Gdansk – Pikawa
After another busy morning (well, I thought so anyway), today’s lunch stop was Pikawa which is centrally located in Gdansk and is more sizeable than its frontage might suggest. This leads me off on another of my random general meanderings, but this venue is absolutely clear what it is, it’s a cafe which verges more into a bar in the evening. Venues in Poland seem to have a clarity I rarely experience in other countries, although Google helps enormously here by marking a venue as a cafe, a bar or a restaurant which makes matters much easier. There are some countries that I’m endlessly confused in, not least most of the southern European countries. Anyway, I digress.
The surroundings are comfortable and modern, there’s a very laid-back atmosphere here. It was moderately busy at lunch-time, I just took the photo during a quiet period. Customers wait at the door to be seated and then table service is offered, which is slightly unusual for a cafe, but the process is made clear here.
I might have given myself a sugar overdose with this, but it was very enjoyable. I decided to opt for a carrot for lunch, which came in the form of a cake with cream, but I think that still counts. The hot chocolate with cream is a bit like a fruit smoothie, just served with chocolate instead of fruit. I think overall I’d claim this to be healthy. As for the food and drink, the hot chocolate was suitably rich and decadent. The carrot cake was moist and served as a bigger portion than I probably needed, but it seemed fresh and tasted of a very good quality. I probably didn’t need that much whipped cream, but life is all about learning from mistakes.
The element I liked most here is that I was able to read a book on my phone with no disturbance or hurry from the staff to leave. Indeed, I had to ask for the bill in the end, which was easy enough to do, but I liked the slow pace of this cafe. Some locations seem hard-wired to get customers in and out as fast as they can, but here the service was slow although still orderly. The staff were friendly and helpful, knowledgeable about the menu and personable in the way they dealt with customers.
I liked that they had a selection of different beers here as well, although I didn’t have one on this occasion, but I’m pleased that this is becoming ever more common on menus. The prices were moderate, and I entirely enjoyed the ninety minutes or so that I was in the cafe for. All professionally run, clean, organised and I’d remember just how laid-back and comfortable it all was. I’m liking the slow pace that Gdansk offers so readily, in what remains a modern and vibrant city.
