In Pole position: Making a meal of it in Krakow

By MARC HOUGH

I've always had a fondness for the weird and wonderful (you only need to look inside my wardrobe to confirm that to be the case) and my approach to buying wine is the same as my taste in shirts - I want something that nobody else has got, and I'll go to the ends of the Earth to hunt out something that little bit different.

And so, I have just spent a weekend in Krakow - Poland’s historic southern city - on the hunt for some delicious new vino - and of course, to enjoy myself. I will for course completely forgive you for thinking this trip was simply a three-day piss-up…. but I like to call it research.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why Poland? Do they actually make wine over there? Isn’t it all about potatoes and vodka? Well, no, it isn't. And those in the know will tell you that the best Polish wines are amongst the most highly-prized in Europe - and the distinctive Polish wines that we sell at Cork of the North are among the very best bottles in our portfolio - especially those imported from Winnica Hople and Winnica Turnau.

The reason you don’t see much Polish wine in the UK market is quite simple; they don’t make a hell of a lot of it, and what they do make they can sell domestically within Poland, meaning that they simply don’t have the need - or the volume - to cultivate much of an international market, and especially not with Brexity Britain.

But thankfully, given my gift of the gab and brazen Mancunian determination, I've managed to secure an ‘in’ with some of the top Polish wineries, thanks to my rewarding friendship with a bloke called Adam Michocki, a talented Polish sommelier, who imports wine to the UK from Poland in small quantities from his base in Leeds. This again goes to prove that in the wine world - as is the case with most professions - that it's not what you know, but who you know. And it was Adam (interestingly, he vaguely resembles actor Daniel Craig) who suggested I visit Krakow. And I am very glad that he did.

It’s cheap as chips to visit this city. I got a package deal with easyJet for just £250, which included a return flight from Manchester (2.5 hours flying time), and three nights accommodation in a trendy little flat in a pad called Wine Apartments (Jozefitow 8, Krakow), which offered staggeringly good value, was as clean as a whistle and most conveniently for me, has its own wine bar in the cellar.

From Wine Apartments it's only a brisk 10-minute walk into the centre of the city, Krakow’s historic ‘Old Town’. Unlike Warsaw, Krakow’s ancient architecture escaped comparatively unscathed by the double bombardment from the Nazis and then the Russians during World War II, so most of their medieval buildings remain intact. The Old Town is impressive, and has lots of charm for sure, but like many of the prettier cities in Europe, it is absolutely TEEMING with tourists and I struggled to navigate its streets without constantly queueing to get round the place. Personally, I dislike queuing almost as much as I hate the Tories, so I'm sure you can feel my pain.

The Old Town sadly has the feeling of a medieval Disneyland, so instead I walked just five minutes south of the city to the district of Kazimierz - the old Jewish Quarter, which feels like a more authentic representation of Krakow, along with its cobbled streets, graffitied walls and independent bars and restaurants. It reminded me of Manchester’s Northern Quarter - albeit without the tramps, piles of black bin bags, and the ever-present streaks of piss on the pavements. It has the same mangy grey pigeons, though. 

Whenever I visit a city, I spend my time scoping out the local wine bars (strictly for research purposes, obviously) and Kazimierz is full of great little spots specialising in wines by the glass. There are of course many Polish wines to enjoy, but lots of international gear too - and almost all of the places I visited served wines from all over Europe and the new world. Special mention must go to Bar a Wino (Mostowa 1) which had the same vibe as Cork of the North - with a massive range of wines, service with a smile, and a great selection of nibbles. If you can grab a table on the pavement outside, you’ll have found a top spot for people-watching - and the best wine I tried there was a fresh, aromatic Polish white called Winnica Amelie Souvignier Gris - both fresh and aromatic with a honeyed texture. And it’s really cheap to drink quality wine in Krakow - on average, you’ll be charged a fiver for a glass of what we would normally pay around £9 for back home.

Another place I recommend is CuitCuit (Krakowska 6) which is a small but welcoming place run by a friendly Georgian fella, who actually makes his own wines in the cellar of the bar, using Georgian Quevri (terracotta pots). They do a mean cheeseboard there too - which includes a black truffle cheese - and that gets a big thumbs up from me. One wine bar to certainly avoid though, is a place called Wino Metal (Beer Meiselsa 16) who had the surliest barman I’ve encountered for some time. He had a face like a wet Wednesday in Droylesden, and rudely gave all his customers the impression that they were a hindrance to him by simply being in the place. The wine wasn’t that good, either.

But let’s focus on the positives - and by far the absolute highlight of my entire trip to Krakow was a visit to the stunning restaurant Bufet KRK in the centre of Kazimierz (Dajwor 8), which was recommended to me by my Polish mate Adam. Bufet - which has only been open for 12 months - is run by the same team who have Krakow's famed 2-Michelin starred Bottiglieria 1881, so I knew this place would be good. But I was completely blown away by just how impressive this place was - and that is certainly no mean feat, given just how much of a cynical git I have become in my old(ish) age.

I was gratefully given a seat at the ‘chef’s table’ - on one of the many high stools at the long marble bar overlooking the open kitchen - and I highly recommend that you book one of these seats for yourself should you visit ( https://bufetkrk.com/en/). Watching the talented head chef and his super-enthusiastic team work at such close hand felt like a genuine privilege - and witnessing  their impressive attention to detail was fascinating. But unlike many of the top-end restaurants I’ve visited, Bufet's main emphasis was on the taste of the food, rather than overly concentrating their efforts on fussy presentation. Most people I know rave on about Michelin starred establishments, but personally I can find them a bit stuffy - after all, how many times can you watch the pernickety palava of a chef painstakingly positioning mini watercress onto a plate with a pair of tweezers before it becomes tiresome? Thankfully I found Bufet to be very high on quality, but refreshingly low on unnecessary pomp.

The service is warm, friendly, relaxed and attentive, but without ever being overbearing. And what’s more, all of the staff in the kitchen and on the floor work with a smile on their face, which speaks volumes. But no matter how impressive I found the staff, nothing could prepare me for the elevated culinary experience I was about to enjoy.

To whet my whistle, I had two nicely-plump 'Fine de Claire No.2’ oysters, both sweet and salty at the same time, drizzled with an unctuous splash of caviar oil and served with a perfectly crisp glass of Cava, which perfectly set the tone for what was to come. Next, a plate of crisp chicory leaves, married with almonds and covered in grated Jura Bleu cheese, which provided the perfect earthy counterpoint to the bitterness of the chicory. But the most unexpected, eyebrow-raising part of this dish was the surprise addition of wafer-thin slices of white strawberry, concealed almost surreptitiously between the chicory leaves. The fruity tang of the strawberry provided this dish’s element of surprise, elevating such a simple salad starter into a masterpiece worth raving about.

Next came crunchy grilled mini cucumbers, resting on a pillow of straciatella cream cheese, and topped off with a well-judged combination of fresh dill, mint and parsley. The whole herby mound was finished with a drizzle of wasabi, dill oil and lemon zest, which I pleasantly washed down with a glass of Barczentewicz Riesling, boasting a terrific tang of lime zest that accentuated the freshness of the herbs perfectly. Who said salads were boring?

The Riesling was then followed by Barczentewicz’s Gewürztraminer for my main, and although I'm not usually a fan of off-dry Gewurztraminer, it complimented the richness of my grilled trout main so well. And here it was in all its glory - the star of the show - a trout fillet so big it resembled a donkey’s tongue, cooked to perfection over flames and served in a luxurious buerre blanc sauce, which was flecked with caviar and tiny black lentils. It was incredible. But by now I had come to expect the unexpected with the dishes at Bufet - and this time it was the addition of grilled peas (yes, grilled!!) which added real bombastic swagger. The peas were obviously extremely al-dente, which were a perfect addition with the creamy buerre blanc - and I was going to say that the peas were happily languishing in the luxurious sauce, but it was much grander than that... they weren’t just languishing in the creamy liquid, they were swimming around in it doing celebratory back-strokes, as if performing a culinary lap of honour. I was quite take aback.

So often, a side of French fries would merely offer a supporting role to any main course, but Bufet’s take on the humble chip was almost on an equal billing with the trout - as they came smothered in delicious truffle mayo. But unlike the tired 'truffle chips’ that many other restaurants offer (usually mere frozen fries with a clumsy splash of cheap, synthetic-tasting truffle oil on the top), this was done with all the love and attention you would expect from Bufet - and their take on it was a bowl of skin-on, hand-cut fries smothered with their house-made black truffle mayonnaise, and topped with Emilgrana cheese and a pinch of freshly chopped chives. These may have been the best chips I have ever eaten in my life. And this is no exaggeration.

But the most surprising thing of all, was the bill. I’d had four memorable courses, and five incredible glasses of wine, and the bill only came to 275 Zloty - which converts to a paltry £63. Unreal! When I walked out of the restaurant, after one of the best culinary experiences in recent memory, I didn’t know whether to ecstatically punch in the air, or cry with sheer emotion. Thankfully, I picked the former… and then went off to find another wine bar.

Thank you Krakow, I’ll be back.