Editor Pick
The Restaurant with an Identity Crisis
- August 15, 2009
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
The Blue Cactus Restaurant in Warsaw is a strange restaurant - it doesn't seem to stick to serving one cuisine. Even though it is advertised as a Tex Mex restaurant in most guide books, it has an identity crisis and changes its menu every two months.
A couple of months ago the owner designed a menu with Chilean wines in mind. The chef recommended wines that would accentuate the flavours of the individual dishes on offer. Suddenly the menu changed to a Portuguese menu which is why I decided to give the restaurant a visit.
Portuguese is my favourite food and having lived in the country, ate in every establishment in the Algarve and several restaurants in Lisbon and Porto I wanted to check this chef's cuisine to see if it was authentic or not. My friends were more interested in trying the Tex Mex so having thrown my glad rags on, off we went on the tram to the Mokotow region of Warsaw (tram No's 18, 19 and 36) and here is my verdict:-
Location
Not the most celubrious of locations. The Blue Cactus is situated in Moskie Oko Park which in itself is a picturesque park. However, not a good situation for visiting the restaurant in winter. We have severe winters here in Warsaw - can be -20 sometimes and heavy snow. Can you imagine trudging through the park in your boots or wellies in 8 inches of snow just to get your Tex Mex fix?
The building the restaurant sits in isn't the prettiest either. It is a grey, dreary Communist block and has no artistic definition whatsoever. However, the owner has tried to welcome his visitors into the restaurant by painting the front facade blue and yellow which is jolly and quite pretty. Blue is one of my favourite colours so I was happy.
Decor
This is where my little face did light up as the decor is very bright and vibrant but not too overpowering. Several pieces of modern art adorn the walls which are interesting and very colourful. Each piece of furniture has been hand painted and individually decorated to give the restaurant an overall feel of Mexico. This is probably not authentic but I liked the colours - they were warm and inviting which is what you need if you do decide to visit in winter. There is an outside terrace so you can sit and take in the view of the park but on this occasion we chose to sit inside.
The tables are well spaced and set with individual crafted plates which is a nice touch. Cactuses are in abundance everywhere to give it that old Mexican feel and the focal point is the grill where you can see the flames swishing and dancing to the tune of the chef. The aromas in the restaurant are ones of hot spices like cumin and chilli and you immediately feel warm, hungry and ready to order.
Atmosphere
Overall I found the atmosphere very pleasant and relaxing especially to say it was lunch time. The Blue Cactus was very busy with mostly business people, families with children and the odd tourist. Waiters were enthusiastically buzzing around being very helpful without being over attentve. I noticed that they were very good with children and on the ball when clearing the tables. Out of 10, I will mark the atmosphere 9.
Most Important thing - Food!
I had already made up my mind before I sat down - I wanted to try some of the Portuguese food on offer so that was me sorted. The menu is quite extensive with over a hundred dishes to choose from, so it took a while for both friends to choose and in the end they opted for two servings of roasted garlic soup followed by goat's cheese salad and chilli prawns with coriander.
Roasted Garlic Soup
Piping hot temperature wise. Bold in taste but not too overpowering to the palette. Served with a basket of fresh poppy seed rolls which were soft and not too doughy. 9/10
Goat's Cheese Salad
The salad was fresh, crispy, mixed leaf adorned with cherry tomatoes and soft, slightly salted goat's cheese, drizzled in an olive oil dressing mixed with fragrant herbs such as oregano and basil. I tasted some of the goat's cheese as I love it but this wasn't salty enough for me but overall the salad was tantalising and worth 8/10.
Chilli Prawns
The portion size of the plate of prawns was huge - it was a meal fit for a Giant. I knew straight away that some would be left.Taste wise, the prawns were cooked to perfection, mouth watering and served in a creamy tomato, peanut and coconut milk sauce. My friends loved this dish but I thought it was a little sickly for my taste especially as the prawns also came with a coconut rice mixed with vegetables. Marks - 8/10. Unbelievably, every morsel was eaten.
Now on to my choice from the Portuguese Menu
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Traditional Portuguese Soup (that's what it says on the menu)
This consists of chorizo (spicy sausage which I adore), kale, cabbage, potatoes and extra virgin oil. Price 16zl (£4). In Portugal this soup is called Caldo Verde. The consistency could have been a bit thinner but the taste was delicious and authentic. 9/10.
For the main course I chose:-
Chanfana
Which is lamb broiled in red wine with bacon, sweet peppers, nutmeg and piri piri peppers,. This was served with fried kale and black olives. Price 52 zl (£14). I have to admit, I struggled with this course. The lamb was cooked well and it was very enjoyable. However, the nutmeg flavour of the dish spoilt it for me as I am not a fan and to be honest I have never known Portuguese use nutmeg when cooking with lamb. Desserts, yes, but not with lamb. The piri piri chillies gave the dish a kick which was enjoyable but overall I was a little dissapointed so I will award the chef 7/10 for that meal.
The dessert on offer on the Portuguese menu was Porto Jelly served with fresh fig and brown sugar gratin. I love fresh figs but passed on this dessert because I had already been tempted by the:-
Banana Madness
All three of us ordered this wonderfully sweet dessert even though the other two girls said that they were full. Banana Madness is a banana cake with walnuts served with ginger and cinnamon ice cream. The cake was soft and moist and so bananery (not sure if this word exists but it describes the taste) and the ice cream was amazing, delicious, mouth watering - not enough words to describe the delicate, dazzling taste of this dessert. 19 zl (£4.50). 10/10 Definitely.
Usually I drink beer with everything. However, today we had a glass of Chilean Marques de Casa Concha, served in a huge glass so I was able to swirl and swish it around and pretend I was a wine expert. Cost 21zl (£5). A little expensive but it was delicious.
Overall Impression
I had a very enjoyable lunch in a warm, relaxed atmosphere. I cannot fault the waiter service as they were polite and attentive during a busy lunch time. The decor was jolly and created a fun atmosphere to eat in. The food was well cooked and beautifully presented. I find the fact that it is a Tex Mex restaurant very confusing as the menu is so schizophrenic and varied. I did see people eating quesadillas, burritos, chicken wings and drinking margaritas which this restaurants prides itself on and from what I could see the food looked fresh and appetising but I can't comment on the taste. Portuguese cuisine - In my humble opinion this wasn't authentic.
As for the price it is a little higher than normal - around £25 - £30 per person including a glass of wine. I know that doesn't sound expensive compared with UK prices but for Poland it is quite high..
Location wise - in my view, it is wonderful during the summer months as you can go for a relaxing walk through the park afterwards to help digest the culinary overload but absolutely out of the question in a severe Polish winter. Brrrrrrr!
Overall Marks - 8/10 Recommended.
Smacznego! (Enjoy Your Meal).
From journal Some of Warsaw's Top Restaurants - Part 1