Do you celebrate Mother’s Day? A quick call with best wishes, flowers, gifts or maybe an evening/afternoon spent together? We’re big fans of the latter idea and take our parents out for something delicious for most occasions such as Mother’s Day, Grandmother’s Day, name day, birth day etc. Sometimes the evening is accompanied by a gift or flowers too, but often we just stick to a nice time spent together. Such evening is usually more memorable than a book, perfumes or roses.
If you still have no idea what to do but want to make your mothers happy on that day, here’s some ideas! Remember to arrange the evening according to likes of the person you do it for, not necessarily yours. Maybe she doesn’t like sushi and prefers traditional Polish food? Maybe she’s been missing Italian cuisine for years now, since her trip to Tuscany? Or maybe she’s interested in what’s going on in Polish gastronomy lately or got tired of Polish food and wants to try something exotic?
All mothers are different, sometimes difficult to indulge, especially if yours is the “My duck is better than this one!” type 🙂 Therefore we made a varied list to suit various likings! 🙂
1) FOR TRADITION LOVERS
baked country duck with rennet and wild cranberry sauce
Tradition lovers are a difficult, picky and hard-to-indulge group. They’ve been cooking for their families for years and are good at it. They know how to prepare a tasty duck or liver and usually think that nobody can do it better than they do. They consider Polish cuisine the best in the world, prefer traditionally designed places and avoid crazy stuff such as soy noodles with shrimps. Różana on ul. Chocimska 7, near Plac Unii is a perfect place for them. Menu includes it all: pork trotter, herrings, sour-rye soup and krupnik. An amazingly prepared duck is a must for main course. Other advantages? Beautiful garden, that (especially at night) looks like from a dream. Just remember to arrange cloudless weather. Prices: PLN 16-18 for soups and PLN 40-70 for main courses.
2) FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO TRACK THE CHANGES IN POLISH GASTRONOMY
dumplings with boletus, bryndza cheese and beetroot puree – winter menu in Soul Kitchen
If your mothers like to observe how is Polish gastronomy changing and they enjoy chefs making crazy stuff on Top Chef or Hell’s Kitchen TV shows, you have to do better than Różana. It’s too late to book a table at Atelier Amaro (unless you have some good connections!), and it also requires a significant budget to make it work. Fortunately we have other great idea for you: Soul Kitchen on Noakowskiego 16. It’s in the backyard, near the Science University building. It’s still Polish cuisine but completely different than in Różana. Fresh, original, season-oriented with a constantly changing menu. In the winter we got blown away by boletus, bryndza cheese and beetroot puree dumplings, smoked carp stock or halibut in butter with salmon caviar and potato puree. Now the menu includes things like thymus with strawberries, horseradish served with pine sprouts and black lentils sauce, young beet leaves soup, asparagus and lots of other miracles brought to life by the chef – Adam Polan. The interior is pleasant, warm and not as “granny style” as Różana. Prices: PLN 32-49 for starters, PLN 50-70 for main courses.
3) FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TRAVELLING AND DREAM OF EXOTIC TRIPS
chicken satay with peanut sauce in Basil&Lime
Oriental cuisine is the best idea if your mom is tired of Polish food, wants to try something new, since she eats traditional food she cooks herself at home all the time. There’s more and more places to choose from in Warsaw, but we’ll stick to few spots that not only serve tasty food but also keep it as similar as possible to original meals in far Asia. This way you will be able to spend a nice evening in a restaurant with good service and the hero of the night (and you too!) will be culinarily satisfied 🙂
Depending on what cuisine you want to go for, we have 4 propositions. If it’s Thai cuisine and your moms like elegant places that are a bit posh and have specific vibe there’s nothing better than Why Thai on ul. Wiejska 13 near the Houses of Parliament. Amazing Thai cuisine from starters through main courses to desserts! Delicious spring rolls, both fried and fresh with marinated carrots and white radish served with amazing sweet and sour sauce made on the spot by Thai chefs of course. Pad thai is a must when it comes to main courses, but seafood, chilli and basil beef, red or green curries are delicious as well. One more thing! Don’t even think of leaving the place without trying sticky rice with mango – a classic Thai dessert. Prices: PLN 14-20 for starters, PLN 30-50 for main courses. Sticky rice – PLN 18 🙂
my Thai love – sticky rice with mango
If you still want to go for Thai food but your mom prefers more intimate restaurants, where she won’t meet the members of the parliament or celebrities (it happens in Why Thai!:)), then we suggest going to our newly discovered favourite – Basil&Lime on ul. Puławska 27. Delicious Thai food in a more intimate place that’s still elegant. Service is very good and if the beloved grandson/granddaughter accompanies you on your Mother’s Day out, there’s also a little table for kids and a REAL kids’ menu! Main courses: PLN 30-40.
If not Thai, then what? Maybe something Vietnamese or Indian? There’s more and more Vietnamese delicacies available in Warsaw, you can find pho soups on every corner, but which one is suitable for Mother’s Day? Not that easy here… Most places are simple bars that serve delicious food like in Vietnam but don’t serve as a good spot for a Mother’s Day conversation. Four Seasons on Hoża 27A is one of the few exceptions. It’s in the very city centre and serves food like in Hanoi. Delicious and filling soups, pleasantly decorated and once again – grandchildren-friendly. Soups cost PLN 19-23 (they’re huge!), main courses go for PLN 30-60.
Bombaj Masala is our last oriental proposition. It’s surely one of the best Indian restaurants in Warsaw, also thanks to nice interior and good service. For me personally, it’s too hot today to eat Indian sauces, butter chickens and naans heavily sprinkled with butter, but if your mom likes Indian food, you can adjust, right? Starters for PLN 15-40, main courses for PLN 30-40.
4) FOR SUNNY ITALY LOVERS
mozzarella bufala z szynką parmeńską i pomidorkami w Mamma Marietta
Mamma Marietta on Wołoska 74A opposite to MSWiA hospital is a great idea for Moms on Mother’s Day. It’s one of the best Italian restaurants in Warsaw that’s charming, intimate and very tiny (reservtion necessary!). We love such places. A place that rarely spoils anything, because who doesn’t like pasta, pizza or mozzarella di bufala? Nobody! Menu changes from time to time, right now I would go for a caserecce with aubergines, tomatoes, chilli peppers, ricotta and fresh basil or paccheri with salmon, courgettes and mint. Pasta prices: PLN 30-40, starters: PLN 13-40.
5) FOR BOOKWORMS WHO LOVE DELICIOUS FOOD
colourful tomatoes with raspberries and baked goat’s cheese
The one and only. A restaurant located in a former bookshop of the National Publishing Institute on ul. Foksal 17, where a legendary poet’s cafe was located in the 60s. Słonimski, Holoubek and Głowacki were frequent visitors. The interior corresponds with Opasły Tom’s past while the food should satisfy anyone since Agata Wojda is surely one of Polish top chefs. There’s also one to-die-for dessert in Opasły Tom – halva mousse with raspberry sauce! Amazing! Prices: PLN 28-40 for starters, PLN 35-55 for main courses. PS. Read our interview with Agata Wojda before going to OT 🙂
6) FOR CULINARY ADVENTURERS WHO AREN’T AFRAID OF RAW FISH! 🙂
sushi for moms who aren’t afraid to try something new
Last but not least: sushi! I love it, Łukasz loves it too and we managed to get Maks into the game as well as out moms and grandmoms (mine is going to be 86 this year!!!). As you can see, it’s never too late to start experimenting! If your moms haven’t tried it yet, today might be the day to do so. Sushi can blow you away, even if you’re a person who’s not really into calamari, shrimps and other things like that :). A raw salmon with tasty maki can work miracles! Obviously you have to start in a right place! I wrote about our top 4 not so long ago so I’m not going to repeat myself. Check it here!
If I were to go for sushi I would consider 3 locations from our top 4: Izumi Sushi Biały Kamień for the garden which is perfect for current weather (and has a playground for those with grandchildren), Zushi Point in Ursynów for the famous “bus” that makes everyone who try it go crazy (and the lately reintroduced kids’ corner!) and Soto Sushi on ul. Wilcza 26 for the price-quality ratio. They also have special offers!
What will it be then? Have you already given up on flowers and books and chosen the place where you’ll take your mother for dinner?:) Joy guaranteed!
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