Eatery needs to get with times and spice up bland-tasting fare
Nick Conrad had mentioned the Malinowa restaurant in the Hotel Grand. I'd never had a stunning meal in an Orbis hotel but we figured we would give it a try.
After wandering back through a few hallways, we found a large dining room with high ceilings - a rather grand, reddish room, with heavy drapes and wing-less chubby angels looking down on diners. Or maybe they were only statues of fat little children. Either way, you felt like you went back in time a bit - circa the 19th century?
The style, service and menu were also from the past. They were a taste of upscale Central European communist leftovers. Everything felt a bit old except for our over-eager waiter in red vest and bow tie. He didn't want to give us too much time to read the menu. But the drink-cart waitress delayed things a bit. The gin & tonic (zl. 13.40) tasted refreshing. Scoop started off with water.
The menu is quite Polish. Soups (zl. 8-zl. 12.50) like lurek and flaki kick things off. Starters include caviar (zl. 102), herring in oil (zl. 5.8) and carp "Jewish style." Then there are odd starters like the turkey fillet (zl. 18.40). I usually like to begin with something a little lighter.
The main dishes (zl.12.70-zl. 31.70) include veal, beef, pork cutlets and chicken prepared in simple ways. You can also order steak (by weight), fish or chicken from the grill. Bread, butter and all garnishes were extra (zl. 1-zl. 5).
Before pleasing our waiter and ordering food, I glanced over the short wine list. The vino on offer was mostly French standards (zl. 30-zl. 148) with the majority of bottles going for about zl. 50. We went for a bottle of Côte du Rhone (zl. 49.50) which proved to be dry, a bit musky and rough but quite drinkable.
After our waiter skipped off with our orders, Scoop was laughing. She had only recently arrived in Central Europe and found the old style of the place amusing. And she questioned the large metal plates set before us on the table.
The Kenny G music playing didn't help things either.
Scoop didn't have a starter but watched me taste the stuffed duck (zl. 9.40). Well, taste might be a strong word. And stuffed may be the wrong word. It was a sort of gelled roulade of duck, practically tasteless. Only a small piece of pineapple on top saved it from being completely bland.
After changing countless ashtrays every time I flicked an ash, waiters arrived with covered plates and topped off our wine glasses, monogrammed with the Orbis logo.
Since Scoop is a veggie, she had a hard time ordering, but was brave and chanced the "vegetable cutlet" (zl. 9.50). After examination she said, "I don't even know what this is."
It turned out to be a fried, mashed-potato-based pancake of sorts with other ground vegetables mixed in. Scoop said it was okay but very bland and greasy. She said the same about the fries.
My steak (zl. 29.70) was better. The quality beef was well grilled, but a jazzy sauce would have helped. The white asparagus (zl. 12.70) that I ordered as a side dish had its proper flavor. It's those little things that count.
Over coffee (zl. 5), Scoop and I agreed that bland was the best word to describe the meal. Nothing we had was truly bad, everything just lacked spice and any striking flavor. The bill came to zl. 152.40 ($43.40) without tip. That wasn't a bad price for what we had and getting a VAT receipt wasn't a hassle. But I have had much better meals for less. Particularly annoying, however, was the extra charge for garnishes reminiscent of a former era. Great location, grand room, just get with the times guys.
Malinowa
Hotel Grand
ul. Piotrkowska 72
lodz
Tel. (42) 633-0111
12 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Major credit cards accepted
Reservations recommended
After wandering back through a few hallways, we found a large dining room with high ceilings - a rather grand, reddish room, with heavy drapes and wing-less chubby angels looking down on diners. Or maybe they were only statues of fat little children. Either way, you felt like you went back in time a bit - circa the 19th century?
The style, service and menu were also from the past. They were a taste of upscale Central European communist leftovers. Everything felt a bit old except for our over-eager waiter in red vest and bow tie. He didn't want to give us too much time to read the menu. But the drink-cart waitress delayed things a bit. The gin & tonic (zl. 13.40) tasted refreshing. Scoop started off with water.
The menu is quite Polish. Soups (zl. 8-zl. 12.50) like lurek and flaki kick things off. Starters include caviar (zl. 102), herring in oil (zl. 5.8) and carp "Jewish style." Then there are odd starters like the turkey fillet (zl. 18.40). I usually like to begin with something a little lighter.
The main dishes (zl.12.70-zl. 31.70) include veal, beef, pork cutlets and chicken prepared in simple ways. You can also order steak (by weight), fish or chicken from the grill. Bread, butter and all garnishes were extra (zl. 1-zl. 5).
Before pleasing our waiter and ordering food, I glanced over the short wine list. The vino on offer was mostly French standards (zl. 30-zl. 148) with the majority of bottles going for about zl. 50. We went for a bottle of Côte du Rhone (zl. 49.50) which proved to be dry, a bit musky and rough but quite drinkable.
After our waiter skipped off with our orders, Scoop was laughing. She had only recently arrived in Central Europe and found the old style of the place amusing. And she questioned the large metal plates set before us on the table.
The Kenny G music playing didn't help things either.
Scoop didn't have a starter but watched me taste the stuffed duck (zl. 9.40). Well, taste might be a strong word. And stuffed may be the wrong word. It was a sort of gelled roulade of duck, practically tasteless. Only a small piece of pineapple on top saved it from being completely bland.
After changing countless ashtrays every time I flicked an ash, waiters arrived with covered plates and topped off our wine glasses, monogrammed with the Orbis logo.
Since Scoop is a veggie, she had a hard time ordering, but was brave and chanced the "vegetable cutlet" (zl. 9.50). After examination she said, "I don't even know what this is."
It turned out to be a fried, mashed-potato-based pancake of sorts with other ground vegetables mixed in. Scoop said it was okay but very bland and greasy. She said the same about the fries.
My steak (zl. 29.70) was better. The quality beef was well grilled, but a jazzy sauce would have helped. The white asparagus (zl. 12.70) that I ordered as a side dish had its proper flavor. It's those little things that count.
Over coffee (zl. 5), Scoop and I agreed that bland was the best word to describe the meal. Nothing we had was truly bad, everything just lacked spice and any striking flavor. The bill came to zl. 152.40 ($43.40) without tip. That wasn't a bad price for what we had and getting a VAT receipt wasn't a hassle. But I have had much better meals for less. Particularly annoying, however, was the extra charge for garnishes reminiscent of a former era. Great location, grand room, just get with the times guys.
Malinowa
Hotel Grand
ul. Piotrkowska 72
lodz
Tel. (42) 633-0111
12 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Major credit cards accepted
Reservations recommended
