Bazar Kocha is a new place on ul. Mokotowska, close to pl. Zbawiciela. New but already quite hyped… cause the menu is intriguing, cause they serve cakes in jars (say what??). We wouldn’t be ourselves if we haven’t checked it out on a lazy Saturday.

Lately, we’ve been focusing on places in Warsaw that specialise in oriental cuisine so we hoped to finally get amazed by international cuisine. On Saturday afternoon, we arrive at the place. Cosy and warm-looking interior seems like a good choice on a gloomy winter’s day. You notice the desserts immediately after entering: cheesecakes, éclairs, crumble. Some Christmas biscuits are lying in a basket made from strings and Maks breaks all the rules and grabs an ornamental biscuit. Next to it are a few… jars with cakes! A fruitcake, salted caramel brownie, carrot cake all sealed in fancy looking jars. Great idea for a Christmas gift! We walk along… the place is large with designer light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, some fruits lying around, jars with preserves standing here and others with famed cakes there. A sincere A+ for interior design!

 

 

Bazar Kocha, Mokotowska, restaurants, Warsaw, cakes in jars

appetising interior

 

Mokotowska, Bazar Kocha, restaurants, Warsaw, cakes in jars

cakes in jars – what a great idea!

 

Bazar Kocha, Warsaw, restaurants, Mokotowska

another cool idea

 

The owner of Bazar Kocha is Marcin Koch – a guy whose story we immediately like: in one of the interviews he said that he worked in finance for many years so he could finally devote himself to his biggest passion – cooking. So he left for Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu. He learned to cook in Tuscany, Barcelona and Hong Kong. You all know that we love such stories! Nothing’s more uplifting than people doing what they love in their lives.

 

Let’s check the menu! We find starters in TAPAS BAZAR section. Described modern way with just the ingredients separated with little slashes instead of regular descriptions. Mackerel aged in fennel and orange marinate looks really tempting. Same goes for a goat’s cheese and raisin puree tartelette. Łukasz takes salmon in oranges with horseradish cream and grapefruits (PLN 20) while I go for a pouch stuffed with cheese and potato filling served with quince puree and caramelised quince (PLN 12).

When it comes to main courses I consider pumpkin ravioli with country cheese, olive oil and herbs (PLN 24) but due to Maks preferences I take duck with grilled peaches and potato gratin (PLN 49). There’s nothing for kids on the menu and I never order PLN 40-60 meals for Maks. Maybe you can ask them to prepare something special for your kid? I admit I haven’t done it since our little one was already quite stuffed. Łukasz gets a delicate beef knuckle ossobuco served with baked potatoes, a herb salad and Montpellier butter (PLN 63).

There’s plenty of freshly squeezed juices in Bazar Kocha as well as cocktails such as detox (carrots, beets, celery, ginger) or energy punch (apple, orange, carrot, ginger). You just have to try them.

 

salmon, Bazar Kocha, Mokotowska, Warsaw, restaurants, starter

salmon to start with

 

Bazar Kocha, Warsaw, Mokotowska, restaurants

a pouch

 

Starters are really tasty. A thick slice of salmon works great combined with a sour grapefruit. However for Łukasz, the grapefruit is too dominating. I haven’t tried such combination ever before and for me it’s great. The pouch is creamy inside, the dough is very delicate and quince puree adds to the flavour. The only disadvantage of the starters is their size… They’re really small. We know that it’s the quality that matters, not the quantity and we don’t like plates covered with piles of potatoes and huge pork chops either but here, the portions could have been twice the size. Still hungry, we’re waiting for the main courses.

 

ossobuco, Bazar Kocha, Mokotowska, Warsaw

delicate ossobuco

 

ossobuco, Warsaw, Mokotowska, Bazar Kocha

with the sides

 

As you can see, ossobuco looks perfect! The meat is tasty, same goes for potatoes while the salad along with the butter make the meal complete. Łukasz may not have been blown away, but he happily ate the meat to the very last bite. Duck’s breast is a bit problematic though. The idea for the meal is absolutely my cup of tea! Duck, grilled peaches and potato gratin which I love. Perfect flavour composition which is more original than usual at the same time. But the duck is stiff… I really have to try hard to cut it! I keep thinking about delicate duck slices eaten in various other places which makes it clear that someone failed at the duck big time… Maybe slices are a better idea than pieces? I have to say that the flavour harmony is amazing, the meals are carefully designed, there’s just a bit of a problem with the end-effect 🙂

You can’t skip a dessert in a place that puts them upfront! There’s no desserts on the menu. You have to walk to the counter and see what’s in store. Great idea since my mouth starts watering more than usual and I suddenly want to try at least three things! Apple and prune crumble looks tempting, same goes for tarte tatin and pumpkin cheesecake. But there’s one thing that beats all the others: HALVA CHEESECAKE. Apart from it, we take a walnut cream éclair… What can I say, both desserts are AMAZING and halva cheesecake is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME and quickly becomes best cheesecake ever! Fluffy, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth with a distinct halva taste. HEAVENLY! Łukasz is equally amazed with the éclairs which are filled with a superb walnut paste!

 

Bazar Kocha, Warsaw, Mokotowska,  halva cheesecake

my new dessert love – halva cheesecake

 

éclair, BAzar Kocha, Warsaw, restaurants

éclair

 

Bazar Kocha, desserts, cakes, Warsaw, restaurants,

might as well come just for the desert 😉

 

So, you can visit <strong either for lunch, dinner, a meeting with friends or just for the dessert!! The cheesecake is surely worth the struggle! You can also have lunch which is served on weekdays from 12 pm to 3.30 pm, includes two courses and costs PLN 24 (you can have the cheesecake for dessert :)). Good price, especially as for a trendy Mokotowska street and central location. Outside of lunchtime a 3-course meal (starter, main course and dessert) with drinks will cost you much more…

 

BAzar Kocha, Warsaw, Mokotowska

bill for a 3-course meal for two…

 

Is it worth it? Yes! Even though the duck was stiff, the food in Bazar Kocha makes you leave with pleasant memories – great flavour compositions, in most cases perfectly served. And the cheesecake of course which I can’t stop thinking about… 😉

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

BAZAR KOCHA

ul. Mokotowska 33/35

tel. 22 102 20 70

e-mail: biuro@bazarkocha.pl

opening hours:

Monday-Friday: 8.30 – 23.00
Saturday 10.00 – 23.00
Sunday: 10.00 – 22.00

current menu available here!