Best espresso in Warsaw, Evergreen boutique, ul. Tamka 49 (Ordynacka), Warsaw, Poland

A friend, whose culinary taste I truly respect, tried to convince me to go together to Starbucks. “Why? Is their coffee so great.”  “They serve a really outstanding cheesecake.” And I think this is the best thing that can be said about Starbucks and its coffee.  I am not a big coffee drinker, but I loooove a good espresso.  In Warsaw, even at San Lorenzo, they don’t know how to make a decent espresso.  At Java Coffee at PWC building they occasionally have a truly outstanding blend, but they lack in execution, the final stage of making the perfect espresso.  Thus, imagine my surprise, when the other day I stopped by my favourite interior designed boutique (Evergreen, near the Chopin museum), and discovered they serve a “7gr” coffee.  I have never heard of “7gr” brand, but in Italy there are 800+ firms roasting coffee beans.  I thought I give it a try.  An unusual place to serve coffee, but maybe this special environment will produce something interesting.  I must say that I was blown away.  First, of all the smell of the grounded coffee was outstanding.  It looked and smelled like  a truly outstanding blend.  Second of all, the barista actually cared and KNEW what he was doing.  To the most, preparing an espresso is a mechanical process, largely dependent on the machinery involved.  Here, the care taken to prepare a cup of espresso was admirable.  And, the espresso itself: rich, flavourful, a perfect uniform crema without a single bubble that stays like that to the last sip.  Awesome!  Truly awesome!  Who would have thought that I would find a perfect espresso away from the fancy restaurants and cafes.

My quest for a perfect espresso in Warsaw is officially over J

China Garden, ul. Kazachska 1, Warszawa, Poland

A friend of mine claims there is no such thing as a purely Chinese restaurant in Warsaw, i.e. one that would not be influenced by the cuisine of the significant Vietnamese minority living in Warsaw.  The latest count on the Chinese / Oriental / Chinese-Vietnamese restaurants and bistros in Warsaw stands at around 250.  Out of those, I was aware of only one that was run by the Chinese, and actually serving the Chinese food of both the Chinese and American-Chinese variety, but without the Vietnamese touch to it: the Bliss Garden.  However, quite a few people have recommended to me the China Garden in Miateczko Wilanów, which specializes in the cuisine of the Yangzhou region of China (Yangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing).  It has a characteristic, yet unassuming entrance (not revealing the surprisingly roomy interior).  The host and the waiters are not the students trying to make some extra cash, but actually professional waiters, who know what they are talking about and can recommend a bit more than pho soup or the sweet and sour chicken.  The appetizers are of the cold variety (here, the seaweed in garlic sauce, the marinated duck tongues, and the dried soya cheese take the prime spot), hot variety (this time baked duck tongues and the garlic squid are recommended), and, by far, my favourite - the soups (the wonton soup with the shrimp-stuffed dumplings rocks as does a simple seafood soup).

The choice of main courses can spoil the most picky diner; for those ready for a truly new experience the restaurant even offers the bull’s penis and the bull’s testicles with sprouts (hopefully not harvested at the same time…).  Putting aside the bovine genitalia, the beef on a hot plate, and the spicy beef with wonton dough take the prize. 

In the pork section, I find their selection of ribs and the kidneys in the dark sauce particularly enticing.  The last time I was there the waiter has recommended the seafood of the day – the abalone sea snail, served in broth with hot peppers, which was simply delicious.

As far as the poultry goes, I never got beyond their different versions of duck, which I simply find delicious (and I still am not ready to explore whatever stands behind the “goose jaws”…).  The selection of vegetarian dishes is decent with the crunchy tofu and celery with cashews topping my list.  Good stuff overall.  Now, I am truly torn now between the Bliss Garden and this place for Palm d’Or  of the Chinese restaurants in Warsaw J

http://www.chinagarden.pl/