Captain’s log

By : Greg Goodale

    Club Magellan

    ul. Moliera 4/6

    Tel. 828 90 41

    11.00 a.m.-9.00 p.m. daily

    Credit cards accepted

   Five minutes walk from Old Town and a brief stroll from the international haunts of the Victoria, Europejski and Bristol hotels, Klub Magellan should be a meeting place of the cosmopolitan business set mingled with a smattering of minor celebrities and opera lovers. Instead it’s a rather more conservative venue making a light trade of business lunches that quietly mix the pinstripe suits, sensible ties and stolid cufflinks of commerce and politics.

   Warsaw’s precocious media tend to seek more exotic climes, preferring a little more vibrancy and daring than the single-breasted jacket or tweed sweater brigade. I brought along Joe and Joanna, both with a long trail of business lunches behind them, to get a broader perspective.

   Entering Magellan can be a rather somnolent affair. Inside is a large panoramic fish tank full of colorful, soporific, vaguely shifting forms that seem to set the Sunday lunchtime pace. Even our waitress seemed to be tainted with this sleeping sickness, lethargically preferring to leave us to dredge the menu rather than offering recommendations. But this was probably a good idea as we had to seek long and hard to find something to feed our resident vegetarian. Also the menu is full of extravagant dishes and flavor combinations that take a little decision making.

   Pondering the eccentricities of the cuisine on offer, my eyes wandered around Magellan’s wide open spaces filled with big blue maritime paintings and dark solid forms that give it a clean and uncluttered look. The lighting has just enough warmth to distinguish it from a hotel lobby, though the color scheme – burgundy, mahogany and peach – will have most seafarers writing angry dispatches to the bosun.

   So too would some of the starters. Instead of a butch, garlicky knockout, Joe’s gazpacho was an inadequately chilled bowl of tomato sauce encircled by small dishes of chopped onion, croutons, cucumber and peppers but sadly no herbs and garlic.

   Joanna ordered artichokes and asparagus in hollandaise sauce and pan-fried bacon, which looked impeccable and was not bad although the asparagus was slightly stringy and overripe. My deep-fried Camembert with cranberry sauce on a crunchy salad was surrounded by a fresh orange vinaigrette dressing. Unfortunately, the cranberry sauce didn’t stand up for itself; I longed for a more tangy fruit flavor to set off the cheese.

   For the main course I ordered salmon baked with magor cheese and basil on a bed of spinach. This creative combination was slightly marred by an overcooked salmon. But the fragrant wild rice wrapped in vine leaves accompanied by the heady odors of magor cheese had me spellbound. Delicious. I was also glad to see that my companions were equally involved with their culinary creations.

   “These chips are made of apple,” mused Joe, at the same time praising his roast duck for its crispy skin and succulent meat. The slightly toothsome ravioli verdi left Joanna looking pleased, if not radiant.

   The desserts were unanimously the finest we had eaten in Warsaw. Joe’s tiramisu and Joanna’s apple charlotte were spectacularly served and brought about a mutiny against table manners as we all scrambled for a taste. The tiramisu was smooth beyond compare, while the fresh charlotte stirred seamlessly together with a little cinnamon ice-cream. The cr¯me brûlée, modestly presented in a plain bowl, impressed us even more and I had to linger over it as every spoonful brought the dessert agonizingly closer to its end.

   While it will neatly show off a new ballroom gown or tiara over a pre-opera aperitif, Klub Magellan is not the place for an evening romance or intimate reminiscences amid subdued lighting. The restaurant would suit a sensible business lunch with plenty of details to discuss between courses. Above all, the food is worth the visit. Our meal cost zł. 576 ($137) with a carafe of Sauvignon Blanc ‘99 and a 10% service charge.

   On the menu:

    Deep-fried Camembert zl.40

    Artichokes and asparagus zl. 28

    Gazpacho zl.28

    Green ravioli with sage sauce zl.40

    Salmon baked with magor cheese zl. 76

    Roast duck with apples zl. 65

    Creme brulee zl. 32

    Apple charlotte zl. 31

    Tiramisu zl. 32