Foksal adds an almost winner to its roster of funky eateries
By : Will Sartori
With the opening of several restaurants, ulica Foksal is fast becoming the nightlife district of Warsaw. After a tough day at the salt mine, I wandered that way with Wojtek to sample the wares at Man~ ana, a new Latin American restaurant opened by the owners of Tam Tam.
We arrived around 10 p.m. on a Thursday night, grateful that the kitchen was serving until midnight and both the downstairs room and the upper level over the bar were fairly empty.
Ma ~n ana is charmingly decorated, with flesh-colored walls, plastic tropical fruits and a map of the Caribbean painted on the ceiling. Thick wooden tables sport cactus centerpieces for that tropics-in-Central-Europe touch. Groovy Cuban rhythms though not, thank God, the Buena Vista Social Club added some liveliness to the room. The overall effect is pleasantly exotic and moderately romantic. Large windows open out onto Foksal so you can watch the nightlife trailing by.
Both of the waitresses were pleasantly attentive and helpful. When ours was busy the other brought plates and tended to our needs, answering all our questions without seeming rushed.
Before going to the food we stopped at the drink menu and got a shot of tequila each (zl. 10). The shots came with the obligatory salt shaker and lemon wedges. I washed my meal down with the only beer on tap, a Warsteiner (zl. 12). They also have Corona Desperado, Lech, 10.5 and Tyskie by the bottle. Wojtek had a quarter carafe of Los Medanos (zl. 30), an Argentinean red.
Properly fortified, I opened the proceedings with a ham, avocado and mandarin orange starter (zl. 21). Two halves of avocado had been scooped and refilled with a mixture of the above, though what was supposed to be a mandarin orange was actually grapefruit. The result was neither tasty nor attractive, and grated lemon peel added nothing but more bitterness. The starter might have had a fighting chance if it had contained the orange as advertised.
Wojtek opted out of the starter and went straight for pork cutlets in plum and blackcurrant sauce (zl. 42). The pork came perfectly grilled, cooked through but still moist, and sat on a bed of one of the best meat sauces I have tasted: spicy and fruity. Three asparagus spears graced the plate along with what the menu called placek z cebula but were really hash browns with onions. The hash browns were the meal's unexpected highlight. If only some Warsaw restaurant could get the bright idea to serve these next to an omelet at breakfast they'd have my business daily. For all you North Americans who are Jonesing for some good hash browns, you need look no further.
"It hit me up with everything I like," Wojtek said, "Spicy meat, veggies, and major comfort food."
Wojtek did not like my steak, though. I ordered the T-bone (zl. 45) cooked medium, and it came medium rare, rather impressively presented on a skillet-shaped cutting board with orange-greeny fresh bell pepper arranged like a flower and a side of fried potatoes. The steak, which was thick, and of a good size and quality, also came with three sauces: grated horseradish, creamy guacamole and a garlic, onion and pepper combo that was the best of the three. But none of the sauces compared to the one across the table.
"If I could lick this plate clean, I would," Wojtek said, still enamoured of the plum and blackcurrant sauce that came with the pork. Wojtek followed that announcement by ordering an Irish Coffee. My Mexican coffee made me happy and woke me up.
Dinner for two with drinks came to zl. 232.10 ($54). It was a good meal in pleasant surroundings with excellent service but perhaps a little pricey for the value. In the same price bracket is next door's Tam Tam, which features a more adventurous menu. It could be that I made the wrong choices from the menu because Wojtek certainly seemed happy with the food. Ma~n ana is close to being a very good restaurant but still needs something extra that will make you want to go back.
From the Menu
Starters: zl.21
Mains: zl. 27-zl. 45
Pancakes: zl. 16
Desserts: zl. 18
Wines: zl. 75-zl. 130,B.
