New café has designs on Royal Way
Café Design
ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 11
Tel: 828-5703
Hours: 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; cafe open until last guest
Its finally happened. A restaurateur has opened a new spot in Warsaw without decking out the interior with Ikea gear. Not that Ikeas bad, its just everywhere. Café Design is modern without being unoriginal and fashionable without going over the top and its a good stop for anyone ambling along Warsaws Royal Way or looking for a swank new destination on the local dining scene.
Diagonally located from the Bristol Hotel on ulica Krakowskie Przedmiecie, Café Design is apparently looking to cash in on the tourists from nearby high-dollar lodgings and the well-off who walk up and down one of Warsaws prettiest strips. The prices are high, but it seems that you get what you pay for from location to décor to service and, most importantly, the food.
The outdoor seating is in a prime location for people watching, though now that the 10 days of Polish summer are over the street-side tables will probably get little use. Inside offers a more comfortable setting.
When I first heard the name Café Design, I was worried it would be an attempt at fashion design, and I would be met by a shaven-headed waiter in an Adidas tracksuit. Not so. The staff is, in fact, appropriately attired with matching ties and aprons. The two floors of the restaurant are contemporary, with clean but comfortable lines. Windows big enough to see and be seen, marble tables, lots of wood, tiles and some steel set a light tone without being too stark. An enormous mirror along one wall allows patrons to keep an eye on each other. Armchairs and couches are comfortable if not always at the appropriate height for the tables. Loud but not overpowering jazz music drowns out other peoples conversations. But beware the cutlery, which is fairly pointy and would probably not pass muster from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration. Without caution, the soup spoon could cause one to lose an eye.
Open for only a few weeks, the café did not appear to suffer from any start-up glitches when my wife, Liza, and I visited on a recent Sunday afternoon. How long, exactly, its been open is a subject of some debate. When we wandered in on Sept. 16, a waiter said it had been open for two weeks. A colleague of mine, however, said she had been there in late August. A telephone call to the reservation desk revealed that there has not yet been an official, grand opening and that no one on staff was sure when, exactly, doors had opened for the first time. No matter. The rookie restaurant knew its playbook as well as any veteran.
The bilingual menu had an interesting if limited assortment of cold and warm appetizers, main courses and desserts. While not the best food Ive had in Poland, the presentation and flavors were good. I started with the variety of lettuce, a light salad topped with marinated duck carpaccio. The duck was tasty and garlicky but served a might too cold. A garnish of fresh thyme was a fine touch. Liza started with Provencal soup, a light broth with fresh tomatoes, some different veggies and pesto. It was excellent rich with plenty of garlic. A complementary plate of bread and toasts came with the starters. The tiny ceiling lamps that hang over tables along the back wall are so close to the tables that it was like having a McDonalds heat lamp over the bread basket and, later, our shared ice cream and cake dessert.
For a main course, I tried the stewed rabbit, served with shallots, crayfish and little martini onions on a bed of fettuccini. The buttery sauce had a light mushroom flavor and little crustaceans peeked their pink bodies out from under the pasta. The rabbit was tender and flavorful without overwhelming the other flavors. Liza opted for lighter fare, going for spinach dumplings topped with parmesan cheese and rucola. These arent your babcias dumplings: Rather, spinach (again strongly laced with garlic) is stuffed into pastry shells, not pierogis.
To top it off, we shared a piece of chocolate and cherry cake. The presentation was the lone disappointment of the afternoon, with the cake looking like it had been wrestled out of its pan and the cherries looking a bit abused. It tasted good, though, and a scoop of cherry ice cream plopped on the side helped to cleanse our palates. A small espresso was strong enough, and the tea was, well, proper.
The price for two, including two glasses of a California Cabernet Sauvignon, was zł. 246 ($58).
On the menu:
Variety of lettuce with marinated duck carpaccio zl.39
Provencal soup zl.19
Spinach dumplings zl.33
Stewed rabbit with shallots and crayfish on fettucine zl.59
Chocolate and cherry cake zl.29
