Review: Papaya

After doing a lot of research to pick Dom Polski, Y and I decided that we wanted to try something different that was not necessarily Polish. Both of us enjoy fusion food, so, after reading around online and picking through many Polish-only websites, we found that Papaya seemed to be generally accepted as one of the best fusion restaurants in Warsaw.

We had a late reservation - arriving at 10 pm - we were probably the last table of the night to be seated. Unfortunately, the table we were given was relatively dark and as a result, the pictures did not turn out as well as we hoped (they are rather blurry).

Taking a quick look at the menu, we realized that the restaurant was more of a Japanese/Thai restaurant than anything that resembled fusion. However, this did not phase us as we were hungry. We decided to order three appetizers to split: the deep-fried calamari, the crab cakes, and the salmon tataki. After much thought, Y decided on a safe favorite - pad thai; and I had the Kobe beef steak, hoping that Kobe beef in Poland was of the same quality as everywhere else in the world.

Salmon Tataki

Deep Fried Calamari

Crab Cakes (started eating them already!)

Y's Pad Thai

Kobe Beef Steak

Verdict:
Overall, we thought that the restaurant was a relatively safe choice - the food was what we expected but did not blow us away. We found both the Calamari and the Crab Cakes to be good (but again, not amazing), but the Salmon Tataki seemed to be lacking a bit in the flavor department. Our main courses again were both very generic, the Pad Thai was sub-par (way too sweet) and the Kobe beef was tender, but was not up to the same quality of Kobe (Wagyu) beef that you could find in Toronto. We did not order dessert as we were stuffed after appetizer and main course. To conclude, Papaya is a place to go to if you want Asian food. However, we feel that there would probably be cheaper places with the same quality of food - we would recommend that those visiting Warsaw for only a few days look elsewhere.

Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $$

Papaya

Foksal 16
00-372 Warszawa
Polska‎
22 826 11 99‎

Pierogi Time!

Everyone knows that pierogies are a must-have when in Warsaw, so after a day in old town, we decided to go into a local pierogi bar hidden in one of the small alleyways. After entering the restaurant, we knew that we were in the right place - everything looked authentic and perogies were the only thing on the menu!

After much debate we decided on skipping the fixed price menu which would've come with a soup and just decided to order a few different types of perogies. The menu was all in Polish so we didn't really know what we were ordering but we just asked the server to pick three that he recommended.

Extensive list of different flavors

Orders placed here

Our Perogies

Delicious!

Verdict:
The perogies we had were a mixed bag, we found two of the three we ordered to be extremely flavorful and delicious, whereas the last one seemed to be a bit bland.

However, they were very cheap (only a couple of dollars) and after having so many North American perogies to finally try something authentic. We found that compared to the ones you often find in grocery stores, these ones were much larger and had a lot more filling other than just potato.

Overall, if you can't make it to this little perogi bar, we still recommend that you make time to either go to a perogi bar or a milk bar (extremely cheap restaurant) when in Warsaw.

Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $

Pierogarnia

Bednarska 28/30
Warszawa, Polska‎
22 828 03 92‎

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

Review: Le Rajasthan

I've been to Le Rajasthan three times during my stay in Toulouse - once for dinner and twice for lunch. The first time was for dinner with a couple of other exchange students. Although there's an abundance of restaurants in the city of Toulouse, ethnic food - with the exception of Middle Eastern food - is very limited. My first experience of this little restaurant was so great that I brought people back to it.

Le Rajasthan is located in a very small alley near the capitol. It can be easily missed if you do not have a map or know the city inside out.

When we went for dinner, the three of us went around 8 and the place was packed. After reading such good reviews, we were determine to try it and came back an hour later. As we entered, the waiter promptly sat us at a table near the window. All three of us decided to go for the prix-fixe menu (best deal in France).

After we placed our orders, a plate of Papadums were brought out. This was my first time eating this and I fell in love. Although I've been to many Indian restaurants in Vancouver, not once have they ever offered Papadums.

For appetizer, two of us choose the somosas and the other decided on the eggplant. The somosa was perfectly fried to a nice crisp and with the addition of the condiments provided, it tasted like heaven.

We ordered 3 different plats - Tandoori chicken, Veggie curry, and chicken curry. The tandoori chicken came in a generous portion. However, the two curries were a little smaller in size. The taste of all three were very authentic. And we were left stuffed after the main course.

The waiter suggested the creme de mange (mango cream) as the dessert. It was a nice change from all the pastry desserts served in other restaurants. The cream was light and not too sweet.

Verdict:
The food served was authentic, the price was cheap, and the service was fast and friendly. It is definitely a must-try if you want to be adventurous or are just looking for ethnic food.

My other two experiences at Le Rajasthan were similar. However, a word of caution, the restaurant sometimes runs out of appetizers for lunch. So either go early or just stick with dinner (preferred). Also, they do not serve Papadums at lunch.

Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $

Le Rajasthan
20 rue des Gestes
31000 Toulouse
05 61 23 77 35

Pan Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes

In addition to going out for food, we also enjoy attempting to make our own food! In Toulouse, we decided to begin our foray into cooking our own meals outside of something microwaved or reheated. As a side note, one must be warned that our kitchen equipment was severely limited as we couldn't just go out and rebuy all the kitchen tools we have at home in Canada! Basically all we had to work with was a single pan, one pot and two electric burners.

The first question we asked ourselves after deciding that we wanted steak was - how will we do this without a grill or an oven? After some research we realized that we could do this with a pan, but we were worried that the electric burner would not reach high enough temperatures to seal in the juices of the steak. However, despite our concerns we decided to go ahead and we bought two entrecotes and began our preparations.

We began by leaving the steaks at room temperature for around 45 minutes so that they would cook better, and then following a quick marinate of salt and pepper, the steaks were lightly brushed with olive oil to prevent sticking on the pan. After heating the pan on maximum temperature on the small burner, we crossed our fingers and hoped that the electric burner and cheap pan would cook our steaks properly.

After quickly cooking the steaks for no more than a minute on each side, we took them off and let them sit to allow the juices to settle. To our surprise, the steaks almost looked like they had been cooked on a grill - just without the grill marks. We quickly finished off our steaks with a quick deglazing of the pan using a red wine and then we topped our steaks off with the sauce from the deglazing as well as some mushrooms. Y served her mashed potatoes beside the steaks and we were in business!

Our meal!

Verdict:
After cooking our simple, yet delicious meal we decided that cooking steak at home is something that people do not enough! Other than cooking the mashed potatoes and letting the steaks sit at room temperature, the entire time it took to marinate and cook the steak, the mushrooms and the sauce was under 10 minutes.

Review: Le Bon Vivre

This hip restaurant is located right in Place Wilson, with a perfect view of the merry-go-around. When the weather is nice, the patio is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat, have a glass of wine, and people watch. Unfortunately, we went on a pouring weekday. To our surprise, the place was filled with business people.

We both ordered a prix-fixe menu -

Appetizer: Both had the crispy duck salad. A green salad with fried duck skin, which tasted like bacon bits. M really enjoyed it, however, it was a little too greasy and salty for my taste.

Main: M ordered the traditional duck confit. According to him, the food was good but Le Bon Vivre could have been more generous on the portion size.
As for me, I went with beef bourguignon. To be honest, I was quite disappointed with the food. The dish was too heavy for lunch and the taste was very bland.

Dessert: We ordered the same thing again, Creme brulee. It was quite interesting as both our dishes were served cold. We were both surprised because we've never had something like it. It tasted very standard, nothing special. Although, I think it would have tasted a lot better if it was served warm.


Verdict:

This restartarunt has the perfect location. However, don't let the pictures on its website fool you. Le Bon Vivre is not a big restaurant and we both felt a little crammed in it. The food was ok, but nothing great. We thought we paid a little more than what it was worth. Maybe not the ideal place for lunch, but we'd definitely go again for an afternoon coffee or wine.

Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $$$ (35 Euros/person)

Bon Vivre
Place Wilson,
31000 Toulouse, France‎
05 61 23 07 17‎
http://www.lebonvivre.com/

Review: Les Cocottes

Again, after reading many reviews online and doing embarrassingly too much research, we decided on going to Les Cocottes de Christian Constant for lunch. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we found the interior to be very clean and modern, most of the patrons sat at a long bar or small tables (as you can see in the picture below). As one can tell from the name of the restaurant, most of the food was served and cooked in a cocotte (basically a small round cast iron pot).

We were seated at the main bar and after taking a quick peek at what everyone was eating around us, we quickly became excited for the meal that awaited us. After taking a quick look at the menu (and our neighbors' meals), M had the Caesar Salad followed by the Pigeon with Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables, while Y had the appetizer of the day, Jumbo Shrimp with various vegetables and followed by a Cod cocotte. We found all the appetizers and main courses to be flavorful and delicious, and in M's case he was surprised by the large size of the Caesar salad.

Finally, after enjoying our main courses we moved on to our favorite course of the meal - dessert! After a small fuss over who would get to order the famous tarte au chocolat de Christian Constant, it was decided that M would order the tarte while Y would order the fruit crumble. Both desserts were delicious, however the tarte was almost too rich for our tastes.

View of the restaurant from our seats

The bar we were sitting at

Caesar Salad

Jumbo Shrimp

Cod

Pigeon

Tarte au Chocolat de Christian Constant

Fruit Crumble

Verdict:
Both of us agreed that Les Cocottes was definitely in the running for our favorite meal from Paris. The location was great (just a few minutes walk from the Eiffel Tower) and both of us were impressed with not only the food, but also the restaurant itself. The menu had a variety of dishes on it, and we would definitely venture back a second time to try some of them. However, if you decide to come here, make sure you come early, as it fills up quickly - we arrived when the restaurant opened for lunch and by the time we left there was a lengthy lineup! Definitely a place to go when you come to Paris!

Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $

Les Cocottes
135 Rue Saint-Dominique
75007 Paris, France
01 45 50 10 31