Passionfruit cocktail + sparkling wine!

Beef Tartar with pickles, mushrooms, onions and capers

Octopus slices with roasted red peppers and olive oil dressing

Roasted Lamb chops with peppers in rosemary sauce

Baked Pike perch, BEST TASTING FISH EVER.

Meringue with Lychee & passionfruit | Watermelon + coconut shots

Rarely do I cross the bridge to the Praga district of east Warsaw – 1) because I basically never leave the house (except for food, evidently) and 2) because the east is considered a slightly dodgy part of town (i.e. chav village). Seeing bulletholes from WWII in buildings is common and growing up, my mother had set a you shall not pass command for that end. Turns out now the neighbourhood has been gentrified so much that it’s now being called ‘Soho’ of Warsaw. But because I’d still thought it was run-down and dangerous, when Ania invited us (Harel, her husband and myself) over to Porto Praga for lunch it was like I’d gotten in the car with a blindfold and handcuffs on. Although, you come up to me in a car and promise food,  hey I’ll tie my hands and shove myself in the trunk. Basically, this place should be a landmark. You melt in the atmosphere, the food melts in your mouth. The chef focuses on emphasizing the natural taste of the ingredients so the tastebuds aren’t punched down with an overwhelming sauce and never recover to taste the actual Pike perch. On hindsight (writing this post) I shouldn’t have taken photos because now I’m angry my stomach does not have a ‘save for later’ function. Such a MS DOS stomach I posses.

Put this place just after your hotel check-in on your to-do list if you’re planning to visit Warsaw.