I’m a big fan of Polish food but I usually think of it as rib-sticking, hearty fare that sustains you during the long and cold winter months rather than refined, precise cooking.
So, when I heard that the former head chef of Hjem was opening Biedronka, a “fine dining Polish restaurant” near Beamish Museum in County Durham, you can consider my interest was most definitely piqued.
The person behind Biedronka is Marek Dziedzic, who originally hails from near Poznań in West Poland and was part of the opening team at Hjem in 2019. He was there when Hjem became the first restaurant in Northumberland to win a Michelin star in 2021 until they closed earlier this year.
Biedronka, which means ladybird in Polish, is located at the back of South Causey Inn’s sprawling 100-acre site, which combines a 60-room hotel, wedding venue and pub. Walk past the pod dining rooms (I thought they were just a pandemic thing) and the colourful chirping budgie display, and you’ll find an imposing stone farmhouse that’s home to Biedronka.
Whilst the signless building doesn’t exactly draw you in, it’s the complete opposite when you get inside. The large table at the heart of Biedronka’s dining room makes it feel like being welcomed into Marek’s farmhouse kitchen. This produce-laden table isn’t just for show, it’s where Marek and his team plate-up many of the dishes.
With both chefs and the front of house team bringing courses to our table throughout the night, you get to engage with most of Biedronka’s team. They’re all consummate professionals, striking the right balance between being warm and friendly and slick and knowledgeable.
Biedronka’s menu reads exceptionally well but it also has the potential to confuse. It’s split into snacks, starters, dumplings, meat, fish and dessert and there are four (£65), five (£75) and six (£85) course options on offer that allow you to add on extra dishes as you see fit. Whilst the easy option would be to opt for the seven-course chef’s tasting menu (£95) where everything is chosen for you, I reckon there's value to be found in the shorter menus. We plump for the five-course option with both meat and fish courses.
With Polish, Georgian and Slovenian winemakers dotted throughout Biedronka’s wine list, it’s a welcome change from the obvious. Mrs G starts with an excellent traditional method Winnica Turnau Classique sparkling wine (£13) from Poland - extra interest comes from a dosage of ice wine. I kick off with a bready half of Pilsner Urquell (£4). We follow it up with Slovenian whites - a super interesting and herbal Burja Zelen (£17) and a more run of the mill yet very drinkable Quercus Pinot Blanc (£9). Polish Adoria Pinot Noir (£16) and Georgian Pheasant’s Tears Poliphonia (£17) are both superb – complex and full of red fruits.
But most importantly, the food.
Marek welcomes us into the restaurant with the traditional Polish offering of bread and salt. First class shatteringly crisp sourdough is served with thick golden butter and a bowl of sea salt to scatter over it.
My snack, which is based on a Polish canned fish spread called paprykarz, is a lot more decadent than its inspiration sounds. A slab of meaty smoked eel is barbecued in front of us and topped with a thick sweet pepper and almond dressing that's reminiscent of romesco and scattered with puffs of crunchy wild rice.
Mrs G keeps it lighter with a plate of perky pickles - an artfully presented mix of gherkins, chanterelles, squash, red peppers and padrons.
It would be rude to go to a Polish restaurant and not order the pierogi, especially when they're as good as the ones served at Biedronka. Crisp-edged, thin-skinned dumplings are filled with soft mash and mild cheese. They’re topped with golden breadcrumbs and sat in a silky brown butter sauce with caramelised notes that add an almost dessert like decadence.
Any salad with black pudding at its core is likely to be my kind of salad. Here, loose textured and grain-flecked Polish black pudding is coated in a crisp crumb and accompanied by fresh leaves, sweet pickled pear pieces, funky gorgonzola, charred Brussels sprout leaves and the crunch of walnut.
A whole lemon sole to share is the highlight of the meal. It gets the ceremony it deserves as it’s presented to us in its pan before being taken away for filleting.
Sweet and tender of flesh, it's adorned by a bobby dazzler of a brown butter sauce that's flecked with savoury potted shrimp, zingy capers and crushed hazelnuts and accompanied by strands of soft sweet leeks.
The meat courses are both belters too.
A slab of blushing pink duck breast is served with meaty cabbage that's been cooked in duck fat, a glossy duck sauce, sweet roast beetroot and a richness balancing grated beetroot condiment that adds freshness and acidity to the plate.
Gorgeously cooked slices of flavour-packed onglet steak are sat on a bed of ludicrously buttery mash and joined by the sweetness of silver skin onions and wild funk of chanterelles. A first-class glossy oxtail sauce brings the whole dish together.
When I see a souffle, there's no need to look further on a dessert menu. Biedronka’s dark chocolate souffle is intense, not too sweet and has a lovely bitterness. Crisp on the top with a loose almost chocolate fondant-esque interior, it's accompanied by sour cream ice cream that brings a lightening tanginess.
Rhubarb trifle is lovely but less memorable. There’s a scoop of thick and fragrant rhubarb sorbet, lighter rhubarb jelly pieces, crunchy biscuit and thick vanilla scented custard.
The same warm hospitality that started with the meal is present at the end as the bill is accompanied by dinky glasses of ice-cold elderberry vodka. It’s so packed with fruit that its 36% ABV is barely noticeable. Marek leaves the bottle at the table and tops up my glass. He advises me that a second glass is necessary to ensure that I can walk straight.
We had a superb meal at Biedronka and there’s no doubt it’s one of my favourites of 2026. This is Polish cooking with heart and personality that’s been elevated in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Address - Restaurant Biedronka, Farmhouse, South Causey Inn, Beamish Burn Road, Kip Hill, Stanley, County Durham DH9 0LS
No comments:
Post a Comment