Quite an interesting experience to pair vodka with your dishes: Restaurant ELIXIR by Dom Wódki (14. January 2023)
It wasn’t easy to find something, which sounded quite appealing and there was no Michelin starred restaurant in Warsaw, so I had to check a place where I would find something, which was surprising, and the Elixir by Dom Wódki sounded promising, since the pairing they offered to each of the dishes was vodka-based! To get started, I went for an “Elixir Bloody Mary (Elixir horseradish, tomato juice, tabasco, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce)” (36 PLN), which was nice, but also a bit intense on an empty stomach.
As a first course, I went for the “Zurek (smoked meats, potatoes, quail egg, smoked bacon chips)” (36 PLN), which is some kind of traditional soup with a sour note. I liked it quite a bit, though. The vodka which was served with it, an “Elixir z dzikiego chrzanu” (18 PLN) was rather on the heavy side in terms of taste.
Next in line was the “‘Szuba’ herring (baltic herring, baked beet mousse, homemade lemon mayonnaise, quail egg, potatoes with dill, smoked cheese ‘Oscypek’, apple caviar, gherkins from Hajnówka)” (49 PLN), which looked a bit boring at first, but was actually quite a nice combination of different flavours and textures, which I found enjoyable. The clear vodka, which was served with it, a “Dwór Sieraków Superior” (18 PLN) was a bit lighter in terms of intensity of taste than the first one, but still intense.
Then it was time for the “dumplings with duck (roasted duck with marjoram, apple, cherry jam, caramelized onion, nut powder)” (49 PLN), which were quite okay, but frankly, the filling of the dumplings was too dry. I felt like I had to add a lot of the cherries to make it really enjoyable, since else it would be too dry. The orange coloured vodka, which was served with it, a “Miodula Prezydencka” (22 PLN) was definitely more down my alley. The ‘strong vodka taste’ was gone, and a more subtle and fine taste was presented.
The subtleness of the vodka went down a bit again with the “Nalewka Karola Majewskiego Wiśnia Miodowa” (20 PLN), but the dish was more enjoyable than the dumplings. I liked the “black pudding tempura (spicy cabbage, apple mustard, caramelized onion, thyme sauce with stewed cherry, lovage oil)” (54 PLN), quite a bit, although the kimchi (or whatever it was) was quite spicy! What I did not really appreciate was the fact that the apple mustard was served in two of the dishes (to be fair, my choice to select the dishes, but still).
Ultimately, I went for the “roasted duck (half a duck, roasted beetroot mousse, potato dumplings, compressed apple, nut powder, marjoram oil, pine shoots sauce)” (95 PLN), which was great. But it turned out to be, all in all, too much. The vodka which was served with it, the “Finlandia Redberry” (16 PLN) was something I truly enjoyed. You couldn’t taste the vodka taste at all any more, but you had more of a fruity and berry-based drink! Loved it!
The place was quite nice, simple, but nice. I was a bit early, but when I left, the place was absolutely packed! Hence, I would highly recommend you to book your table in advance!
The service is friendly and attentive, and makes sure you have everything you want and need. The only thing, which didn’t work perfectly, was taking back the empty Bloody Mary glass. That somehow ended up staying on my table until the very end. Else, I can definitely recommend the vodka pairing experience!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant ELIXIR by Dom Wódki
Pl. Teatralny, Ul. Wierzbowa 9/11
00-094 Warszawa (PL)
Tel.: +48 22 828 22 11
E-Mail: elixir@domwodki.pl
Homepage: http://domwodki.pl/elixir.html