Tuesday, 1 December 2015

A Luxury Polish Dinner at Copernicus, Kraków.

Located on Kraków's oldest street, is a complete gem of a restaurant with a brilliant luxury tasting menu. Kraków doesn't have any Michelin starred restaurants, however with talented chef Marcin Filipkiewicz at the helm, Copernicus has won numerous awards, and is recommended by the Michelin guide each year. Copernicus Restaurant is housed within the luxury Copernicus Hotel, and although fairly small (booking is recommended), the interior is beautiful, with original 15th century frescoes and a renaissance ceiling.

Hotel Copernicus Restaurant Krakow Poland

Claire and I had already decided we wanted to dine at one of Kraków's top restaurants, so after going through the shortlist we decided on Copernicus mainly due to the location (right by Wawel Castle and just 5mins from our hotel) and also because the current menu on offer just looked too good to resist.

From start to finish our meal was perfect. The staff were attentive and very helpful, we opted for the five course tasting menu (180PLN - around £30), and the staff helped us choose a really excellent Italian wine (we asked for something dry and oak-y but not too pricey, and that's exactly what we got). They were also really lovely and allowed me to choose a different starter from the other menu as I don't eat Beetroot.

Before our starters came the Amuse Bouches. One of grissini with parma ham (not photographed), a pretty standard amuse bouche that although tasty wasn't particularly interesting nor innovative, and another of asparagus, which was much better! We also had a basket of beautiful fresh bread.

However what followed really did wow us. Claire loved her Beetroot carpaccio with sheep's cheese and pomegranate, while I had the Oyster mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes. It's funny how such simple food can be so satisfying.

Next up was the Goose pate with marinated bolete. We both had this dish, and we both agreed it was one of our favourites from the meal.

We were seated in the corner of the restaurant, and although it was fairly empty when we first arrived at 7:30pm, it soon filled up!

Photo source.

On a role with the goose, following the pate was the Goose consomme. I found the ginger in this very overpowering, but Claire loved it.

Following this was our main dishes. Again we both opted for the same; Veal with sweetbread and marinated vegetables. I hadn't had sweetbread for years, so wasn't really sure if I'd enjoy it again as I'm not a huge offal fan, but it was OK. Claire adores offal and said it was slightly overcooked and should have been creamier, but the veal itself was perfect and very autumnal.

Before our dessert was brought out we were given a palate cleanser. I can't for the life of me remember what it was, but it was a great dish to have inbetween, and was really light and tasty.

Again for dessert we chose the same; Cheesecake with pumpkin and cranberries. It was pretty much autumn in a cake. It was perfect, and so delicious. I could have easily eaten another one!

After dessert we had a little break and then they brought out some treats and we shared a mint tea.

When the bill came we were in total shock. The entire meal (a total of 9 courses including our amuse bouches, as well as a bottle of wine, the tea, and service charge), came to just £45 each. Such a bargain for such an incredible meal!

We wandered back to our hotel in a bit of a food coma. Thankfully it was just round the corner so we didn't have far to go before we could stumble into our super comfy beds! Top tip: When booking a hotel with friends or family, always request a twin room even if they don't advertise them - 9/10 you get a huge double bed each. It's brilliant.

If you're looking for a luxury restaurant in Kraków, I can't recommend Copernicus enough!

It was honestly fantastic!