lost (zagubiony) for dining – part 1

If you click on this logo it will take you to other food adventures I had around the world

…. in Łódź. I’m going to make very long winding stories even longer.

With the LIGHT. MOVE. FESTIVAL going on … I understood that I needed to book some restaurants. Around 50.000 visitors during the 3 days.  I also guessed that people will enjoy the spectacular before they eat and I was right. Around 9pm the restaurants were packed. So I booked for 7.30pm. 

I’m all about eating and drinking when I travel … and I do my research months ahead of departure. I like to eat at odd restaurants with great food and service, that maybe not that many tourists know about … and in Łódź I really succeed with that. Not even the locals knew about the restaurants. 

Normally I find my way straight away, but in Łódź with all passages and courtyards .. back streets and alleyways. I was lost, never happened before to me … 3 restaurants out 5 … couldn’t find them. Even with Google map in hand.

The first evening I had planned for us to have a burger and the restaurant was just around the corner … not in real life. And because I hadn’t booked I decided I can go for a search the next day and we could visit later, which we did. So we just went to the first restaurant we saw – a concept restaurant – that is to find all over in Poland, Sphinx. I have visited their restaurants in Warsaw a couple of times. They provided very good service and the food is great too. And their lemonade is superb.

So I was familiar with them. There are about 6 of their restaurants in Łódź only.

Our waiter gave us little private cubbyhole for ourselves .. with a view at Piotrkowska Street. Their menu has dishes from all over the world – we both went for their “Lebanese Coffin” (Grilled beef tenderloin that is seasoned with an original mix of 7 Lebanese spices) great choice – cooked to perfection … and we enjoyed a great chocolate mousse (at least I did) and coffee.

Sphinx (website only in Polish)
Restaurant
Piotrkowska 250
+48 42 636 16 07
Quiet · Cosy · Casual
Open until 23:00 / €€-€€€

Friday evening that was when the festival started … and plenty people on Piotrkowska Street. I had been on Google checking .. and checking over where the restaurant for the evening would be.  In behind a passage or alley. Not fare from McCafe. We passed McCafe at least 4 times … no passage. We asked some security staff that was watching some technical equipment used for the light show.  The gentlemen he took the map and went with us … he also went into other restaurants and asked them. No luck!

I went into a Bierhalle … and there the girls took out their Ipad and then I realized where the restaurant was and I found it straight away … of the Schiller’s Passage, which wasn’t a passage .. it was wide as a street. Well hidden by a parking lot was “LOKAL” 

LOKAL (website only in Polish)
aleja Leona Schillera
90-001 Łódź, Poland
+48 666 034 006
Open:
Mon – Thurs, 12-11pm
Fri – Sat, 12-12am
Sun, 12-7pm
For the whole family / €€-€€€

An off-beat place for art, music, great food and fantastic cocktails. Truly a very special place .. and only locals. The restaurants have a play area for their youngest guests.

After an excellent Mojito … we had some small tapas, absolute  delicious after that we both went for a salad, I chose “Salad with fried black pudding and bacon, poached, pear, croutons and honey-mustard dressing” and Ann-Christine had a “Salad with chicken liver in rum on spinach with fresh fruit, raspberry sauce and roasted sunflower” – we both were licking our plates.

I hadn’t had a black pudding salad since I left UK, 2009.

Can’t remember if my travel-mate had any dessert, but I had “Cheesecake with white chocolate, with rhubarb compote and gel and crushed rye bread.

We both enjoyed the interior, food and service. A restaurant I will go back to … and I highly recommend it. Well worth looking for. I wouldn’t be looking for it .. for nearly 40 min if I hadn’t booked us a table and I had a strong feeling that we were up for something very special. And I was right AGAIN. 

I felt so sorry for Ann-Christine when we were walking up and down Piotrkowska Street, but she is a brilliant sport … and when we sat down and she said – “this I like”, it felt so good.

After a great dining adventure, we went out and join the Light Move Festival.

More dining adventures will follow.

“Never eat more than you can lift. ”
Miss Piggy