Snappy service, pleasant music temper average Polish fare
I arrived on my own for a Saturday night dinner. I liked what I saw and heard as soon as I was in the door. The small dining room was buzzing with guests and staff as two young ladies played a violin and a piano near the bar. Indirect lighting hit the soft but lively blues, greens and yellows of the room. The feel was of days past but it was done well.
A very friendly waiter took my coat and directed me to a table in the center of the room next to the music. From that moment I was impressed with the floor staff. All the waiters were friendly and helpful without going over the top. And they looked sharp in their black bow ties and vests. Another waiter presented me with a menu and apologized that it was only in Polish. But he said he would help me through the offerings.
Cafe Ejlat describes its cuisine as Jewish, Israeli and Polish. The Polish part is obvious. My eye caught familiar words such as lurek and pierogi. Starters (zl. 16-zl. 40) include a few soups (zl. 10-zl. 16), salads (zl. 14-zl. 19) and non-Polish dishes like carpaccio (zl. 24). After that, the main dishes (zl. 18-zl. 40) featured different types of pierogi and various meat dishes including duck, goose, fish and steak. For a change, I didn't see any pork on offer.
Since I was on my own I didn't feel like diving into a bottle of wine but checked out the list (zl. 40-zl. 143) anyway. It was limited and mostly French but the Israeli wines were tempting. Next time, I told myself.
In the end, I decided to go 100% Polish for dinner. I ordered lurek (zl. 14) to be followed by ruskie pierogi (zl. 18). A large Zywiec (zl. 8) was also ordered to wash everything down.
As I waited for my soup I smoked a cigarette while enjoying the classical music floating from the young ladies' hands. Then they stopped, people applauded and they were gone. It was only 8:30 p.m. For the rest of the meal the only sounds in the room were dishes and silver clinking and the low mumble of the other guests. They really should have kept the music going longer or maybe they should buy a stereo.
In good time my soup arrived. It was served in a fine, low soup plate which I wasn't used to. I usually eat lurek in small and cheap local joints where it is served in large, high bowls. This was a fancier lurek. It wasn't as hearty but light on the meat and eggs. And the eggs seemed to be fried instead of boiled, too, which gave the soup a different flavor. The broth could have been a touch more sour as well. It wasn't bad, I just prefer my lurek a bit thicker and more blue collar.
After the soup, my pierogi dish came fast. Nine good-sized packages of dough were floating on oily water with bits of soft, fried onions sprinkled over the top. Before I even tasted them, I knew they would be too moist. The pierogis were boiled and not enough of the water had been drained off. A quick flash in a frying pan probably would have been the best solution. But that's just my taste.
Polish food isn't known for its spice but the pierogis were pretty bland by any standard. The fact that they were so wet didn't help. And the cheese flavor of the filling should have been stronger. I could only taste potato. Again, they weren't totally bad. I have just had much better pierogis in less fancy restaurants.
Even if it wasn't the best Polish food I have tasted, it was filling. I skipped the strudel (zl. 6) and ice cream (zl. 10-zl. 18) desserts and broke from my Polish theme by ordering an Irish coffee (zl. 16).
The Irish coffee looked good served in a tall glass mug. But as it happens too often in restaurants here, the quality of the coffee itself could have been better. The Amaretto-flavored whipped cream was a strange and different touch that made the drink more enjoyable.
The bill came to zl. 56 ($16.23) with tip. That was a very fair price for a meal in a pleasant setting with such great service staff. The food could have been better, but hopefully the kitchen will work on a few more details. I will go back and try one of the meat dishes for a main course and see how things go. And I may return just to try some Israeli wine in that grand little room.
A very friendly waiter took my coat and directed me to a table in the center of the room next to the music. From that moment I was impressed with the floor staff. All the waiters were friendly and helpful without going over the top. And they looked sharp in their black bow ties and vests. Another waiter presented me with a menu and apologized that it was only in Polish. But he said he would help me through the offerings.
Cafe Ejlat describes its cuisine as Jewish, Israeli and Polish. The Polish part is obvious. My eye caught familiar words such as lurek and pierogi. Starters (zl. 16-zl. 40) include a few soups (zl. 10-zl. 16), salads (zl. 14-zl. 19) and non-Polish dishes like carpaccio (zl. 24). After that, the main dishes (zl. 18-zl. 40) featured different types of pierogi and various meat dishes including duck, goose, fish and steak. For a change, I didn't see any pork on offer.
Since I was on my own I didn't feel like diving into a bottle of wine but checked out the list (zl. 40-zl. 143) anyway. It was limited and mostly French but the Israeli wines were tempting. Next time, I told myself.
In the end, I decided to go 100% Polish for dinner. I ordered lurek (zl. 14) to be followed by ruskie pierogi (zl. 18). A large Zywiec (zl. 8) was also ordered to wash everything down.
As I waited for my soup I smoked a cigarette while enjoying the classical music floating from the young ladies' hands. Then they stopped, people applauded and they were gone. It was only 8:30 p.m. For the rest of the meal the only sounds in the room were dishes and silver clinking and the low mumble of the other guests. They really should have kept the music going longer or maybe they should buy a stereo.
In good time my soup arrived. It was served in a fine, low soup plate which I wasn't used to. I usually eat lurek in small and cheap local joints where it is served in large, high bowls. This was a fancier lurek. It wasn't as hearty but light on the meat and eggs. And the eggs seemed to be fried instead of boiled, too, which gave the soup a different flavor. The broth could have been a touch more sour as well. It wasn't bad, I just prefer my lurek a bit thicker and more blue collar.
After the soup, my pierogi dish came fast. Nine good-sized packages of dough were floating on oily water with bits of soft, fried onions sprinkled over the top. Before I even tasted them, I knew they would be too moist. The pierogis were boiled and not enough of the water had been drained off. A quick flash in a frying pan probably would have been the best solution. But that's just my taste.
Polish food isn't known for its spice but the pierogis were pretty bland by any standard. The fact that they were so wet didn't help. And the cheese flavor of the filling should have been stronger. I could only taste potato. Again, they weren't totally bad. I have just had much better pierogis in less fancy restaurants.
Even if it wasn't the best Polish food I have tasted, it was filling. I skipped the strudel (zl. 6) and ice cream (zl. 10-zl. 18) desserts and broke from my Polish theme by ordering an Irish coffee (zl. 16).
The Irish coffee looked good served in a tall glass mug. But as it happens too often in restaurants here, the quality of the coffee itself could have been better. The Amaretto-flavored whipped cream was a strange and different touch that made the drink more enjoyable.
The bill came to zl. 56 ($16.23) with tip. That was a very fair price for a meal in a pleasant setting with such great service staff. The food could have been better, but hopefully the kitchen will work on a few more details. I will go back and try one of the meat dishes for a main course and see how things go. And I may return just to try some Israeli wine in that grand little room.
