Od Koochni – Wroclaw (Poland) en

I didn’t eat particularly well in Poland, not because, as some would think, that eastern European food isn’t interesting, but because I had a hard time finding creative restaurants with a friendly staff and a reasonable budget. I only spent 10 days in the country and only went to Wroclaw and Cracovia, so “ce constat merite prudence”, but still, that’s what happened.  However, Od Koochni was a nice little find: good food, and with the service to go with it.

I met Gregor, that  Scottish guy that started the Wroclaw Uncut website, and he recommended some good restaurants, this being one of them.

It’s located a little bit out of the center, but not too far, so don’t worry. After getting on a few trams you’re there, here’s where you can get directions: http://wroclaw.jakdojade.pl/. It’s a quiet spot in a quiet area. The room is small, but it wasn’t busy when I went: you can either eat at the big table, or on the counter in front of the window looking out to the street.

Because it’s an open kitchen, you can see the chef working. The person that was hostessing and “serving”- in Poland it’s more up to you to get your own things- was pretty friendly, the other welcomes I was used to were average in other restaurants I went to because most were young people who didn’t really give a shit, harsh I know, but that’s what it was, and it’s not, because they were young, but because they couldn’t care less.  So here, I was happy, I could finally relax. I was a little annoyed when I saw the dirty dishes from the counter weren’t cleared beside me, but at one point someone arrived and cleared them, which was a lot nicer :).

There are daily specials, but no menu.

There was a juice that was offered with the appetizer, very refreshing.

A beet soup that reminded me of šaltibarščiai, the Lithuanian specialty, it was good.

After that, it was an asparagus risotto that reminded me of a beet risotto from Maranui Café in Wellington, New Zealand. It was good but too big a portion for me, the cream, Parmesan, risotto, asparagus, it was a lot; that being said, it was still very good, no complaints.

For 10 euros, I had a good meal, I think I remember that they didn’t make coffees, which was too bad, because otherwise, it’s a restaurant that is worth trying.