An interesting menu with a cocktail pairing: Restaurant Eliksir (4. September 2021)

My experience at the Eliksir is somewhat twofold – on the one hand side, it was an interesting and lovely experience. On the other hand side, there was quite some side hassle involved. But let’s start with first things first. The Eliksir is located quite a bit outside of Gdansk (like 15-20′ cab ride) but offers an interesting menu (7 course tasting menu for 239 PLN) with a “cocktail pairing” for 169 PLN. The evening started with a lovely “amuse bouche (a treat from the chef)” which definitely got my taste buds started.

The “rucola cream soup (rucola, quail egg, pickled kohlrabi, mint oil, buttermilk, apricot gel, buckwheat chips)” looked lovely …

… even when the actual soup was poured in. I liked the taste and the pickled kohlrabi definitely added to the whole experience. However, there were too many in there so that the sour taste of it was kind of overwhelming which wasn’t really what one would wish for.

As there was no pairing cocktail for the first two dishes, we got recommended a cocktail which was rum based and I must say it was nice since it wasn’t as oakey and smokey as these cocktails very often are.

To start, some “bread and butter” was served which was great since I was kind of starving when starting dinner.

The first official course of the menu was “brown trout (Zielenica brown trout filet, fennel, beetroot, citrus risotto, seasonal fresh pickled vegetables)” which was great. The trout had an intense but delicious taste and went very well with the fennel and the risotto. A great and lovely way to tickle your taste buds.

The “Grandma on Vacation (Beefeater gin, lemongrass foam, chamomile, lemon)” which was served with it was light and refreshing and fit well.

The “caesar (romaine lettuce, smoked chicken leg, bacon crumble, anchovies)” was definitely a Caesar salad as you know it. It was decomposed and newly interpreted. While the chicken ball didn’t taste like too much by itself, it turned out to be a great flavor explosion in combination with the anchovies and the bacon crumble. Definitely a dish I grew fond of that evening when combined.

The “Cezar (Chivas 12 Whiskey, pineapple, hop tincture)” on the other hand wasn’t really to my liking. Somehow, the flavor was maybe fitting but not really in line with the preferences of my taste buds.

The “Intermezzo (a treat from the head of the bar)” was not like so often a ‘sorbet’ but a shot – which was nice and surprising since it was a cocktail pairing. A bit bitter but also great to cleanse your palate, somehow.

Next in line was the “plaice (plaice filet, black lentils, broad beans, tomato, mussels & white wine sauce, smoked pepper oil)” which was a nice combination of flavors but nothing out of the ordinary.

The “Pretty Boy (Ostoya vodka, halva, currant syrup, Gewürztraminer, celery perfume)” which came with the dish worked – but only if you mixed the two elements. Each by its own wasn’t much of a flavor party – or then it was a ‘bad taste’ version of it.

I liked the main course, i.e., the “veal (veal chop, broccoli, puff pastry, carrot, cornel gel, nuts dark sauce)” even though the veal was too dry for my personal gusto. On top of that, the puff pastry was really something I did not understand. Like, what exactly are you serving here. Dry bread with a bit of jam in the middle?! And the broccoli was, well, broccoli – but was sold as ‘wild broccoli’ in the explanation which was in thus far unlucky because I was really looking forward to some wild broccoli but was relatively disappointed when I saw regular broccoli on the plate.

The “Hunter’s Dream (Havana Rum 3, Cornel Syrup, Assam Tea Brew, Lemon Juice)” as a pairing worked well. And, thanks god, it was served with a metal straw so it was easy to enjoy.

Definitely my favorite dish of the evening were the “dumplings (kindziukas, ricotta, green vegetables, cheese espuma, ham chips)”. The combination of the tasty, al dente dumplings with the intensity of the ham chips and the smoothness of the cheese espuma with the texture of the pods was just perfect.

And the “Why So Jelly (Wyborowa Èxquisite vodka, apple and coffee infusion, wine and currant jam)” actually also worked with it. Personally, the actual jelly cubes were not necessary but in combination, it did work.

The “predessert” was some granita which was enjoyable but a bit too much in terms of size for my personal gusto.

While I was very skeptical about the “cheesecake (Philadelphia, almonds, strawberries, cotton candy)” when placing the initial order, I must say that I was positively surprised by it since it was very light and enjoyable in terms of texture and flavor combination.

The “Strawberry Spice (Champagne G.H. Mumm, smoked strawberry liquer with juniper, allspice tincture)” was interesting since the tip of the glass was rubbed with jalapeño and, therefore, somewhat different but the champagne itself wasn’t really my type of champagne.

The place itself is nice but the light is definitely a bit too bright. Second to that, the service was generally good, attentive and friendly. There was just one faux-pas which was unlucky – my jacket was gone when we left the restaurant. Which is definitely unfortunate and definitely not something which should happen. However, I must say, the restaurant handled it highly professionally and settled everything within less than a week.

So, to sum it up, the experience at Eliksir was a great one since the food is tasty and the combination with a cocktail pairing is actually something quite different in terms of pairing. All in all, something I can recommend if you’re in for a treat.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Eliksir

Mariana Hemara 1

80-280 Gdańsk (PL)

Tel.: +48 570 191 910

E-Mail: booking@eliksir.pl

Homepage: http://www.eliksir.pl

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.