji.pl

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BREAKFAST IN KOLANKO NO. 6

I've already written about Kolanko No 6 here, at the beginning of my blog. It remains one of my favourite places in Kazimierz district and I visit it quite frequently. Recently, with my friend Gosia  I've gone there for breakfast and I was really pleasantly surprised by it.

First, I was astonished by the price - mere PLN 18 for all-you-can-eat buffet with drinks (coffee, tea and water) included. Then I was amazed by the variety of food: from fried sausages and bacon, to platters of cheese and cold cuts, to French tarts, to fresh vegetable salads, to muesli with yoghurt and cream and fruit cakes... And finally I was surprised by the quality of food - everything was nice and fresh (the chef constantly brought more and more dishes), because apparently all the food, including crunchy bread rolls and home made pâté, is prepared on the spot.

Everything disappeared from the tables so quickly that in the photos you can see only miserable (though still yummy) leftovers. I especially liked French tarts, cream and raspberry cake, and guacamole with sun-dried tomatoes. We finished off with home made lemonade with raspberries and orangeade with pieces of fresh oranges (PLN 7 each). It was a perfect ending to a long and lazy breakfast. :) 

Address: ul. Józefa 17, Kraków (Kazimierz district)

Website: www.kolanko.net

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9TH MALOPOLSKA TASTE FESTIVAL (9. MAŁOPOLSKI FESTIWAL SMAKU) - LOCAL DELICACIES

Until tomorrow (25th August 2013) you can visit 9th Malopolska Taste Festival (9. Małopolski Festiwal Smaku) in Kraków's Jewish quarter, Kazimierz. Because the Festival's central theme is traditional food from Lesser Polska region (Małopolska in Polish) you can find here sourdough breads, traditional Polish sausages and cured meats, honey and of course oscypek (sheep cheese from the Tatra mountains). I especially liked cherry and buttermilk ice cream, which had a rich, buttermilk flavour.

The Festival is a great way to try lokal delicacies from Kraków and its region. :)

When: 24-25 August 2013 (Saturday and Sunday)
Where: plac Wolnica, Kraków (Kazimierz district)  
More info (in Polish): Wrota Małopolski

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I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM - THE BEST ICE CREAM PARLOURS IN KRAKÓW

Kraków is by no means lacking in ice cream parlours and probably every resident has their favourite one. I've got three. :) But if you think I've overlooked a good ice cream shop, please let me know - I'll have a perfect excuse to visit it and eat one more scoop of gelato. ;)

FAMOUS ICE CREAM IN STAROWIŚLNA STREET - QUEUE UP! 

If you walk Starowiślna Street in the Kraków Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, and see an endless queue, it doesn't mean that the communism with its food ration cards is back in Poland. It's just a line to the legendary ice cream parlour which sells delicious, milky ice cream (PLN 2,50 for one scoop) with pieces of real fruits. And waiting in the queue will only whet your appetite so the ice cream will seem to be even more delicious....

Address: 83 Starowiślna Street, Kraków, Kazimierz district

Website: www.facebook.com/LodyStarowislna

TRADITIONAL ICE CREAM IN ZWIERZYNIECKA STREET - LOVELY AND WITHOUT A QUEUE 

If you liked the ice cream in Starowiślna Street, you should also try gelato in Zwierzyniecka Street, just next to the Kraków Philharmonic. In a tiny shop you can buy a few basic but delicious flavours (PLN 2.20 for one scoop). I especially love chocolate ice cream with morsels of chocolate, and bakaliowe with pieces of crunchy nuts and raisins. I must admit that the lack of a queue, lower prices as well richer taste give Zwierzyniecka Street's ice cream an advantage over Starowiślna's. And which one do you prefer? :)

Address: 3 Zwierzyniecka Street, Kraków, Old Town

Website: www.facebook.com/lodytradycyjne

DONIZETTI IN MARKA STREET - ITALIAN GELATO 

 

Donizetti in św. Marka Street is one of the youngest ice cream parlours in Kraków as it was open just this summer. I discovered it by chance while walking my dog around the quaint streets of the Old Town. I decided to try it out because the sign on the window said their ice cream is made only from natural ingredients, without any white sugar.

The flavours served by this Italian parlour are also quite unusual, for example I tried here gianduja ice cream (chocolate with hazelnut paste) as well as sweet and salty pistachio ice cream which tasted exactly like roasted pistachios. One scoop in Donizetti costs as much as PLN 3 but I think their ice creams are worth their price. Especially because they're served in tasty, tulip-shaped cons. :)

Address: 23 Św. Marka Street, Kraków, Old Town

Website: www.facebook.com/LodziarniaDonizetti

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And for dessert, one of my favourite songs about ice cream. Enjoy! :)

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