Even in the coal belt, there are some diamonds in the rough
This Italian eatery serves up dishes in an elegant setting. It's in Myslowice, a 15-minute drive from central Katowice. I arrived by bus, getting off on ulica Oswiecim - Auschwitz Street. Enthusiasm waned for a second, and then I set off.
I found Divertimento a short walk away. The decor inside was about as far from traditional Italian as I was from the nearest Olive Garden. Walls painted light yellow rose up to a ceiling of almost cathedral height, supported by three pillars dividing the room in two. Dried flowers hung from them in bunches. Curiously, the walls were scrawled on in black ink with the signatures of previous diners, including former Finance Minister Grzegorz Kolodko and current Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz.
I was shown to a table in a small loft holding four, four-tops. From my perch I had a view over a brass railing of the main dining room. Photographs, drawings and paintings of Venetian bridges and other Italian scenes decorated the walls.
A serious-faced waiter delivered two menus, one regular and one with the specials. Both menus were in Polish and Italian only, although when seating me the waiter had offered an English menu.
Turning first through the regular menu, I saw a selection of antipastos for zl. 12-zl. 22. The carpaccio with parmesan and mushrooms sounded good. A list of 10 pizzas followed, the usual suspects at zl. 10 each.
I turned with greater expectation to the specials menu. There was a fruiti di mare thing going on. But what jumped out at me and what I ordered was a first course of Lasagnette Imperiale (zl. 22) - pasta with mussels, shrimp and other assorted fruits of the sea - followed by a main course of mussels in white wine sauce (zl. 28). You can also choose a spicy tomato sauce for your mussels.
Most wines ran zl. 40-zl. 70, but at the top end featured Chateau Dauzac Margaux Grand Cru (zl. 280) and Brunello di Montalcino (zl. 220) for reds, Chablis Grand Cru (zl. 290) or Premier Cru (zl. 155) for whites. I requested a glass of the house white (zl. 5). Asked what the house wine was, the waiter, a Pole in an Italian restaurant, displayed a convincing French look of disdain as he said, "It is a ... table wine," the last words squeezed out like drops of acid from his lips.
While waiting for the first course, I listened to the multi-lingual conversations around me: Italian to my right, French in the corner, Polish behind me and English drifting up from downstairs. Abba Gold was on the stereo and the whole place, half full on a Thursday at 9 p.m., seemed to be grooving to it. Someone was even whistling along. I was tapping my feet too after the first glass of wine.
The Lasagnette Imperiale arrived and as the waiter slid the dish past my eager eyes, the most incredible scent of garlic rose up. Resting atop a plateful of pasta were two mussels, two crayfish, and some shrimp. After finishing I ordered another glass of the "mere" table wine, which was a refreshing and delicious semi-dry white, well chilled and with a bold, round taste of apple.
The plate of mussels arrived promptly after, 10 of them generously ladled with a warm, white-wine dressing. Once I'd finished savoring each plump morsel, I found myself going after the delicious sauce left in the bottom of the deep plate, spooning it out like chicken soup.
It was getting on 10 p.m., leaving me only half an hour before the last bus back to Katowice. And since the only thing I could find fault with was the service for being a bit slow (my early request for a little extra time to scan the menu had the waiter M.I.A. for a good 15 minutes), I decided to skip coffee and dessert. Dinner for one came to zl. 55 ($15.70). They wouldn't give me a faktura VAT, citing the usual excuses, and though they promised to mail it, I am still waiting. Disappointing, but not enough to dull the sheen on an otherwise superb evening of dining.
I found Divertimento a short walk away. The decor inside was about as far from traditional Italian as I was from the nearest Olive Garden. Walls painted light yellow rose up to a ceiling of almost cathedral height, supported by three pillars dividing the room in two. Dried flowers hung from them in bunches. Curiously, the walls were scrawled on in black ink with the signatures of previous diners, including former Finance Minister Grzegorz Kolodko and current Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz.
I was shown to a table in a small loft holding four, four-tops. From my perch I had a view over a brass railing of the main dining room. Photographs, drawings and paintings of Venetian bridges and other Italian scenes decorated the walls.
A serious-faced waiter delivered two menus, one regular and one with the specials. Both menus were in Polish and Italian only, although when seating me the waiter had offered an English menu.
Turning first through the regular menu, I saw a selection of antipastos for zl. 12-zl. 22. The carpaccio with parmesan and mushrooms sounded good. A list of 10 pizzas followed, the usual suspects at zl. 10 each.
I turned with greater expectation to the specials menu. There was a fruiti di mare thing going on. But what jumped out at me and what I ordered was a first course of Lasagnette Imperiale (zl. 22) - pasta with mussels, shrimp and other assorted fruits of the sea - followed by a main course of mussels in white wine sauce (zl. 28). You can also choose a spicy tomato sauce for your mussels.
Most wines ran zl. 40-zl. 70, but at the top end featured Chateau Dauzac Margaux Grand Cru (zl. 280) and Brunello di Montalcino (zl. 220) for reds, Chablis Grand Cru (zl. 290) or Premier Cru (zl. 155) for whites. I requested a glass of the house white (zl. 5). Asked what the house wine was, the waiter, a Pole in an Italian restaurant, displayed a convincing French look of disdain as he said, "It is a ... table wine," the last words squeezed out like drops of acid from his lips.
While waiting for the first course, I listened to the multi-lingual conversations around me: Italian to my right, French in the corner, Polish behind me and English drifting up from downstairs. Abba Gold was on the stereo and the whole place, half full on a Thursday at 9 p.m., seemed to be grooving to it. Someone was even whistling along. I was tapping my feet too after the first glass of wine.
The Lasagnette Imperiale arrived and as the waiter slid the dish past my eager eyes, the most incredible scent of garlic rose up. Resting atop a plateful of pasta were two mussels, two crayfish, and some shrimp. After finishing I ordered another glass of the "mere" table wine, which was a refreshing and delicious semi-dry white, well chilled and with a bold, round taste of apple.
The plate of mussels arrived promptly after, 10 of them generously ladled with a warm, white-wine dressing. Once I'd finished savoring each plump morsel, I found myself going after the delicious sauce left in the bottom of the deep plate, spooning it out like chicken soup.
It was getting on 10 p.m., leaving me only half an hour before the last bus back to Katowice. And since the only thing I could find fault with was the service for being a bit slow (my early request for a little extra time to scan the menu had the waiter M.I.A. for a good 15 minutes), I decided to skip coffee and dessert. Dinner for one came to zl. 55 ($15.70). They wouldn't give me a faktura VAT, citing the usual excuses, and though they promised to mail it, I am still waiting. Disappointing, but not enough to dull the sheen on an otherwise superb evening of dining.
