Comfort food at comfortable prices makes Mokotow joint shine
There's a stretch of ulica Rakowiecka that looks rather neighborhoody. Coming west from Aleja Niepodleglosci and across from the school of economics, mature trees give a friendlier feeling to shops lining the street, which include hair salons, a watch repair, fruit stands, a confectionery and a place that looks like the local watering hole, Gospoda pod kogutem. Inside the dark doorway was a dark bar decorated in country themes. Wagon wheels and stuffed birds festooned stained wooden walls. Also festooning the stools around the bar were neighborhood characters who may well have their names engraved into those same stools.
Up the stairs and on the first floor is a similarly decorated dining room, with the same stained wood paneling and overhead beams, wagon wheels, and other country touches such as animal skins, oil lanterns, decorative plates, and a giant wooden fork. It was pure Polish country kitsch down to the touristy paintings of the old town and Lazienki Park. The restaurant is an old-style place with an old-style menu. Let's just say pre-McDonald's. This means you pay by the decagram for what you order and are never really sure how much that kotlet costs until you receive the rachunek and ... well, then you're doing dishes for the rest of the night or, considering what a Warsaw dishwasher must make, the next five nights.
So Sister Bertrille and I flipped through those you've seen it before vinyl binder menus with plastic slips over the pages. They held nothing new other than a lack of English translations. Hot and cold starters were a mere zl. 5-zl. 15 and soup was zl. 5-zl. 8. Main courses were a little tricky because the prices ranged from zl. 15-zl. 40 per weight portion, ditto for the grilled meats, which went for zl. 15-zl. 20. The mains come a la carte and side orders ranged from zl. 4-zl. 10. Additional things such as bread, butter, rice or even additional sauces were zl. 1-zl. 5, and desserts were only zl. 2-zl. 7.
We looked for the traps. Avoiding anything labeled kotlet (read: battered, deep-fried greasy meat) or salatka (read: "You did order cabbage smothered in mayonnaise, didn't you?"). We went for the safe choices in broken po polsku.
"Zywiec, duze, dwa razem."
We were delighted when our two beers (zl. 6) came in thick, glass beer mugs, the way a beer ought to be served, not in some dainty little glass. We were also beginning to let down our guard because of another surprise. The old-style waiter was helpful and friendly. He made us two foreigners feel downright at home, as best he could with English skills that matched our limited Polish. He was so nice we thought we had somehow wound up in the countryside.
Without asking we received bread and smalec. You can consider this an advantage or a disadvantage. As I started to grease up a slice with the reduced pig fat, the good sister reminisced: "Brings back memories of the days when mother used to keep a can of Crisco in the cupboard at all times."
Though it was a hot day they hadn't yet turned on the numerous fans that sprouted from the ceiling like ferns in a forest. We needed some cooling down, so right away went for two orders of chlodnik (zl. 6). The chilled vegetable soup was thin and tangy with generous amounts of chives and radish, and it hit the spot perfectly.
Next, we had decided to split an order of the placki ziemniaczane z sosem pikantnym (potato pancakes with a spicy sauce). Our friendly waiter had assured us it was not a big or small portion, but srednia. We found it quite generous, and for only zl. 8, it could become a regular lunch bargain for me. The potato pancakes were smothered in a beef stew with processed carrots, peas and pepper. Sister Bertrille pronounced it "delish" as she unloaded the smallest of the three pancakes and I was converted when the sos pikantny cleared my sinuses.
For mains we both ordered from the grill, figuring we could avoid excessive artery blockage. Sister Bertrille had the schab wieprzowy (zl. 15 for 150 grams) and I opted for poledwica wolowa (zl. 18 for 160 grams). Our helpful and friendly waiter assured us that we wanted side dishes with these a la carte selections, so we each had some fasolka szparagowa (zl. 4). We expected to receive asparagus but instead we got green beans in marjoram, a minor disappointment. Our waiter seemed surprised that we did not want another side of fried potatoes to follow the placki.
Both of our meats were quite good. Her portion of pork was not as tender as it could have been, but it was fresh, moist and tasty. It was slightly seasoned and came with a pile of the most delicious relish, made from garlic, onion, peppers, mushrooms and pickles.
"It was good enough that I kept eating after I was full," the good sister said.
At this time a thunderstorm broke out and a breeze started blowing through the open windows. The staff scrambled to shut them before the rain came in. The restaurant, which had filled some since our arrival, took on a warm, home-like air. It was a good place to be in a storm and, we imagined, also very cozy when there is snow outside.
My beef was similarly prepared and I savored every bite. By this time my beer had run dry and it was time for a shot. I had surveyed the vodkas earlier and found Wisniowka (zl. 5) on the menu. This infused distillate, which has a bitter start and a sweet follow, put the finishing cap on a good meal. We had no room for dessert. The electrical storm outside would provide the after-dinner entertainment that night.
Dinner for two came to zl. 84 ($18). Old-fashioned food with old-fashioned prices a wonderful find. When you're in the mood for traditional Polish cooking, but don't feel like getting all gussied up for Dom Polski, Fukier or any of the other nouveau-Polish places, I recommend Gospoda pod kogutem. While not a place to take clients, it's still a cozy, old-style restaurant with friendly service, reasonable prices and neighborhood comforts.
