|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
High
above me on the branch of a vast palm cum cactus
a sparrow fed it's offspring. I sat and perspired
gently to the sound of chirping sparrows. Chirping
to the point that I could not make up my mind what
I wanted to strangle the most: the sparrows or the
disco beat that assaulted the light classics being
strutted out of the noise machine. I finally gave
up on the service refilling my glass of wine. I
dived across the aisle to rescue my bottle in its
ice bucket and thus allow myself to drink at my
rate. The chocolate on the next door table nodded
her approval.
|
| |
|
|
|
| I had decided to sit
in the conservatory, rather than the park outside,
when I trundled into the Belvadere (Lazienki park
entrance from ul. Gagrina Tel: 41 48 06). This was
not my first visit. It was in fact my third, although
the first visit, some years ago, rather fell apart
when a long haired greeter had insisted that I wear
a jacket, in the middle of the summer. A jacket was
a commodity I had failed to think appropriate as the
temperature soared. We went elsewhere. This time I
was admitted, at lunch time, without a jacket. |
| |
|
|
|
| The menu of the Belvedere
starts with a listing of special dishes recommended
that day and on this day, fish seemed to feature strongly.
On the main menu there was a limited selection of
hot and cold starters which included oysters and baked
oysters both priced the same at Zl.80.95. Then there
is a choice of soups and few main course salads. The
selection of mains was limited to seven meat dishes
and five fish including lobster at ZL.80 for a small
and Zl.133 for a large. |
| |
|
|
|
| I decided on a terrine
of salmon and turbot, from the daily menu, as a starter.
I passed on nominating my next course until I had
tried this. A wise precaution because the good looking
layered terrine was cut thinly and at Zl.39 would
have had the average kitten meowing for more. So I
asked for a wild fowl pate from the cold starter section.
This was a much more wholesome dish with two good
slices of greyish looking pate with a large garnish
of pickled mushrooms and salad as well as a sauce
of red current and apple. The pate was very bland
to taste but I had no complaints since at Zl.30.95
it could at least be called a course. |
| |
|
|
|
| I now moved to the
mains and the item that caught my attention was the
Scottish lamb chops served with maxim's galetta and
pommery mustard sauce. The problem here was that the
lamb chops had been stripped of all fat. I know it
is fashionable to produce very lean meat but it is
the fat that gives the flavour, and these tiny little
chops, cooked á point, would have tasted a
lot better if the fat had been left on. Especially
as they had been cooked on a grill, and slightly charred.
Unfortunately this taste was too strong for the fatless
cutlets. The sauce was very well made and nicely poured
around the outside of the plate. I had strawberries
with zaboyone as a sweet and enjoyed a well made and
presented dish. |
| |
|
|
|
The wine list was not
as outrageous as I had expected and the house wine
was from French shippers Moreaux et fils and priced
at Zl.53. Most of the general generic wines were just
under Zl.100 and an '83 Haute Brion would have cost
Zl.732.
The menu had a comment to the effect that service
would be added to the bill. But failed to say how
much service. When I asked to pay I was, to say the
least, surprised that service ran to 15%. Thus my
bill was for Zl.234 and it was only after I left that
I realised I had given the waiter Zl.240 and he had
failed to return the change.
The Belvedere is in a great setting and the food is
probably as good as anywhere in Warsaw. However I
thought the general standard of service was well below
par, and frankly I am not convinced that the prices
charged are really worth it. If I was in London, or
Paris, I could get a very good meal for $90 per head
including a bottle of wine. And that meal would have
been better than what I had this time, or for that
matter before, at the Belvedere. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Fine Dining in:
|
|
|
| | | |
|
© Upright Internet Services 1991-2004
PO Box 5193, Milton Keynes, England, MK17 8HH
Email Sam |
|
