Prestige Singapore – July 2019

INDULGENCE

176 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019

ever would I have believed

that kaczka z cykoria gotowana w

czerwonej pomaranczy i hibiskusem

could be so delicious. Wykwintna

kuchnia, or Polish haute cuisine, literally gives your tongue a

good workout.

There are no honeyed bear’s claws on the menu or

traditional Polish delicacies such as beaver tails. Neither

is there any pretentious molecular foam twist, although

you might find snail caviar. But there is still plenty to

chew on – and not just the humble obwarzanek, although

some 150,000 of these Krakowian bagels are champed on

every day.

Five-star dining in Poland and the skills of Polish chefs

have finally been recognised, with Krakow named the

2019 European Capital of Gastronomic Culture by the

Paris-based European Academy of Gastronomy.

Warsaw may have the Michelin stars, but Krakow

is the city with the culinary status. Its luxury hotels

are leading the fine dining experience with degustacja

menus that represent the best value for haute cuisine

N

anywhere in the world. Once, it was only the nobility who

ate well. Now, so does the Everyman. And tourists.

Marcin Filipkiewicz, head chef of Hotel Copernicus

and its Michelin-recommended restaurant, has cooked for

rulers, prelates, artists and actors (past guests of the 29-room

boutique hotel, the first Relais & Chateaux property in

Poland, include England’s Prince Charles and former

American president George W Bush). His heroes include

Alain Ducasse, and culinary revolutionists Peter Gilmore and

Grant Achatz. He offers a 12-course gourmet tasting menu

(430 Polish zloty, or S$156) that includes the aforementioned

duck with chicory boiled in red orange and hibiscus.

“While appreciating our cooking traditions, I’m trying

to get away from stereotypes,” says the author of Poland’s

bestselling fine dining cookbook. “People don’t associate

Poland with fine dining. That’s so wrong. Stanislaw

Czarnecki, the chef to Prince Aleksander, produced our

first cookbook in 1682. We have a rich gastronomic heritage

and we’re rediscovering it. More Poles are eating out. We’re

catering for new tastes and a new curiosity. And a new

generation of jedlings or foodies.”

A Krakowian

speciality:

the humble

obwarzanek, which

is traditionally

shaped by hand

into a ring

PHOTOS: POLISH TOURISM ORGANISATION (BAGEL & KAZIMIERZ)