SPATiF

You’re never far away from the past: entering from Mokotowska, visitors tip tap across original parquet floors, shafts of light slanting into the dark chambers from long, narrow windows. Feeling covert and surreptitious, the trail snakes into a bright dining room decorated with eggshell lights and vibrant greenery; from the photos on the walls, famous past guests smile down in approval. You’ve made it this far, so why not stick around?

Doing so means enjoying the cooking of Grzegorz Krupa. A protégé of Karol Okrasa, one of Poland’s best loved chefs, his is a menu that sees Polish cuisine reinvented for the 21st century palate: tender piglet cheeks come with a curried sauerkraut with coconut milk and cilantro, and say much for this chef’s awareness of taste. There’s marinated salmon with beetroot, as well as a vegetarian tart that belies its description: it’s a quite brilliant combination of complex little notes. And the surprise? A vegan tartar made with tomatoes and black olives. It is, quite simply, a glorious hymn to natural tastes. By their own admission, SPATiF’s reputation is bonded to its nightlife – but with cooking like this that stands to change.

Klub Spatif
Al. Ujazdowskie 45, klubspatif.pl