Bread of Heaven
Yes, in this current economic climate, everyone is tightening their belts - literally!
Restaurants are empty at lunchtime (and just as empty at night for that matter), wine sales are down, and if the current GDP figures haven't sounded the death knell of the long, boozy business lunch, then the new budget will.
Short of bringing in a packed lunch, lovingly folded in greaseproof paper by their mums, what are the businessmen and women of Warsaw to do?
Buy a sandwich!
A sandwich in Warsaw used to consist of a slice of processed ham, a leaf of kapusta pekińska (Chinese cabbage), and a lone wedge of red capsicum between stale bread. The fourth Earl of Sandwich, the man history credits for creating the humble sandwich in the 18th century, must have been turning in his grave.
The earl, an avid gambler, invented the sandwich during a 24-hour game of poker. Too engrossed to tear himself away and feed his hunger pangs with a proper meal, he tossed a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on some bread, and presto, the sandwich was born.
I don't know if the earl won or lost the poker game, but his eponymous snack has since transmogrified into its own food group.
So what can you find in Warsaw that could qualify as a sandwich?
For openers, the Western style of sandwich
To Americans, a sandwich is two meals in one with two centimeters of ham, half a chicken or a whole side of pastrami wedged in between a giant baguette, doused with mayonnaise and a mountain of fries on the side. Thankfully, Warsaw's western style sandwiches are a little more realistic. In the last 18 months, cafes-cum-sandwich retailers have been spreading across the city faster than autumn flu. Take your pick: Stoney Point Java, Mercers, Coffee Heaven or Cafe Brama. The sandwiches aren't cheap - typically around zł. 13 - although Café Brama comes in at the bottom with prices hovering around zł. 10. And the sandwiches, served on wonderful crusty rolls, include roast chicken, curry chicken, ham and cheese, etc. Coffee Heaven's sandwiches are consistently good, too. The club sandwich has a bit of everything - chicken, crispy bacon, cheese and mayo. It will send your daily calorie count out the window, but stave off the afternoon munchies. And Coffee Heaven's underground outlet at Warsaw's Central Station opens at 5 a.m. Mercers insists on tightly wrapping its take-away sandwiches in cling wrap, which can for a soggy sandwich make! And at Stoney Point Java, you have to be quick because its sandwich selection gets gobbled up early during the lunch rush hour. And the bread can be a little brittle and dry.
Addresses:
Coffee Heaven: Central Station; ul. Dobra 56/66 University Library; Sadyba Best Mall; Galeria Mokotów; ul. Nowy wiat 46.
Stoney Point Java: Atrium Plaza, Jana Pawła II 25; ul. Pańska 81/83; Central Station (under the Marriott Hotel); Wola Park at ul. Górchewska 124; Galeria Mokotów at ul. Wołoska 12
Mercers: ul. Nowy wiat 25; ul. Chmielna 21
Cafe Brama: ul. Marszałkowska 8; ul. Grójecka 74; ul. Waryńskiego 26; ul. Nowy wiat 60; ul. Krucza 16/22; ul. Puławska 24B.
Next, the Eastern style of sandwich
If you're a kebab fan, then you're in luck because Warsaw has some half-decent kebab houses. But the trick is knowing which ones are good, for fear you end up buying botulism wrapped in pita bread. The best indicator of a good kebab is people - and plenty of them - buying them. That way you know the food is fresh, and the rotisserie meat hasn't been turning around since winter. In fact, a rotisserie that is actually turning is a good sign! And if there are taxi drivers eating there, it must be OK because you can't spend 12 hours in a Polonez with a dodgy tummy.
So check out Dania Greckie "Bar Diana" or its neighbor Bar Turecki Kebab "Ali Baba" both at ul. Marszałkowska 138 (near ul. więtokrzyska). While historically the Greeks and Turks haven't been happy neighbors, these two seem to get on well enough, although the plainclothes security guards get a bit upset if you eat at the wrong table! The kebabs are authentic, big and cheap - about zł. 6 - zł. 16, depending on what you want. The Greek version comes wrapped in deliciously fresh pita bread with a chili kick lurking in the concoction, while the Turkish chef whacks his into a thick loaf.
"I've been eating here at least once a week for the past four years," said Paweł, a photo lab technician, as he tucked in to his Greek kebab. "It's a good taste and a good price."
And finally, the Polish style of sandwich
Poland's growing Westernization is inversely proportional to the amount of kapusta pekińska you will find in your sandwich. Fact!
Just take a stroll under Rondo Dmowskiego at the intersection of Al. Jerozolimskie and ul. Marszałkowska, and you'll encounter market forces in action as the a-petite and Oscar sandwich chains battle it out for taste buds of the lunchtime crowds. At last count, there were seven of them selling everything from zapiekanka - a kind of melted cheese-and-tomato-sauce sub - to toasted sandwiches (a bargain at zł. 3.80), pastries, pizza (we met two hungry chimney sweeps downing three pizzas - each!) and fresh juices. And you won't find a single leaf of cabbage!
The process works like this: You choose your sandwich filling, say, cheese and ham. The bread and filling are then put in a sandwich press to heat them and squash them within an inch of their lives. Next, you select your vegetables: tomato, cucumber, onion and lettuce and your choice of dressing. I can't distinguish between the dressing flavors since they all taste just like mayonnaise, except they're colored pink, green, orange and white.
In the end, regardless of what you have on your toasted sandwich, they all taste the same - a mix of salty and sweet. And the vegetables can look like yesterday's leftovers. But for such a cheap price, what do you expect?
