VILLA DECIUS RESTAURANT - ELEGANCE IN RENAISSANCE STYLE

If you're looking for a venue for a special occasion, I can recommend you Villa Decius Restaurant (Restauracja w Willi Decjusza in Polish). In this elegant Renaissance interior decorated with copies of Old Masters, you will truly feel like a royal. But you also need a purse full of gold because even with a discount card Karta na Plus, you can squander there a small fortune. :)

 

Located in one of the most luxurious districts of Kraków called Wola Justowska, Villa Decius was built by a finance minister and secretary to the Polish king Sigismund I the Old, Iodocus Ludovicus Decius (Justus Ludwik Decjusz in Polish). It was designed by Italian renaissance architects who also collaborated on rebuilding Wawel. The villa is surrounded by an English landscape garden, which is a lovely place for lazy strolls after the dinner.

 

Thanks to a party organised a few years ago by my ex-employer, I could have a good look around upper stories, which have beautifully painted wood ceilings, but the restaurant itself is situated in the cellars turned into a set of opulent rooms (though the lack of windows can be a little claustrophobic).

Food is exquisite even though the portions are on the small side. I really liked my chicken breast stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes accompanied by white rosemary-lemon sauce and black pasta (PLN 39). Did you know that black pasta is made of squid ink and is very tasty? (If you want to make your own black pasta, here's a recipe). It's a pity, though, that the portions of pasta and other additions to the dishes were much too small.

 

Another tasty dish was wild boar loin in chocolate-balsamic sauce served with filo pastry and stuffed vine leaves (PLN 59). For me the dish was slightly too heavy (it's probably because I don't like game dishes in general) but my Husband loved it, especially the tender and aromatic meat. Our friends ordered duck with baked apple stuffed with cranberries and red cabbage (PLN 57) and halibut on grilled courgette (zucchini) with fried julienne (i. e. cut into long strips) potatoes (PLN 43).

 

We also helped ourselves to a dessert: a very tasty and delicate pear in phyllo pastry with almond mousse (PLN 19). But a tart with gorgonzola ice cream stirred a real sensation (PLN 18). The ice cream really tasted like gorgonzola cheese and was probably one of the strangest things I've ever eaten.

Waiters in Villa Decius are very dignified, which may make them look a bit aloof. I don't really mind it but I sometimes wished I was wearing a crinoline dress or diamond necklace. ;) I can recommend Villa Decius Restaurant for special occasions, such as romantic dates (or even a marriage proposal), birthdays or celebration of other important life events. And although the food and beverages are quite expensive, I think that the renaissance architecture, unusual menu and elegant atmosphere are worth their price. :)

Address: ul. 28 lipca 1943 roku 17a, Kraków (Wola Justowska)
Website: www.vd-restauracja.pl

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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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W STAREJ KUCHNI - POTATO PANCAKES

I usually prefer light dishes, especially in the summer, but sometimes I feel an urge to eat potato pancakes ('placki ziemniaczane' in Polish). If the urge becomes irresistible, I most often go to W Starej Kuchni restaurant (which means 'In an Old Kitchen' ), which serves traditional Polish dishes tasting almost like homemade.

The interior resembles an old cottage: the walls are hung with cast-iron pans, rings of sausages and garlic wreaths. Wooden cupboards are full of preserves in round-bellied jars, some of which you can even buy, while a wood-fired oven exudes cosy warmth in the winter. The only incongruous element seems to be a wall painting of a huge library. Is it really possible that a 19^th-century cottage had such a luxury as a book collection filling one of the rooms? ;)

Potato pancakes served here are crunchy and fresh. We usually order them in one of the two forms: several smaller pancakes in forest mushroom sauce (PLN 32) or a huge 'mill-wheel' pancake with oscypek (sheep cheese from the Tatra mountains), bacon and cranberries (PLN 37). The latter dish is so big that if you're stomach has a limited capacity, you'd better share it with your companion. Sometimes when we feel like eating something more meaty we order grilled ribs, which are also nice but very, very filling.

The restaurant gives a free snack before the meal (it's usually bread with lard or garlic butter) and a shot of wiśniówka (cherry vodka) as digestif. The vodka not only is tasty, but it also helps digest the heavy, traditional dishes. And even though I'm always totally full up as I leave W Starej Kuchni , I don't regret a single, tasty calorie...

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Address: ul. św. Tomasza 8, Kraków

Website: www.wstarejkuchni.pl

FUSSY IN KRAKÓW

Kraków is famous for its charming restaurants and cafés. They seem to compete with each other in various categories: the most unusual name  (Pierwszy lokal na Stolarskiej po lewej stronie, idąc od Małego Rynku [The First Pub in Stolarska Street on Your Left as You Walk from Maly Rynek], Zaraz wracam [Be Right Back] or Królicze Oczy [Rabbit's Eyes], to mention just a few), the most unusual decor (carriages in Cherubino, tables hidden in wardrobes in Cafe Szafe) or the most unusual names of the dishes (in this category, my favourite is Fabryka Pizzy, which serves Tomato's Son, Good Morning Dracula, and The Age of Bacon).

In Kraków, you can find a place to suit every budget and occasion, but a vast array of  restaurants and pubs can be overhelming. That's why I've decided to write this blog. I love to eat out, to try out new dishes and to feel the ambience of restaurant and cafés. Even though I'm fussy, I always try to find something positive in the places I visit. Therefore, this blog is dedicated to the restaurants, cafés and pubs which I like and which I want to recommend to others.

Pierwszy lokal na Stolarskiej po lewej stronie idąc od Małego Rynku

Because eating out can be expensive, I often buy special offers advertised on groupon, GoDealla and similar websites. Moreover, I've bought Karta na Plus, which offers a lot of discounts in Kraków and around  (www.kartanaplus.pl).

Cafe Ważka

I hope this blog will inspire you to go out and find out which restaurant or café in Kraków is your favourite. 

The Polish version of my blog can be found here: Wybreda w Krakowie

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