Editor Pick
A Little Bit of Italy in the Polish Capital
- August 9, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
The other day I was taken out for lunch by my husband to the affluent side of Warsaw. The restaurant he chose is called Va bene and is situated in Ursynow.
Ursynow is what I would call a yuppie part of Warsaw and to reach this luxuriant suburb you need to take the Metro from the central station and get off at the Stoklosy stop which is 3 stops before the final stop, Kabaty, south of the city. The restaurant is situated on ul. Zamiany 4 which is a small street opposite the Metro station.
Apparantly, Va Bene is part of a network of restaurants known for their great Italian specialities that are based on old recipes like Mama used to cook and only the best quality ingredients are used.
As you enter the restaurant you walk through an archway typical of villas throughout the Mediterranean with a rough white painted exterior and rustic amber rooftop tiles. At this point I was very excited. The terrace is quite large and has several wooden tables and chairs set out. All very highly polished. The floor of the terrace is probably concrete but it has been designed to give it that cobbled courtyard effect. The surrounding walls are painted white with arched windows filled with flower boxes and there are old fashioned reproductions of gas lamps dotted around the terrace and the odd conifer and palm planted amongst brightly coloured shrubs.
On this occasion we chose to sit inside. The room was so pretty. A sea of powder blue; chairs, tables, beams, old-fashioned dressers. Every piece of furniture had the distressed look.
Threaded through the open beams are trailing ivy plants and scented geraniums. There is a mixture of circular and square tables; each with 4 chairs and very simply decorated on top with a small white vase of flowers and a serviette holder filled with white serviettes. The contrast of the blue and the bleached white is stunning. Lovely old Victorian style candle lamps hang from the ceiling and some are mounted on the side walls. Apart from blue stained wood the only other dominant material is wrought iron. I spotted wine racks, lamps and a beautiful mounted Victorian style clock all made from this versatile metal. The final touch to make the restaurant look authentic was the tiled floor - terra cotta floor tiles. When the sun came through the windows the streams of light danced on the tiles making the whole room incandescent. Whoever designed this restaurant has done an excellent job and I have to mark the decor 10/10.
Rather than sitting in the central area of the restaurant we chose a small table near an arched window opposite the bar. The bar was very attractive, shaped in a semi circle decorated with old fashioned wine bottles and strings of garlic and peppers hanging down from the roof. At the back of the bar was the pizza oven and French wooden doors which led into the kitchen.
I was eager to see what was on the menu so when the waiter approached us with a menu card I nearly grabbed it out of his hand as I was so anxious to view the delicacies. Normally, if presunto or any home cured ham is on the menu I always opt for it but this time I thought I would choose something else and went with fried asparagus in a wine and cheese sauce. This is a hot starter and the price is 24 zloty (approx £5). My husband chose Crostoni Toscana which is also a hot starter and is toasted bread topped with mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes and rucola. The price is 12zloty.
At the same time of ordering our starters and main meal, the very tall, handsome and smiley waiter took our drinks order which was as usual 2 large glasses of beer. Unfortunately, Carlsberg was the only beer on offer which I am not that keen on but as there was no other choice it was better than none. A 0.50l glass of beer is 8 zloty (1.50). Soft drinks and non - alcoholic drinks are also available.
I was very excited at the prospect of eating asparagus as it is difficult to come across in this part of the world. And to my surprise the young, succulent tips hidden underneath a pale creamy sauce were of the green variety which I love and not the pale yellow. The sauce was very smooth and the balance of cheese to wine was perfect for my taste buds. The cheese just dominated the taste of white wine which is how I like it. So 10 out of 10 for the asparagus.
My husband's toasted bread consisted of two large slices of white bread served on a very nice platter of wild rucola, sliced onions, olive oil and herbs. The mozzarella was sliced in quite thick slices dressed in virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh basil. The sun dried tomatoes were large and very rich in taste. He said that the starter was very filling, scrumptious and well worth 12 zloty. 10/10 again.
After we had finished the starters the waiter cleared the dishes away but didn't bring our main dishes to us straight away as we had asked him to give us a breather in between courses. At this point we ordered a carafe of house red wine which cost 57 zloty.
As soon as we had finished our beers the waiter appeared with the carafe of wine.Within 5 or 6 minutes he came back with our main meals. Having studied the menu when we first arrived we both decided not to have a pasta or a rissotto dish. I chose a pork dish - pork fillet in gorgonzola cheese. My husband chose the lamb chops in a strawberry sauce.
Here comes our verdict -
The pork fillets were of the tenderloin variety - 3 pieces altogether. Every slither of meat was tender and melted in my mouth as soon as the slices hit the tip of my tongue. The aroma of the dish was slightly herby and spicy. I could taste dijon mustard, olive oil and thyme. The sauce which had been gently ladled over the pork slices and served in an additional sauceboat as well, smelt of strong blue gorgonzola, white wine, cream and a hint of bouillion. Together the soft texture of the meat, its delicate juices and the creaminess of the mustard, wine and full cream and one of Italy's best blue cheeses, gave this dish an outstanding taste. I have to mark the dish 10 out of 10. To accompany the pork fillet dish I had a bowl of plain white rice which was cooked to perfection.The price of the pork and rice came to 41 zloty ( just over £8).
My husband chose Lamb chops in a strawberry sauce.When the dish appeared on the table it looked very appetising I have to say. There were several small lamb chops and they looked like thay had been roasted in the oven with oilve oil, garlic, peppercorns and a marinade of strawberries and other ingredients. I was dying to taste the sauce although it looked like a dark red gravy rather than a sauce. With my husband's permission I first tasted a small amount of the sauce and it was rather unusual. It had a strawberry caramel sort of taste so I can only think that the onions had been caramelised with something like balsamic vinegar. Pieces of strawberry were noticeable in the sauce and mint leaves were part of the garnish which was actually quite refreshing. The cooked flesh of the chops was very dark and succulent. I am only guessing at this but I think the chops must have been marinaded in wine and sugar as the overal taste was sweet but with a rich flavour - very much like the taste of pheasant or partridge. I was very impressed - the taste was different but very pleasing and with a side dish of creamy whipped mashed potatoes, my husband was a very happy man. The price of the lamb chops and mash came to 52 zloty (£10.50)
The house wine was a little harsh and tasted like it was from the Languedoc and not of Italian origin but never mind - you can't win them all.
We ate everything on both plates and yes, we were very full indeed but I sort have had an hankering for a creamy Italian dessert so I chose Tiramisu with mascarpone and coffee. Oh boy, this is a heavenly dessert. Price - 16 zloty.
At just under £50, I can't fault the price and that includes two beers and a carafe of red wine.
I thoroughly recommend this restaurant but for visitors coming to Warsaw, remember that the restaurant is out of the city.
From journal Some of Warsaw's Top Restaurants - Part 1