Warsaw – Restauracja Ceska
I hadn’t visited this restaurant in central Warsaw before, but they have another outlet in Wrocław which I know is well reviewed. They specialise in reasonably priced Czech food and beer and it’s something a little different for Warsaw.
They have their own beer tanks and the environment is all rather clean and comfortable.
Hmmm, I’m a little non-plussed by this. That middle one seems like a way to drink beer that isn’t perhaps entirely usual, but it’s the bottom one that most surprised me. I checked on-line and this is a thing in the Czech Republic, but I really can’t see it catching on in the UK. Although I hope Greene King don’t see it, they’ll likely produce something similar for their Greene King IPA, sounds right up their street. Anyway, for anyone who loves froth, this is a dream come true.
I didn’t order the froth, I went for the half litre of Kozel Cerny, a dark lager. It was a bit bland, with no richness and the caramel edge promised was evident, but not with much strength. There wasn’t much of an aftertaste, although I’d add it settled a little after it was served, meaning there was a little less froth. It was cheap though, so it did the job of being refreshing and going well with the food.
I’m not really into lard dishes, so I avoided all those traditional Czech options and went for what I considered to be a safer option, chicken in beer batter served with potatoes and a salad. And this was perfectly decent, the batter had a rich flavour to it and the chicken was tender, with the roasted potatoes being suitably salty. I’m not sure how authentic this dish is, but it met my requirements of not being too difficult to eat and not having too much fat.
The service was warm and friendly, with the environment being organised and well managed. The location seemed popular with families, solo diners and couples, with the prices being on the lower end of the scale for this part of the city. Most of all though, I’ve learned that selling froth is a thing and it was worth coming just for that.
