Review: Ostermalm Food Hall

Before heading to the Vast Museum to see the infamous Viking boat, we trekked off to see the world largest food hall - Salluhall. Stepping in, it reminded me a lot of Granville island in Vancouver. The food hall contained many shops from delis to meat shops to pastry shops. Being there on a weekday, we noticed that many business people around the area trickled in as lunch time came around. After having spent a long while deciding on which store to eat at, we opted for a traditional Swedish lunch. Being a seafood lover, I ordered the Open faced shrimp sandwich on Danish bread. This dish was sort of like a sandwich, however, the top piece of the toast was not there. Fried Herring with Mash Potatoes and Lingonberries was what M decided to have. Unlike at restaurants, at Salluhall, one orders from the vendor and self seats at one of the many cafeteria style tables. It felt quite cozy as you can hear others chatting away.

Outside the Food Hall

Inside the Food Hall

Cheese store inside the Hall

Open Faced Shrimp Sandwich on Danish Bread

Fried Herring with Mashed Potatoes and Lingonberries

Closeup of Lingonberries

Two Tarts from the Food Hall

Verdict:
Trekking out to the Ostermalm Food Hall was a great experience, all the vendors here carry top quality produce and the atmosphere is great! Unlike many of the other popular "tourist" locations in Sweden, the Food Hall remains a relatively popular place for locals to go and the food here is amazing. If you are out looking for a souvenir for a foodie friend back home or just looking for a quick bite to eat, the Food Hall is a great place to start looking.

Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$ (Around $35USD for both of us)

Review: Dom Polski

After an impressive performance by the Warszawa Philharmonics, M & I were hungry for some authentic Polish cuisine. Dom Polski was not only recommended by the staff at the Intercontinental hotel (a very nice hotel for a very good price btw), the restaurant was also on various brochures and websites. After taking a cab where the driver thought he was a formula 1 driver in the mercedes, we arrived outside a beautiful villa. Although it was late, we were able to see the well-decorated garden from the dim lights. One could have never tell that this villa, housed Warsaw's famous Dom Polski.

At 22:30, we were the table to be seated for the night. The waiter led us to a table by the window with a nice view of the garden.

Here is what we had for our traditional Polish dinner:

Green lettuce with slices of smoke duck breast and fresh fruit

Golden and crispy potato pancakes with pink salmon and red caviar

Grilled royal shrimp served with garlic

Rolled wild boar filet in a aromatic forest sauce with potato noodles

Juicy catfish filet in herb pepper with spinach

Toffee cake

We ordered 3 appetizers that night because we were starving. The smoke duck salad was nothing special. It was a mixture of lettuce, tangerine, and smoke duck pieces. I thought the smoke ducks had a very particular taste, although it was on the salty side, it tasted a little spicy at the same time. M choose the potato pancakes and they were heavenly! The crisp texture of the potato pancake combined with the smooth texture of the smoke salmon led to a party in the mouth. Taking another bite with the condiments provided (chives, onions, garlic, and sour cream), this provided an incredible array of flavors. I must admit I was quite envious of M's potato pancakes. Thinking back, it was the best dish I had on our trip to Warsaw. We got the royal shrimp to share and were a bit disappointed with it. The dish lacked flavor and the shrimp were slightly cold.

Being as adventurous with food as he is, M ordered the rolled wild boar. When it arrived at the table, the presentation was not the greatest. However, once M started eating, he said the meat was tender and flavorful. The side dishes that came with the main were surprisingly good too.
I went with the catfish and according to our waiter, "it was the best dish on the menu." I beg to differ. The fish was quite bland in taste and was not crispy at all. As a garlic lover, I never thought I would complain that something had too much garlic but the spinach was overfilled with garlic and salt. Overall, this dish was way to salty for my taste.

After an abundance of food, M still decided to order dessert ("when in Europe" he says.") The toffee cake, he said was probably too sweet for most people but for him, it was excellent.

Verdict:
Overall, our night was pretty good. Some of the dishes were definitely a hit or miss. If you enjoy heavy food, this is the place for you. Or, if you want to try some authentic Polish cuisine this is also a must-go. We agreed that we would come here and just pig out on their amazing potato pancakes.

Rating: M - 4/5 Y - 3.5/5
Price: $ (for Polish standards)

Dom Polski
Francuska 11
03-906 Warszawa, Poland
22 616 24 32