This funky new kredens is far from a food shelf
Knowing that even the bread and butter wouldn't be as good here was almost depressing. But tram-riding friends mentioned that yet another new eatery had opened in the city. They had spotted the giant shoe-box-like entrance of Grand Kredens just west of Ikea. The hope of a new, good restaurant always picks up the spirits a bit.
Princess, just back from Greece though not bronze from the sun, whined her way into a diner invitation when she caught me going out the door. We hadn't dined together since she tried to pick up the waiter the last time, but I figured a little company would be good in case the joint bombed.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Grand Kredens is that there isn't one theme to the decor. There are many. And they crash beautifully together. The worn wood, nets and lobster traps near the bar give the feel of the docks. The cobblestone floor, door front, lamp posts and the old bicycle on the other side of the huge room give you an old, outdoor-cafe ambience inside. Then there are the free-standing stone columns, space-age lights on the ceiling, the partition of thick cubed glass and some light-colored wooden tables to confuse you. The snug dining area is romantic with three tables and gets you away from the chaos and the lively buzz of the main room. Fussy Princess thought the place was grand.
We settled at a table on the cobblestone side of the busy restaurant and were quickly given menus by a helpful and sweet young waitress. Princess seemed a little disappointed that a good-looking waiter wasn't serving us. But our waitress was fine with me. She apologized that the menus were only in Polish and helped us through the pages of choices.
Like the dining room, there are quite a few things to look at on the menu. The starters (zl. 6-zl. 35) include things such as lurek, carpaccio, calamari and Camembert served warm. The main courses (zl. 24-zl. 42) are broken down into fish, veal, chicken, pork and beef prepared in various ways with several kinds of sauces. Then there is a page of pizzas (zl.10-zl. 24). And after that, there is a list of pasta dishes (zl. 12-zl. 23). I almost forgot about the page of salads (zl. 10-zl. 20).
As we were both starving, it didn't take long for us to order. Then, while I sipped my large glass of Brok beer (zl. 7), I went through the wine list. It, too, was jazzy and busily designed, containing wines from the usual countries. But the prices looked all right (zl. 36-zl. 250). Most of the bottles cost zl. 50-zl. 70. But the strange thing was that the menu was heavy on red wines and offered few whites. And they didn't have half of the listed white wines in stock. Finally I settled for a bottle of white, Greek table wine, a good crisp and ice-cold Santorini (zl. 52). It was for myself. Princess wasn't drinking. It is hard to let go of vacation.
In the middle of quite a colorful conversation about men and women (too racy for this family newspaper), Princess received her starter of smoked salmon on toast. It looked good and pink on a bed of bright green lettuce. And it was only zl. 6. She enjoyed it, and I watched her. I found out that the waitress didn't hear me order calamari when our mains arrived.
Good thing Princess was hungry because the plate was stacked with a big steak in a thick, creamy mushroom sauce and two huge baked potatoes. She dug in and ate away. "This is probably the best meal I have ever had in Warsaw," she said when finished.
I wasn't disappointed either. I had a massive trout before me as well as two baked potatoes, though mine were smaller than Princess'. The fish was moist and well-cooked. It was excellent and quite filling. The potatoes were also gooey and a bit heavy on the garlic.
We skipped dessert but I enjoyed a Sambuca and a good espresso. The barkeep does need to learn how to serve Sambuca, though. Mine was lacking coffee beans and was not on fire.
The bill without tip came to zl. 196 ($56.81). Princess and I agreed that this was a great deal for what we had, even though the service and the stock were a bit rough around the edges. The place is new, and it needs a little time to work out a few bugs. But overall, Grand Kredens is a fine and much welcomed new restaurant in Warsaw that even made me forget about the bread and butter of France for a while. And the food kept Princess away from the male staff.
Princess, just back from Greece though not bronze from the sun, whined her way into a diner invitation when she caught me going out the door. We hadn't dined together since she tried to pick up the waiter the last time, but I figured a little company would be good in case the joint bombed.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Grand Kredens is that there isn't one theme to the decor. There are many. And they crash beautifully together. The worn wood, nets and lobster traps near the bar give the feel of the docks. The cobblestone floor, door front, lamp posts and the old bicycle on the other side of the huge room give you an old, outdoor-cafe ambience inside. Then there are the free-standing stone columns, space-age lights on the ceiling, the partition of thick cubed glass and some light-colored wooden tables to confuse you. The snug dining area is romantic with three tables and gets you away from the chaos and the lively buzz of the main room. Fussy Princess thought the place was grand.
We settled at a table on the cobblestone side of the busy restaurant and were quickly given menus by a helpful and sweet young waitress. Princess seemed a little disappointed that a good-looking waiter wasn't serving us. But our waitress was fine with me. She apologized that the menus were only in Polish and helped us through the pages of choices.
Like the dining room, there are quite a few things to look at on the menu. The starters (zl. 6-zl. 35) include things such as lurek, carpaccio, calamari and Camembert served warm. The main courses (zl. 24-zl. 42) are broken down into fish, veal, chicken, pork and beef prepared in various ways with several kinds of sauces. Then there is a page of pizzas (zl.10-zl. 24). And after that, there is a list of pasta dishes (zl. 12-zl. 23). I almost forgot about the page of salads (zl. 10-zl. 20).
As we were both starving, it didn't take long for us to order. Then, while I sipped my large glass of Brok beer (zl. 7), I went through the wine list. It, too, was jazzy and busily designed, containing wines from the usual countries. But the prices looked all right (zl. 36-zl. 250). Most of the bottles cost zl. 50-zl. 70. But the strange thing was that the menu was heavy on red wines and offered few whites. And they didn't have half of the listed white wines in stock. Finally I settled for a bottle of white, Greek table wine, a good crisp and ice-cold Santorini (zl. 52). It was for myself. Princess wasn't drinking. It is hard to let go of vacation.
In the middle of quite a colorful conversation about men and women (too racy for this family newspaper), Princess received her starter of smoked salmon on toast. It looked good and pink on a bed of bright green lettuce. And it was only zl. 6. She enjoyed it, and I watched her. I found out that the waitress didn't hear me order calamari when our mains arrived.
Good thing Princess was hungry because the plate was stacked with a big steak in a thick, creamy mushroom sauce and two huge baked potatoes. She dug in and ate away. "This is probably the best meal I have ever had in Warsaw," she said when finished.
I wasn't disappointed either. I had a massive trout before me as well as two baked potatoes, though mine were smaller than Princess'. The fish was moist and well-cooked. It was excellent and quite filling. The potatoes were also gooey and a bit heavy on the garlic.
We skipped dessert but I enjoyed a Sambuca and a good espresso. The barkeep does need to learn how to serve Sambuca, though. Mine was lacking coffee beans and was not on fire.
The bill without tip came to zl. 196 ($56.81). Princess and I agreed that this was a great deal for what we had, even though the service and the stock were a bit rough around the edges. The place is new, and it needs a little time to work out a few bugs. But overall, Grand Kredens is a fine and much welcomed new restaurant in Warsaw that even made me forget about the bread and butter of France for a while. And the food kept Princess away from the male staff.
