All is not gold that glitters (Mamma Mia)Restaurant: Mamma Mia For dinner, I do not recommend at all, but "for show" - by all means. Pentecost, or Whitsun - the existence of this Catholic holiday astonished everyone and what was perhaps more surprising were its results. All of a sudden it occurred that you cannot do all the regular jobs in the neighbouring supermarkets or other shopping centers as in a normal day. There is no way of getting things to your dinner if you by any chance forgot to buy something.And so we were sitting in front of the computer screen trying to take the action and specify our preferences as to the prospective dinner that we were forced to eat "out". The images in our minds took real shapes: - I feel like eating pasta, love - I twisted my head slightly waiting for my partners reaction. - Again? - he replied - I will have pizza then. - he added. Fifteen minutes later, Mamma Mia Pizza & Pasta, Karmelicka 6 - our destination. Hidden in a passage between banks, Nostagia Restaurant and an optician, the restaurant is easy to omit. The only thing that can be noticed from the street is the signboard and a brown menu exposed to the front but blurring with the background. We enter. Weclomed by a savoury smell of the dishes I though myself - good choice. The interior - nice and pleasant, filled with a romantic light, full of people, busy. And finally that fragrance in the air - spices, pasta and fresh backed pizza. Glasses of red and white wine taking their places at tables with bottles full of olive oil keeping their company - for salads, or pizza as recommended by Italian experts. Unfortunately, we find no free table inside; a Baptism reception in full swing annexing almost the whole room. The rest of the tables are taken by couples having romantic dinners and people like us - starving citizens of Kraków, who forgot or did not know that it was one of the twelve annual official holidays. Eventually, we take a table in the garden at a safe distance form the main aisle; we wait five minutes and the waiter appears. The staff is polite and efficient and even though the place is packed we do not wait long. The menu handed, brimful of specialties and everything looking very promising, just in the right taste spectrum. For a start, a glass of chardonney (I try to cheer myself up) and here comes the first shock - 100 ml of wine served in a quite tall spacious glass looks as if there was none. But ok, I take the first sip and, again I feel disappointed but this time with the bitter taste of the wine. Nevertheless, I do not whine, we order. Me, the said pasta - my choice was cannelloni stuffed with risotta, tomatoes, basil and salmon; my partner - pizza. Twenty magical minutes pass and the level of sugar in our blood falls to minimum. Finally there it is! :) A set of two plates is placed in front of me - bigger and smaller with the main course. My first thought is: "oh, of course, the starter"... and after two minutes I finish my dinner and what is worse - still hungry. The taste - not too bad, but without elation as there is no trace of basil while tuna is present only in the form of colour and the scent. The choice of medium-size pizza seems to be much better option. The portion is bigger, about 32 cm in diameter and tastes great. Thin pastry covered with quite a thick layer of ham and cheese plus tomato sauce. Personally, I think that the bill is disproportionate to the quality and quantity of the food. To sum up, as for dinner, I do not recommend - too expensive and too little but "for show", by all means. Heading towards the closest Oczko supermarket I though that not all is gold that glitters... Charlie | Author: Charlie Open for the new and critic. International relations graduate. Public Relations. Taste defined by travels and traditional cuisine by her grandma. More about the author |