Eatery provides a respite from throngs of tourists
But the weather decided to foul my plans. On the Saturday Kiki and I strolled around the Old Town in search of lunch, the skies darkened. This, of course, didn't keep the tourists from slowly milling around, clogging up the square and side streets, but it did nix any idea of outdoor dining. (A quick aside: If it's tourist season, how come we can't shoot them?)
Forgetting the tourists, gray sky and empty, rain-soaked tables outside the cafes and eateries, Kiki and I popped into Pod Herbami just off the square. The first thing you see when you walk through the door is the coat check room, manned by a middle-aged gent who has great power in the place. This guy calls the shots on everything but the food. A smoking or non-smoking table? He'll direct you. Want to buy a pack of cigarettes? He sells them to you for zl. 8, and you can't put them on the bill. Have to use the restroom? Pay him zl. 1 first. He'll also take your coat and bag with a smile for a small fee.
The restaurant is divided into two small dining rooms on either side of the coat check throne, one for smokers and the other for people who complain about smokers. With two packs of Marlboros in hand, we settled into the room on the right after receiving the Coat Guy's blessing.
Feeling sort of small in the high-backed chairs at a four-top table, we ordered a hot chocolate and a cappuccino to rid ourselves of the afternoon's wet chill. Kiki was thrilled with her steaming cocoa, but I was saddened by my weak coffee with sweet, canned whipped cream. Still, it was hot. Not sated, I moved on to a large beer (zl. 7).
Settled in, we then scanned through the menu. The starters seemed a bit heavy on the fish. Polish crepes with black caviar (zl. 56) and pancakes with shrimp (zl. 29) kicked things off. But there was also herring (zl. 6), smoked salmon (zl. 11), crayfish (zl. 25) and crab (zl. 15) starters. There was a cheese plate (zl. 30) that didn't come with anything that used to swim.
The soup list (zl. 4-zl. 6) was straightforward with standard offerings such as mushrooms and white borsch. In the back of the menu, you could choose from simple side salads (zl. 4) featuring veggies such as tomatoes.
The list of mains took us a while to get through. It isn't that long, but there is a good deal of choice. From the grill, you can order beef (zl. 30), pork (zl. 20), chicken (zl. 20), salmon (zl. 13 per 100 grams) and lamb (zl. 35).
Some of the fancier sounding dishes were roast duck with apples (zl. 16 per 100 grams) and stuffed cabbage with meat and chili sauce (zl. 20). Kiki decided on the Filet Mignon (zl. 35) to follow a tomato salad.
I was tempted by the trout with olives (zl. 8 per 100 grams), but Kiki reminded me about the last time I ordered trout while dining with her. It never arrived and I never ate. So, I ordered the roast lamb. Smoked salmon would be my starter.
Going for a full, lazy Saturday afternoon, we ordered a bottle of Faustino V (zl. 85). It was what we had wanted; red and so dry that you could almost taste the earth in the grapes. The wine list (zl. 45-zl. 170) didn't move me one way or the other. It was mostly made up of European wines priced around zl. 90.
Pod Herbami definitely has a Polish mood from days gone by. You feel it in the pale yellow room with the exposed brick wall on one side and the dark wood bar in the back. The menu aims to please without being too fancy. And the two young waitresses and elegant older gentleman who served us our meal were formal but doting. As we waited for our food we just felt relaxed and taken care of.
My smoked salmon arrived, but there was no sign of Kiki's tomato salad starter. But we didn't fuss because it came from the side order menu and would probably show up with her steak later. So she watched me enjoy the fish which was mild in flavor and thankfully not rubbery.
After a short break our mains arrived in no great style. The presentation was simple; the meat came with a side of boiled potatoes. But they were damn good spuds, piping hot and moist.
My lamb was also well-prepared. The four chops were lean and cooked perfectly, showing just enough pink inside. I was happy I didn't try the trout.
Kiki's Filet Mignon wasn't exactly a steak, but more like slices of roast beef that proved to be quite tender. A sweet, brown, but creamy gravy covered them. "It's the sauce that makes it," she said, mentioning hints of dill and garlic in the gray.
She was happy enough with the dish except for the offal that topped the meat. She ate around it but I didn't really care for her tossing the innards on my plate as she worked through her meal.
Her tomato salad, which was one sliced tomato, arrived as well. At least it was a fresh tomato, though it looked very lonely on the plate.
We skipped the desserts (zl. 9-zl. 15), which were basically ice cream done a couple of different ways and lingered over the wine. We were full and happy listening to the pan flute tape that had been playing throughout the meal. The timing of Taps on the tape, coming as it did at the end of our meal, wasn't exactly the best. But the sound of a horse and cart clip-clopping away outside provided a cheery follow-up.
The bill came to zl. 200 ($58.80) without tip for good food and caring service. Pod Herbami made our Saturday afternoon relaxing, pleasant and filling despite the rain. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about the wandering tourists outside.
Forgetting the tourists, gray sky and empty, rain-soaked tables outside the cafes and eateries, Kiki and I popped into Pod Herbami just off the square. The first thing you see when you walk through the door is the coat check room, manned by a middle-aged gent who has great power in the place. This guy calls the shots on everything but the food. A smoking or non-smoking table? He'll direct you. Want to buy a pack of cigarettes? He sells them to you for zl. 8, and you can't put them on the bill. Have to use the restroom? Pay him zl. 1 first. He'll also take your coat and bag with a smile for a small fee.
The restaurant is divided into two small dining rooms on either side of the coat check throne, one for smokers and the other for people who complain about smokers. With two packs of Marlboros in hand, we settled into the room on the right after receiving the Coat Guy's blessing.
Feeling sort of small in the high-backed chairs at a four-top table, we ordered a hot chocolate and a cappuccino to rid ourselves of the afternoon's wet chill. Kiki was thrilled with her steaming cocoa, but I was saddened by my weak coffee with sweet, canned whipped cream. Still, it was hot. Not sated, I moved on to a large beer (zl. 7).
Settled in, we then scanned through the menu. The starters seemed a bit heavy on the fish. Polish crepes with black caviar (zl. 56) and pancakes with shrimp (zl. 29) kicked things off. But there was also herring (zl. 6), smoked salmon (zl. 11), crayfish (zl. 25) and crab (zl. 15) starters. There was a cheese plate (zl. 30) that didn't come with anything that used to swim.
The soup list (zl. 4-zl. 6) was straightforward with standard offerings such as mushrooms and white borsch. In the back of the menu, you could choose from simple side salads (zl. 4) featuring veggies such as tomatoes.
The list of mains took us a while to get through. It isn't that long, but there is a good deal of choice. From the grill, you can order beef (zl. 30), pork (zl. 20), chicken (zl. 20), salmon (zl. 13 per 100 grams) and lamb (zl. 35).
Some of the fancier sounding dishes were roast duck with apples (zl. 16 per 100 grams) and stuffed cabbage with meat and chili sauce (zl. 20). Kiki decided on the Filet Mignon (zl. 35) to follow a tomato salad.
I was tempted by the trout with olives (zl. 8 per 100 grams), but Kiki reminded me about the last time I ordered trout while dining with her. It never arrived and I never ate. So, I ordered the roast lamb. Smoked salmon would be my starter.
Going for a full, lazy Saturday afternoon, we ordered a bottle of Faustino V (zl. 85). It was what we had wanted; red and so dry that you could almost taste the earth in the grapes. The wine list (zl. 45-zl. 170) didn't move me one way or the other. It was mostly made up of European wines priced around zl. 90.
Pod Herbami definitely has a Polish mood from days gone by. You feel it in the pale yellow room with the exposed brick wall on one side and the dark wood bar in the back. The menu aims to please without being too fancy. And the two young waitresses and elegant older gentleman who served us our meal were formal but doting. As we waited for our food we just felt relaxed and taken care of.
My smoked salmon arrived, but there was no sign of Kiki's tomato salad starter. But we didn't fuss because it came from the side order menu and would probably show up with her steak later. So she watched me enjoy the fish which was mild in flavor and thankfully not rubbery.
After a short break our mains arrived in no great style. The presentation was simple; the meat came with a side of boiled potatoes. But they were damn good spuds, piping hot and moist.
My lamb was also well-prepared. The four chops were lean and cooked perfectly, showing just enough pink inside. I was happy I didn't try the trout.
Kiki's Filet Mignon wasn't exactly a steak, but more like slices of roast beef that proved to be quite tender. A sweet, brown, but creamy gravy covered them. "It's the sauce that makes it," she said, mentioning hints of dill and garlic in the gray.
She was happy enough with the dish except for the offal that topped the meat. She ate around it but I didn't really care for her tossing the innards on my plate as she worked through her meal.
Her tomato salad, which was one sliced tomato, arrived as well. At least it was a fresh tomato, though it looked very lonely on the plate.
We skipped the desserts (zl. 9-zl. 15), which were basically ice cream done a couple of different ways and lingered over the wine. We were full and happy listening to the pan flute tape that had been playing throughout the meal. The timing of Taps on the tape, coming as it did at the end of our meal, wasn't exactly the best. But the sound of a horse and cart clip-clopping away outside provided a cheery follow-up.
The bill came to zl. 200 ($58.80) without tip for good food and caring service. Pod Herbami made our Saturday afternoon relaxing, pleasant and filling despite the rain. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about the wandering tourists outside.
