Restaurants: places we returned to in 2014

Another year passes by. Once again, it passed a bit too fast and New Year’s resolutions faded away somewhere around February. For us, it was a good year. Full of journeys and joy, however not without stress and unease that’s pretty common for people working on their own. There were good and bad times but we visited so many beautiful places in 2014 that we forgot about the stressful moments! But today, I want to write about something else… We may write about our travelling discoveries later on and today we’ll stick to places and restaurants that we visited in 2014. Being a person who blogs about restaurants and travels a lot (to write about travels), it’s really hard for me to visit the same place more than once! Warsaw is in its culinary heyday. More and more places and propositions emerge every day. Different cuisines, different styles, there’s so many places we would like to go to and try what they have in store which makes us return only to places which we consider WORTHY. Because our ‘to visit in the future’ list is always long and we’re not able to get everywhere…

Our 2014 AD list consists of various places. Expensive and cheap. Oriental and classic. Those we visited for lunch and those we like to drink wine in. They have one thing in common – we had a lot of great time in all of them.. not only culinarily.

 

FOR LUNCH, WE RETURNED TO:

 

1) TOAN PHO – UL. CHMIELNA 5/7

 

We return to Toan Pho pretty often. Usually for lunch, because when we’re in the city centre, Chmielna is always near. Sometimes when we’re hung-over because a pho soup, spring rolls and fried noodles with beef are the best thing for everybody who’s tired of life and a night spent on partying. It’s quick and cheap (PLN 30-35 for two is enough) and never ceases to remind us of Vietnam. We will surely keep coming here in 2015!

 

2) TU THAI – ul. CHMIELNA 13

 

 

Right next to Toan Pho. Also for lunch, also for hung-over or before hitting the city. A tasty pad thai that reminds us of the ones we had in Bangkok or Chiang Rai. The interior design is not too fancy and the place is rather dark which I usually don’t like, but here, I don’t mind it and stick to my pad thai or spicy wok with chicken, Thai basil and chilli. Good choice in the summer or early autumn since you can avoid the depressing (at least for me) interior and sit in a little garden with a view of Chmielna footpath.

 

3) HARBIŃSKIE PIEROŻKI – Al. Wilanowska 363, no. 45

 

 

I guess we like Asian lunches, since that’s another place we visit for a quick lunch…. or for a quick supper before a night trip. Harbinskie Pierożki located neat Galeria Mokotów is definitely one of the best dumpling places along with from Parnik or lately Tsong Kha Momo. Steamed or fried, we love them all! Add a spicy cucumber with garlic and you’ll get a cheap lunch-quickie. Harbińskie brings back a lot of good memories as it was here where we started our night trips to Rhineland and the Balkans.

 

4) NAAM THAI – ul. Saska 16

 

We would happily return to Naam Thai more often if it wasn’t so far. 3 or 4 visits in this place make it qualify for the list. Very good, maybe even the best Thai food in town, great ice teas for summer, amazing duck soup which I still remember even though I only had it once… And cassava starch pudding with mango sauce. Amazing. For lunch, for lunch with friends, not with kids though.. too crowded, too tiny, Maks does not recommend, even though he loves satay chicken 😉

 

FOR A MEETING WITH FRIENDS, A DINNER OR CHIT-CHAT WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND:

5) TAPAS GASTROBAR – ul. Grzybowska 63

 

 

My biggest love and even though it never was on my way, I guess that this was the place I returned to most often in 2014! Much more than Łukasz since I often went there with my friends for some girlie talk. I love it for the Spanish vibe, tapas that make me think about Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and all that’s Spanish, for the language I can hear there, which I consider one of the most beautiful in the world. I hope that I’ll return there even more in 2015! 🙂 I guess that you love it too since it was the most liked (positive:)) restaurant entry on our blog this year! Tapas Gastrobar got 231 likes!:)

6) ALE WINO – ul. Mokotowska 48

 

Amazing cooking. A place with a vibe. Great wines. What else do you need? Good friends to spend time with in Ale Wino. We spent more than one summer’s evening there and we’re hoping for replays in 2015. If you never been thee, go and try their amazing flavour combinations such as the flagship celery ravioli with cauliflower and truffles.

FOR MEETINGS WITH FRIENDS AND %:

 

7) SUEÑO CAFE & TAPAS BAR – ul. Oboźna 9

 

The absolute winner when it comes to our party evenings!!! Sueño’s vibe, their lemon-infused vodka and original tapas from all around the world made us return there almost every week in autumn. I won’t tell you how many litres of lemon-infused vodka have we drank last time that we’ve been there and that some things went wrong afterwards, but I’ll tell you one thing: after the evening my friend said: ‘I don’t remember the last time I had such a good time in Poland!’. I remember – every time we started the night in Sueño! PS. During the week it works great as a lunch spot – it’s a pity it wasn’t there when I was studying at University of Warsaw. 🙂

 

FOR A WEEKEND’S LUNCH:

 

8) DOM – ul. Mierosławskiego 12 (Żoliborz)

 

A charming place in Żoliborz. With a terrace and a garden, perfect for lunch both in the summer and in the winter. Simple, delicious food. Tasty lunches on weekdays, always served with a generous serving of a homemade focaccia. With friends, with kids, with family, for lunch in-between work but most likely for a slow lunch on a slow weekend 🙂

 

WITH KIDS:

 

9) VIDELEC – ul. Grójecka 194

 

The absolute winner in ‘going out with kids’ category. I visited it alone with Maks, for girlie talk when kids played and for lunch with mom (while the her grandson played), with friends (kids were having fun once again). It’s not stable culinarily though. Sometimes we’re ecstatic, sometimes a bit disappointed. They have some original meals but also pizzas, pastas and salads so that everybody can find something that suits them. Kids menu is full of kids’ favourites, kids’ corner is perfect, stacked with books and fitted with a trampoline in the summer. We’re coming back on Tuesday – this time for breakfast. And not with somebody but with z Family without borders 😉

 

FOR SUMMER:

10) STACJA MERCEDES – Powiśle

 

 

A place we regularly visited in the summer, mostly with Maks or with friends and their kids. The place worked great for a Sunday’s chill out or for drinks in the evening too. Perfect location, just a few steps from PKP Powiśle, but in the park, under the trees. Folding beds, comfy couches, cars for kids and activities lead by a cultural activities organiser. Pizza, hummus, tabbouleh (including my favourite sweet version with fruits) to eat. As we are both professionally tied to marketing we have to admit that Mercedes did a great job here. If Stacja returns in 2015, we will return as well!

 

TAKE AWAY:

 

11) BOMBAJ MASALA – al. Jana Pawła II 23 or ul. Marynarska 21

 

I guess that you can say it’s Bombaj Masala that we started the year with! We were there in the first week of January… and then we kind of forgot about Indian food for many long months. Late autumn, we went mad for Bombaj Masala once again. Chicken tikka masala and paneer tikka masala with naan bread taste great and don’t lose anything when we order a takeaway. Yesterday we were supposed to test their Sunday’s activities for kids but December’s illnesses prevented us from doing so… Return in 2015 necessary!

RESTAURANTS OUTSIDE OF WARSAW:

12) LE CHALET – MURZASICHLE

 

The only place outside of Warsaw that we returned to more than to Italian restaurants in the city! If you show me a place in Warsaw where I can eat such tortelli with ricotta and salvia or with pumpkin sprinkled with crushed amaretti I may forget about Le Chalet and won’t have to hurry to Murzasichle for my favourite pastas! Right now, I have to! 🙂 I pray for the next occasion to come soon!

 

Le Chalet is last on the list of places we visited frequently in 2014. I also obsessively return to Coffee Heaven which works best as my office from all the cafes I know. I’m already in pain since I know that soon all CH will disappear and be replaced by Costa. No, it’s not the same and every heavy Coffee Heaven user will tell you that ;). I also frequently visited one place for sushi with my friend (at least a dozen times, maybe even more!) this year but last week they got a yellow card from me… We’ll see about that.. Maybe New Year means a new place for our meetings?

We’re not stopping trying, tasting, searching and testing. New restaurants and meals, surprising flavour combinations, new ideas. Returning t some places has its own charm though 🙂