Eat Like Ushi

After the joy of eating in a typical Polish milk bar (Bar Smak) and the disappointment in the street food (zapiekanka from Plac Nowy), it was time to upgrade and try some finer cuisine.

Pod Aniolami seemed to have a lot going for it, not least being the translation of its name "Under the Angels", the gothic cellar built in the 13th century, and of course the reputation for good food coming from multiple websites (especially meat and fish).

It isn't expensive per se (PLN130), just more than you'd expect from other alternatives and more local places. Like everywhere else in the world, you pay for location, service and quality. Pod Aniolami formed a good memorable meal and I would be happy to return, with more focus on their specialties.

- Homemade Lard with country wholemeal bread - lard & bacon bits spread onto bread forming a rich buttery decadent treat;
- Lettuce with Spicy Ewe's Milk Cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers & vinaigrette - token fresh salad with very soft mild cheese;
- Pierogi stuffed with meat/mushrooms/cabbage, cottage cheese/potato/onion, pan-fried with butter & onion, served with cranberries - pan-fried pierogi had the best outside texture as I'm not a fan of the thick boiled Eastern European standard. The cranberry sauce was the standard feature bringing the pierogi to life;
- Traditional Polish Red Borsch - clear, hot, thin, sweet beetroot soup. Very good;
- Veal Chops marinated in herbs, with forest chanterelles, green asparagus, garlic butter - decent veal although not especially tender, with nice crispy potatoes;
- Famous homemade Apple Cake with vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream, egg liqueur - deliciously soft warm mesh of apples, soft crust, cinnamon and fresh blueberries;
- Two slices of mild Polish highlander's ewe's cheese (oscypek) from Rantulowa;
- Prunes macerated in alcohol - intensely alcoholic with a touch of prune sweetness;
- complimentary mint vodka shot. 

Next time I would order the Homemade Lard, soup (such as borsch, zurek or fish soup) and a focus on the grilled dishes from a la carte. I wouldn't order anything with cheese and none of them seemed to really have any significant flavour. Given enough people (15-25) and notice, they also offer large fired items like whole young pig, boar's leg or Polish lamb all which sound delicious.

Plac Nowy is a known area for 3 things - meat and sausages at Grill na Kazimierzu, the Polish sandwich zapiekanki at every other vendor in the giant circle of the plaza, and being the area where people go at night for drinks. 

Sadly as I was there on a Monday night, there was no nightlife of people at all - irritating because the hostel staff specifically told us to go there for it. I don't think it had anything to do with not being local as we walked the entire area and even asked a bargirl in the one place we found open, who confirmed nothing happens there on Mondays/weekdays.

Still, two out of three is ok.

Grill na Kazimierzu

A little stand in one corner that has loads of bbq options cooking in anticipation of the crowds. The lady running it didn't speak English but there is picture signs for guidance or alternatively point at what you like on the grill. I tried a sausage (simple, standard, satisfying, nothing amazing) and a piece of the local delicacy bbq cheese (which is quite dry and not particularly tasty).

Zapiekanki

This Polish sandwich is what the afterwork crowd, the local youth, and the budget travellers seem to try. It is effectively a very long bread half topped with a plethora of options to resemble a pizza. Various meats, vegetables, cheeses and sauces are added and then baked to be warm and bread crisp. I hadn't researched if any one was particularly better than the others, but they all seemed to look the same. I chose one that had no English on the menu and had other customers there already.

My selection of chicken, cheese, tomato sauce and spring onion was pretty terrible. The bread was crisp but had no intrinsic flavour, the chicken didn't have much flavour either, the cheese was melted but bland. In the end it tasted like bread with tomato sauce and a jumble of flavourless meat/cheese. I ate a few bites and left the rest on a bench top for a friendly hungry soul to have.

Next time I would order from Plac Nowy only on a night when there was more atmosphere (likely Thurs-Sat). Kazimierzu will satisfy the basic sausage cravings. I would be willing to give zapienkaki another try, but I'd have to choose my vendor and toppings much more carefully.

"Milk bars" in Poland have nothing to do with milk and everything to do with homestyle cooking. This is a well reputed one especially for their version of soup.

It is in an unexpectedly good location, just east of the old town square. Yet despite this and the reputation, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bar was full of Polish people. People come either alone for a quick meal or in small groups of 2-4 for a social catchup over food. Not a hint of English was detected until I opened my mouth to order.

I had read the Zurek sour rye soup was the main thing to try here and so how could I resist. For my first time, it was a pleasant experience - a tangy zesty light sourness flavoured with smoked sausage.

I asked for a recommendation for a main dish and so ended up with Barbeque Ribs (with Cooked Potatoes, Pickles). Thinking about it after ordering it doesn't sound particularly local at all, so I wasn't impressed with my decision making. The ribs were tasty, but a little tough such that the meat didn't melt off the bone as we all expect ribs to. I liked having the mash, shredded carrot and strong pickles to give make each mouthful different.

I would be very happy to return here.

Next time I would order the Zurek or try their take on Barszcz. I'd try a main meal that is more decidely Polish - I'm not exactly sure which that is, but Goulash or Bread-Crumbed Pork Chop sound like a great start.