Borsch Polish Cafe

Borsch Polish Cafe on Urbanspoon

I never even noticed this place before. It looks like a cafe or delicatessen, but on Friday and Saturday, they serve dinner.

The place is full, so I have to sit outside, on the porsch.

Kopitka
7/10

This entree contains mushrooms, beans, and potato dumplings. It's reminiscent of a hearty minestrone soup.

The waitress gives some Polish greetings and explanation, which is nice, but I have to think for a moment to interpret "muzh buzh" (amuse bouche.) :)

Beetroot cured ocean trout
8/10

Slices of house-cured trout atop celeriac panna cotta, Russian salad, roasted beetroot, leek, pickled baby carrot and beetroot chips.

This trout is going to be cooked, right? :o

The trout is a bit like smoked salmon, but infused with beetroot. It's pleasant and slightly tangy. The salad underneath is creamy and subdued. It appears to contain peas and little cubes of apple. There's nothing tart or bitter at all. The celeriac purée underneath is very smooth, with just a hint of vegetable flavour.

This is all very pleasant. However, I didn't realise it was a salad. Not the ideal food when sitting outside, on a cold evening. :)

I assume the side salad will be mundane, but it's components are rather interesting. The little carrot is soft and pickled, and the beetroot chips taste strongly of vinegar.

I'd eat this for lunch any day.

I want to see the inside of the restaurant, so I go for a twenty-minute walk while a table frees up. It's a cold night, so I duck into any building or shop that might have heating.

I walk into an Asian cosmetics shop on Gouger Street. I'm wandering along an aisle of Japanese women's products, but at least it's warm. One of the staff approaches me and asks "Do you need help?"

Maybe I do. :|

Orange and almond tart
5/10

The cake has a kind of a stodgy texture, and a taste more like orange zest than orange pulp.

The whipped cream is too light to add any texture or taste to the cake.

I get chatting with the owner, and he shows me all the artefacts he's imported from Poland.