Interview with Konrad Kowalski, Chef at Opasły Tom restaurant

Opasły Tom is one of the restaurants that belong to Agnieszka Kręglicka and her brother Marcin Kręglicki. Siblings have been successfully working in Warsaw’s gastronomy for almost 30 years now. Restaurant is located near Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera. Special menu composed of perfect dishes that do not need a lot of waiting, was created with the aim of guests visiting Opasły Tom before every performance. Chef Konrad Kowalski tells us about what we can find in that menu and discusses the process of preparing a food and matching flavours.

Name Opasły Tom refers to  first location of the restaurant, which was a bookstore in National Institute of Publishing at Foksal street. Even then, restaurant was famous for its perfect kitchen, led by Agata Wojda. Five years ago, Opasły Tom moved to the tenement rebuild after World War II on Wierzbowa 9 street. This is a place with history – a well-known culinary group Oaza operated here in the 20s, which combined cabaret, dancing, a café and an elegant restaurant. It was frequently visited by artists, politics and businessman’s.

The restaurant was stunning in its décor by Professor Wincenty Drabik, a prominent stage designer, painter and university lecturer who designed more than 300 sets for various theaters. The walls and ceilings of the Oaza were decorated with colorful, patterned paintings and the interiors were illuminated by rich crystal chandeliers. It was one of the most elegant places in pre-war Warsaw. Today – almost a century later, located at the same place, Opasły Tom also impresses us with its design. In 2020, the prestigious Wallpaper* magazine listed it as one of the five most beautiful restaurants in the world. The authors of the interior design are the BUCK.STUDIO.

The restaurant is located on two levels and it features rooms of various sizes with tables for guests, a bar with a reading room, a wine library and a partially open kitchen. The wave-shaped wall cladding is made of metal sheet covered with velvet in sage green. This is not only a decoration, but also an element that guarantees an excellent acoustics. The wooden dressers, sideboards finished in chevron that refers to art deco, tables with a pink marble top and honey wood chairs look great against the walls. Lamps with handmade glass covers in various shapes are an interesting touch. Both the decor and the original, tasty dishes earned Opasły Tom another prestigious award last year and enabled it to be included in the 50 Best Discovery list of gastronomic discoveries. Excellent cuisine is a signature of all the restaurants of the Kręgliccy Restauracje & Catering group, which also includes the Forteca, which is a space for various events that hosts a weekly Wednesday market.

Owners of organic, certified farms sell fresh, great quality and tasty products here, which are also used to prepare dishes at Agnieszka and Marcin Kręglicki's restaurants. Opasły Tom hosts temporary chef residencies, inviting some of the best chefs from Poland to work in the restaurant. Currently, for almost a year and a half, Konrad Kowalski has been a chef at Opasły Tom. He has gained experience in England, among other countries. The dishes he creates are small works of art, attractively composed both in terms of taste and aesthetics. It can be enjoy with taste and sight. The restaurant serves a degustation menu, an a la carte menu and a new special theater menu - chef Konrad Kowalski talks about the process of creating them and working with passion.

Zofia Malicka: You have started working in the gastronomy industry a dozen years ago in England, where you went after studying non-culinary related subjects. More than a year ago, you took over the position of chef-resident at the Opasły Tom. What did your career path look like?

Konrad Kowalski: I have always wanted to cook, but at that time, I did not yet know how to become a chef. When I was a young boy, I was not very polite, I had a fiery temperament, it was difficult for me to take one path and focus on it. I have dealt with a lot of things, but I was always aware in the back of my mind that sooner or later I would end up in the gastronomy industry, because I simply wanted to. My fascination has begun from watching first seasons of American show Hell’s Kitchen, whose star was Gordon Ramsey. Back then, It was still about cooking, not about a show. I had completed high school and university in a completely different field before moving to England with my wife. While living there, we both worked, and life was good and peaceful.
When it turned out that my wife was pregnant, I had a serious conversation with myself. I decided that since we were going to have a child, I needed to take a specific path to settle down. This was the main push that helped me find my first job in a restaurant. After that, everything went at lightning speed. After two weeks, I was absolutely in love with what I was doing and regretted that I started doing it so late. In the UK, gastronomy holds greater significance in social life, making it comparatively easier than in Poland to secure a job at the right establishment- a reputable restaurant that imparts excellent culinary practices.

Z.M.: As a chef, you create an original menu. What inspires you when creating new dishes?

K.K.: I draw inspiration from everything, but - I won't hide – the base often lies in the ingredients I like the most, and I create everything else from that. The chef of a small restaurant in Wales said directly that we cook the dishes we like to eat ourselves. We try to present our favorite food in a way that also tastes good to others. The contentment of the restaurant's guests is the best confirmation of the chef's talent.

Z.M.: In that case, I have to ask. What do you like to eat the most?

K.K: I absolutely love and I could eat any amount of anything sweet - chocolate, all kinds of creams, desserts.... Of course, for restaurant guests I also prepare them in a sour version, because not everyone has to like sugar the way I do. I like fish, both in terms of eating it and preparing it. Compared to meat, which has a very definite and distinct flavor to which you have to match the other ingredients, fish is like a blank canvas - it gives you more room to play, it doesn't limit you as much. I like to let my imagination run wild and feel the freedom in creating flavor compositions.

Z.M.: In 2020, Opasły Tom was named one of the five most beautiful restaurants in the world by Wallpaper* magazine. Last year it made it to the 50 Best Discovery list. Do the beautiful interiors, history of the place, prestigious location and atmosphere inspire you?

K.K: Definitely yes! Guests come to Opasły Tom for a range of aesthetic experiences, consisting of both exceptional food and the surroundings in which it is served - and they are willing to pay for that quality. Let’s be honest, deer meat or Loch Duart salmon, which comes to us directly from Scotland, are not in reach of everyone. The food we serve must match the atmosphere created by the location and the beautiful, elegant interiors. My menu refers to the history of the place. Although Polish cuisine dominates, there are plenty of influences from around the world. It is the same as it was 100 years ago in Oaza, whose owner, Antoni Stępkowski, imported luxury goods from abroad. For example an oysters. In this place in Warsaw, for hundred years it has been, is, and we hope it will continue to be for the next hundred years, an excellent restaurant. I try to keep this tradition going.

Z.M.: How does the process of creating a dish look like? Are you responsible for creating both the combination of flavors and the way the dish is served?

K.K: When I design a new dish I am starting with drawing it on a piece of paper. I begin with a circle, that is plate, then I make a sketch of outlines, geometric figures, and then I match the ingredients to this. The process of creating and placing is complicated and is changing often. While creating the menu I'm working on now, I chose a slightly different, longer way. It seems to me that the result will also be interesting.

Z.M.: Does the specific arrangement of ingredients on the plate dictate the order of tasting? Does it affect the final taste of the whole dish?

K.K.: Of course it does! For example - if the first bite is oily, then to break this feeling and get rid of the greasy residue from the tongue, we need something sour. In modern cuisine, each ingredient is individual, and the order of eating is suggested by where it is placed on the plate. There are such trends now, and I also compose dishes this way.

Z.M.: Opasły Tom will soon release a new spring menu, as well as a special menu addressed primarily to people who visit the restaurant before visiting the Teatr Wielki- National Opera. Because of what, they care about the short waiting times. Can you reveal what will be on these menus?

K.K.: As always, an interesting flavors. I like unusual combinations that work together and complement each other. There will certainly be classic salmon, the beloved Polish appetizer that is tartare, as well as vegetarian dishes. Since it's spring, the menu will feature seasonals and fresh vegetables straight from the Fortress Farmers' Market, also owned by Agnieszka and Marcin Kręglicki, where farmers offer a selection of top-quality local products. The origin of ingredients, the method of cultivation, or certificates confirming the quality of individual components are extremely important to me, both when I select products for myself and my family and for the restaurants’ guests. I believe that what I eat must be good. I don’t like to fill myself with low-quality food-I’d rather not eat at all!

For more information, please visit the Opasły Tom : https://www.kregliccy.pl/opaslytom