Papu

Papu restaurant is situated in Mokotow, a part of town I have been living in for almost four years now and first time I dined there was no earlier then spring this year. Really do not know why I waited so long...

Décor is absolutely ornamental, abundant in flowers and with rigid white linen on the tables. After entering you are welcomed by a warm semi-darkness (because of thick window dressings) and wooden walls. Charming lights in the evening complete the ambiance of relax and food-fiesta. As one of my friends summed it up accurately: Christmas but without reindeers. 

Shrimps on hot lava

Specialties of the restaurant are meals served on hot lava. Guests can value between shrimps, tuna steak, white meats and fillet steak (beef).  Food is placed raw on the lava and actually it is the client that decides how much it is cooked. Quite spectacular to watch but rather for those, who like playing with their food in restaurants. I would rather trust chef and be served something that is already done. And in my opinion you can trust chef in Papu. 

Carpaccio

Starters: Polish pierogi are very good there, small, delicate, served cooked and you can choose between cheese, veal and spinach or mix them together. I think it is just right for someone who is in Poland for first time and would like to eat something really Polish. Beef tartar served Polish style with yolk and sour chopped cucumbers is also worth trying. Salmon tartar that I had was good, or rather – okay but I would not recommend it strongly. Instead it is better to have carpaccio – in my opinion one of the best in Warsaw. Delicious secret lies in the horse-radish cream that is spread under meat. Absolutely fabulous. 

Soups: I haven’t tried the cucumber soup so I have yet to have an opinion on that one, but from other three the wild mushroom soup evokes the best emotions. Obviously you need to like wild mushrooms (boletus to be precise). Lemon soup is just not to my taste. Truthfully I have no idea if it was good lemon soup or not because it was simply strange. Seasonaly, they are offering pumpkin soup on the menu but previously they had tomato cream which was really nice.

All salads (except Caesar salad) are interesting with not so common in Poland add-ons as pear, balsamico-honey sauce, chicken livers etc. Nice, fresh, proper portions and absolutely as it should be. Regarding Ceasar salad… It needs a few words of explanation. I am an absolute fan of Ceasar salad and I try it in every restaurant if it is on the menu. But as a fan I’ve become quite a purist in the subject and I want it to be done the classic way. No changes in salad type, no extras as tomatoes or other vegetables, proper sauce etc. And it is not served that way in Papu – nevertheless the chicken is tasty and juicy, bread toasted nicely and sauce is good. Still…. It is not The Right Ceasar salad I would love to have. 

Main courses: Papardelle with prawns and vegetables is very nice, though not being fan of pasta I shall not be eating it regularly. Cod fillet – I have tried a bit and it was very good but generally Poland is not a country where fish is served in an impressing way. Pork cutlet with mashed potatoes is so Polish and conventional for me that I skipped that one but might be a new experience for foreigners.  Unfortunately I haven’t tried goose yet. But I recommend definitely beef fillet – truffle oil gives it quite a splendid taste. Duck is perfect – Polish are good in preparing duck and if you have a feeling for that and a chance to try – go for it. As for the ribs this honey glaze they do fights now for the first place with BBQ sauce in my personal “way to serve ribs” contest.

Desserts: Though they look and sound delicious, every time I dine there I am so profoundly filled after the main course that I simply have no chance to stuff in anything else…. Need to go JUST for a dessert some time.

The menu is in Polish and English and there is special menu for kids as well. Staff is nice, they speak English and are perfectly able to recommend and explain how dishes are served and made. Good wine list and wide range of aperitifs and afters complete the picture. Prices are rather high, You can check them on the website, but it is really worth trying. I would rather recommend it for dinner than quick lunch – it is such a nice place to sit and relax that it is worth at least 3 hours of your time. 
Monika

http://www.restauracjapapu.pl/
Al. Niepodległości 132/136
tel.: (+48) 22 856 77 88