Epoka Warsaw Poland

Epoka - First birthday

 · 14 mins read

Between the two lockdowns we managed to get to Warsaw just when the Epoka restaurant (@restauracjaepoka) was celebrating its first birthday. We found that it would be a pity not to take advantage of such a beautiful coincidence. After our last visit in June, we were enchanted by both the food and the whole setting of the evening, so we could not miss the opportunity to taste the fine dining specialties of the Epoka again.

The recipes (because there are recipes in Epoka, not courses or moments) for this special evening were created and prepared by the team of Epoka and Chef Marcin Przybysz (@przybyszmarcin), and with the contribution of Chef Michał Kuter from restaurant A Nóż Widelec (@anozwidelec_restauracja). The whole tasting menu was kept secret until supper. On the spot, we found out that it will be an evening with the best dishes of the past year. It sounded sensational.

Dinner started with a glass of champagne. In our case it was Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Premier cru 2013 Brut Nature. It tasted delicious.

Bottle of champagne, held by the waitress.


  

Epoka’s birthday menu and a glass of the above-mentioned champagne.

A glass of champagne on the table, next to it a lamp and a menu in a menu stand.


  

Degustation:

Bread/Butter

Traditionally, delicious bread and butter were served at the beginning. These were three types of bread. 3 eggplants.

In the picture below, on the right is a loaf of bread on sourdough with roasted hay. Baked at the place in Epoka. On the left, on a plate, a dark slice of March bread and a brown slice of grain bread with lime tree honey.

A loaf of bread is served on the marble top and next to the plate there are two thin slices, one almost black and the other brown. In the middle, there is butter in a flat plate.


  

The March bread was traditionally prepared in March, when there was no grain for ordinary bread. The leftovers from previously uneaten bread parts and cakes were used to produce it, so over time it was considered to be the bread of the poor and began to be baked in shame. It is sweetened with honey, its taste is a bit like pumpernickel, but it is much more filling and heavy. It is an aged bread and the one we tried was already aged for a month.

Recipes from the book by Chef Maciej Kuter from 2020

Goose Broth

Royal broth with five types of poultry. In the center there is a hen’s heart, a carrot, smoked onion and honey truffle from Hungary. The honey truffle is a perfect match for the slightly sweet broth. The presentation was sensational, one of the most beautiful dishes we were served. The only downside was that the bouillon was very, very little and you would like to taste it a little more. 4 eggplants.

On a transparent glass plate with golden dots lie slices of honey truffle arranged in a mound, covering the rest of the ingredients.


  

More distant frame and the same plate lying on the marble table. The broth is poured into the plate.


  

Already poured the bouillon, which was twisted with lovage oil.

Truffle slices stick out of the poured broth.


  

In addition to the spoup, slices of smoked duck, carrots and slices of truffles were served on spoons.

On a folded white napkin, two gold-plated spoons with white handles are placed. On the spoons is arranged a coiled slice of duck, slice of light truffle and slice of small marinated onion.


  

Catfish with jerusalem artichoke

Tubes made from pancake dough. Inside a mousse from catfish and Jerusalem artichoke. 4 eggplants.

In a white bowl with dried Jerusalem artichoke peel there are two brown tubes with a dark brown filling.


  

Recipes inspired by a cookbook from 1783

Eel in pasties with chopped meat

One of the dishes of the Best of the Best Epoka. Brilliant! Burger with coriander, eel chop with tuna and delicious red cabbage made in kimchi style. Instead of traditional rolls, the burger had steamed buns, which made it look a bit like bao. Hidden in the rolls was the excellent Antonius caviar (@antoniuscaviar). The burger gets 5 Eggplants and the Happy Eggplant badge. I love it! I would eat this burger every day. 5 eggplants.

On a small white pedestal there is a burger in a cut-up steamed bun. Underneath the top half of the roll a green coriander leaf sticks out.


  

Recipes from the book by Chef Maciej Kuter from 2020

Tomato soup with rice

Tomato consomme with verbena, with three kinds of garden tomatoes and nasturtium leaves. In the middle there is a ball of rice with stracciatella cheese.

On a large, white plate in the shape of a leaf, red and orange stripes of tomatoes are arranged in a circle shape. Surrounded on the edge of the circle by leaves and yellow flower petals. On the tomatoes in the middle there is a rice ball in a tempura.


  

Beautiful presentation, only again very little soup to savor, but it was very tasty. I especially liked the rice ball, which had a crunchy coating and a soft, creamy center. 3 eggplants.

Same plate as above, Only with poured, slightly pink, almost transparent consommé.


  

Recipe inspired by a cookbook from 1881

Veal piece of meat with caviar sauce

The dish from the first menu of the Epoka restaurant. Veal with excellent caviar sauce with green parsley. 3 eggplants.

Veal piece of meat before putting the sauce on.

On a large, glass, a slightly transparent plate lies a round slice of pressed meat with black outlines inside.


  

Veal piece of meat with sauce.

The above mentioned slice of meat is completely covered with a white greenish sauce, slightly foamy.


  

Recipes inspired by a cookbook from 1901

A beef steak in a different way

This dish was heralded by a meaningful container, which was placed on our table.

Black truffle-shaped container.


  

I love truffles in every form and quantity. So I wonder whose birthday it was. Epoka’s birthday or mine. Because I couldn’t even dream of such an amount of truffles. I know that not everyone is so enthusiastic about truffles, but for me it was another great dish. A mushroom-shaped veal tartare covered with smoked Wagyu beef. And a huge amount of rubbed summer Scorzone truffle from Italy. It was a dish so perfect that I couldn’t help myself and I gave it the Happy Eggplant Badge. 5 eggplants.

There is a beef tartare on a flat white plate, covered with a marble slice of Wagyu. The meat is mushroom-shaped.


  

And some truffle…

The meat mushroom while being sprinkled with grated truffle shavings at the table. In the distance on the table you can see the ice cream on a plate in the shape of a white leaf and a bun.


  

And even more of the truffle. The grated truffles are also sprinkled on the ice cream from boletus, which was a cold addition to this mushroom set. 3 eggplants.

Meat mushroom and boletus ice cream covered with a large amount of grated black truffle.


  

The hot mushroom element was buns made from semi-French pastry with mushroom mousse. The mousse was very hot and the ice cream really helped to cool it down. 3 eggplants.

Two buns on a black and white plate.


  

Frozen punch

Frozen juniper foam and strawberry punch. Surprising, refreshing and delicious. I love such surprises and I award this intermezzo the Happ Eggplant badge. 5 eggplants.

White platter filled with ice cubes. On the ice cubes there are two spoons with frozen foam.


  

Fish sauce with dumplings

We ate this dish on our first visit to an Epoka restaurant. This time slightly modified, but equally tasty. Sprinkled with roasted rice, quinoa and chives. 5 eggplants.

In a white platter a white sauce with noodles is applied. It is sprinkled on top with chives and roasted quinoa.


  

Crab cone

Cornet rolled from nori algae with crab meat and Polish kimchi from wasabi leaves. 4 eggplants.

White, high container, filled with sesame, in which two dark green cornets of nori algae are placed. Crab meat sticks out of the cornets.


  

Recipes from the book by Chef Maciej Kuter from 2020

Turbot with butter sauce

Excellent, delicate turbot with butter sauce. In addition, fresh crayfish, lobster bisque and tarragon oil. Wonderful and beautiful. This is the reason to give another Happy Eggplant badge. 5 eggplants.

On a white plate there are two pieces of white fish fillet. On the fish lies red crayfish meat, blue flower and green leaves.


  

The same pieces of fish with brown sauce added. In the background you can see red brown challah.


  

Together with the turbot we were given a two-color challah. It was a perfect match for the dish. 4 eggplants.

Red-brown challah placed on sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in a glass vessel.


  

Recipes inspired by a cookbook from 1926

Guinea fowl or pantarki

We also had the pleasure to eat this dish for the second time. Delicious morel mushroom stuffed with foie gras and meat from guinea fowl legs. Dipped in wild garlic sauce. Underneath, a roulade and guinea fowl mouselin. Very filling. Chanterelle bread was served as a side dish, but I only tried it. I love mushrooms, but at this point I was already slightly overwhelmed with mushrooms and was unable to eat everything. 4 eggplants.

A stuffed morel is placed on a white plate. Underneath it is an intensely green, foamed sauce. A green wild garlic leaf is based on the morel.


  

Morel with a slice of chanterelle bread.

Same plate as above with a large slice of bread on its edge with some chopped chanterelles.


  

Recipe from the book by Chef Maciej Kuter from 2020

The nothing soup

Pre-desert inspired by milk soup. With the addition of rum, vanilla, elderberry and mirabelle sorbet. Decorated with meringue with sunken flower petals and a crispy leaf-shaped cookie. 4 eggplants.

In a small glass bowl with piping applied is a cream decorated with flower petals and a leaf-shaped cake.


  

Recipes inspired by a cookbook from 1682

Ulipki with cream

For dessert we got various sweets. Very good tubes with baked milk cream. Covered with cocoa with candied orange and orange gel. 4 eggplants.

On a white plate in the shape of a block of marble there are two brown tubes with white cream. Decorated with pink flower petals, orange gel and orange peel strips.


  

Ice cream from celery with bay leaf oil. 4 eggplants.

White ice cream with green oil poured into the ice cream cavity, arranged on a white plate in the shape of a leaf.


  

And finally an alcoholic shot from a cider-type beverage. 3 eggplants.

Zdjęcie marmurowego stołu na którym ułożone są powyższe słodycze oraz kieliszki z żółtym kwasem jabłkowym.


  

Wety

Already known to us, Wety, goodbye treats. As before, in the “ to share” version, i.e. the set shown below was given to two of us. It contains a mini opera, a Polish macaroni, a jelly, a cookie with salty caramel and a praline. 3 eggplants.

Small sweets lie on a white plate, which looks like a broken bigger plate. Flower-shaped cookie with brown filling between layers of cake, a pink jelly in sugar, red praline with black pattern, brown Polish macaroni with a strip of gold paint on top and a layered mini opera.


  

Summary:

As it turned out, the Wety did not finish that evening at all. At the end we received a birthday present from Epoka to take home with us.

Białe pudełko ze złotym napisem “Epoka, Marcin Przybysz” położone na stole.


  

It was a light foam cake, covered with chocolate. I am also happy to award a Happy Eggplant badge to such a fantastic cake.

The inside of the box. Chocolate-wrapped cake on a golden base, with golden E in the middle of the cake written on a red chocolate disc.


  

What an evening it was. What a wonderful birthday. When I write this article we already have another lockdown, and I still have strong memories of this unique dinner in Epoka.

I award Epoka again the Happy Eggplant badge, for this brilliant tasting dinner with lots of surprises and truffles! For great service and beautiful moments.

Happy Eggplant Badge

All dishes, as before, were on a very high, I would say “a star” ;) level. Refined to the smallest detail, complex, harmonious and beautiful. The visit to the Epoka restaurant proved to us once again, that Fine Dining does not have to be pompous and that in the end it is all about eating well and relaxing in a nice atmosphere and charming interior.

Now Epoka, like all restaurants in Poland, is closed for guests, but the Epoka team is not resting. They opened a bakery called CHAUD PAIN Warsaw (@piekarnia_chaudpain), which is located in the same building as the restaurant and the main baker is Paweł Albert. In Epoka there are also cameral workshops with the Chef, which is a great opportunity to try your hand at Fine Dining under the supervision of the master. Unfortunately, we do not have the opportunity to participate in them. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the Epoka and we are looking forward to reopening the restaurant.

So that there is no doubt (if someone hasn’t read the page “About the Degustująca Istota” ) I do not write sponsored articles or posts. I simply admire the Epoka restaurant. My husband admires it as well.

Link to the restaurant Epoka

Address: ul. Ossolińskich 3, Warsaw

The tasting date: 11.09.2020

Title picture: Turbot with butter sauce

Restaurant: Epoka
Location: Poland Warsaw
Tags: Fine_dining Happy_eggplant_badge Luxury_restaurant Restaurant Tasting_menu