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46 GDAŃSK RESTAURANTS
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Polish Food
Those wanting to take a quick foxtrot through the world
of the Polish kitchen should consider putting the following
to the test:
Smalec: Fried lard, often served complimentary before
a meal with hunks of homemade bread. It sounds evil,
but it works like a miracle any day, especially an arctic
one. Ideally partnered with a mug of local beer. Any Polish
restaurant worth its salt should give you lashings of this
prior to your meal. You only need ask.
Soup: Keep your eyes peeled for Poland’s two signature
soups; żurek (sour rye soup with sausages and potatoes
floating in it) and barszcz (beetroot, occasionally with dumplings
thrown in). Table manners go out of the window when
eating these two, so feel free to dunk bread rolls in them.
Bigos: You’ll either love it or vomit. Bigos, a.k.a hunters
stew, is made using meat, cabbage, onion and sauerkraut
before being left to simmer for a few days. If you have
second helpings then consider yourself a Pole by default.
Gołąbki: Boiled cabbage leaves stuffed with beef, onion
and rice before being baked in a tomato sauce. Urban
myth claims Poland’s King Kazimierz fed his army gołąbki
before his victory outside Malbork in a battle against the
Teutonic Order. The unlikely victory was attributed to the
hearty meal his troops had enjoyed before hand.
Kiełbasa: Sausages, and in Poland you’ll find several varieties
made primarily with pork, but sometimes using turkey,
horse, lamb and even bison. Few varieties to watch for including
Krakowska, a Kraków specialty which uses pepper and
garlic, kabanosy which is a thin, dry sausage flavoured with
carraway seed and wiejska; a monster-looking u-shaped
sausage. Kiełbasa was also the nickname of one of Poland’s
most notorious gangland figures of the 90s.
Pierogi: Pockets of dough traditionally filled with meat,
cabbage or cheese, though you will also occasionally
find maverick fillings such as chocolate or strawberries.
Placki: Nothing more than potato pancakes, often paired
with lashings of sour cream. Again, all your traditional
folksy Polish restaurants will have these on the menu, if
not you have every right to raise a few questions in the
direction of the kitchen.
Zapiekanki: Also known as Polish pizza. Take a stale
baguette, pour melted cheese on it and then cover it
with mushrooms and ketchup from a squeezy bottle.
Best eaten when absolutely plastered. Where to buy it:
various fast food cabins dotted around the city centre.
Dessert: Few things in life get a Pole more animated than
a good dessert. Sernik (a kind of cheesecake) being a
must if you want to even attempt to convince a Pole you
have visited their country.
Kaszanka: This is the Polish variation of blood sausage,
in this case pig’s blood mixed with groats, and is generally
served fried with onions. Unlike in other countries it is not
served in the form of a sausage. A variation on the blood dish
is Czernina, a soup made of duck’s blood mixed with poultry
broth. An interesting tale is attached to this dish as it was the
dish served by the parents of young women to her suitors
as a sign that their proposal of marriage was not accepted.
Gdańsk In Your Pocket gdansk.inyourpocket.com
Panorama B-1, ul. Wały Piastowskie 1, tel. (+48) 58
307 42 51, www.panoramarestauracja.pl. While this is
not exactly the height of dining in the conventional sense, it
is the (maximum) height to dine at in the city. Negotiate the
office building security to climb to 16th floor of that green
office block overlooking the railway station to be rewarded
with a choice of views. Subject of an episode of the Polish
version of Hell’s Kitchen, celebrity chef Magda Gessler’s
changes can be witnessed in the cushions, plastic flowers,
pig alarms clocks and other kitschy touches while the kitchen
now turns out a pretty decent set of Polish staples such
as zurek, chicken de vollaile and pierogi with early opening
times reflecting the needs of the office slaves below. Worth
a visit for the value of a sightseeing tour and grub in one
place. Pop yourself in the right-hand room overlooking the
shipyard (the left-hand room has old-town views), order up
a couple of vodkas and salute what’s left of the birthplace
of Solidarity before it inevitably gets turned into apartment
blocks. QOpen 09:00 - 22:00, Mon 09:00 - 20:00. (22-
49zł). TAGS
Pierogarnia U Dzika C-4, ul. Piwna 59/60, tel. (+48)
58 305 26 76, www.pierogarniaudzika.com. To the
uninitiated a dzik is local lingo for boar. And not only has
the owner included the noble dzik in the name, he’s included
these little guys in the design. Where do boars go when
they die, to this place of course, where the proprietor has
them skinned, stuffed and nailed to every surface available.
Stranger still, the absence of anything resembling boar on
the menu - work that one out. This place has dedicated
itself to pierogi, and the ones here are quite simply the
best in the biz. If you don’t mind dead animals staring
reproachfully at you, then knock yourself out on delicious
pierogi stuffed with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings.
Q Open 11:00 - 22:00. From June open 11:00 - 24:00.
(15-65zł). PTA6BSW
Pod Łososiem C-4, ul. Szeroka 52-54, tel. (+48)
58 301 76 52, www.podlososiem.com.pl. Gdańsk’s
most famous restaurant? Quite possibly. It’s here that
Goldwasser vodka was first distilled back in 1598, a factor
which may have influenced the decision of Thatcher, Bush
sr., and Princess Anne to dine here. Cutting edge this isn’t,
rather a homage to history, with imperious looking interiors
complimented by a cracking menu comprised of high class
dishes. A standout dining experience. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
(55-80zł). PTAGS
Swojski Smak C-2, ul. Heweliusza 25/27, tel.
(+48) 58 320 19 12, www.swojskismak.pl. The
kitchen here must be a total slaughter-fest, blood
and bones everywhere. Out front find heaps of traditional
mountain food making their way to you by way
of a maze of benches and peasant diversions. You’ll
leave as stuffed as a Christmas goose, and no doubt
congratulating yourself on discovering such a fine deal.
QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 13:00 - 24:00. (15-35zł).
PTYAUGBSW
Tawerna Dominikańska D-3, ul. Targ Rybny 9, tel.
(+48) 519 16 62 70, www.tawernadominikanska.pl.
Tourist food, tourist prices, tourist trap - so you’d think. The
location marks this out as one of those places the travel
savvy avoid, though from what we’ve seen considerable
improvements have been made outback in the kitchen: nothing
groundbreaking, but by no means a disaster. Remaining
the same are the interiors, with a courtly theme manifesting
itself with heraldic coats of arms and twisty fake trees; given
the option, sit outside. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. (25-62zł).
PTYA6EGBSW
gdansk.inyourpocket.com
GDAŃSK RESTAURANTS
May - July 2012
47