Polo – The Polish White Eagle Club

It has been a few years since I had last been to The Polish White Eagle Club in Turner. Back then, the restaurant was called Kopernik and it was run by an older European couple. Fast forward a few years and the restaurant inside The Polish club is now Polo, the menu is more extensive and the dining room is much busier.

Eating with foodie friends means ordering half the menu- tee hee!Pierogi – Polish dumplings in bacon and caramelised cabbage ($13.00). We chose ‘pork and chicken’ and ‘cheese and potato’ dumplings. I loved the added touch bacon and the caramelised cabbage but a dollop of sour cream would have been awesome. I preferred the pork and chicken between the two dumplings flavours.Crunchy kale new season kale crisps with slivered beetroot, crumbled goat cheese and plum dressing ($13.00). Technically it was described as ‘crispy kale’and crispy it was but it was cooked beyond being edible. As soon as I saw this, I knew the kale was over done and would be terrible and I suggested that my friend take it back but he just ate some of the goats cheese and avoided the kale leaves.Blintz and mushrooms mushroom ragout with re-fried potato blintz and sour cream ($13.00). I found the blintz a bit bland by itself and it definitely needed the sour cream and the delicious mushrooms. It was nice to share this with others but I wouldn’t order just this for my main.Veal schnitzel Polish style pan-fried, crumbed in sourdough rye, served with mashed potato and beetroot salad ($17.00). I didn’t mind the schnitzel but in comparison to other dishes, I probably wouldn’t order this again.Pork knuckle mash, baked apple, caramelised cabbage and salad ($24.00). Don’t be put off by its size, it is mainly bone; most people should be able to finish it easily. I liked the tender meat and the baked apple was a nice pairing. It is definitely a hearty meal during the colder months.Ricotta fritters cinnamon tossed ricotta dumplings with chocolate soil and mulberry sauce. yum ($10.00). We all decided that we had enough room to squeeze in one dumpling each (conveniently there were 5 doughnuts and there were 5 of us). I was really surprised how light and fluffy they were and probably could have had the whole plate to myself. It wasn’t until after we finished eating the dumplings did we notice that there wasn’t any chocolate soil but it didn’t need it. These were definitely worth ordering!Served hot and fresh, I think you could convince anyone to stay for dessert with you.The next time I come back, I would order the pierogi, pork knuckle and ricotta fritters.

Don’t forget that Polo does Pierogi and Polish pint deal on Wednesdays. Full menu available Thursday to SaturdayVenue: Polo Restaurant

Address: 38 David Street, Turner, ACT 2612

Phone: 0422 898 617

Opening times (from the website): The Polish White Eagle Club (Polo Restaurant and Polish Club bar) is now open Wednesday –  Saturday evenings from 18.00. We’re also open every second Saturday for lunch from 11.00 on Continental Deli days or by appointment.

 

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The Loft

I had been to The Loft several years ago, we enjoyed many tapas and had a really fun night in what was a very busy establishment. Since then they have gone through a revamp, new menu and now they are even open for lunch. I’ve been keen to get there for a while and finally my friend and I went the last week. 

The Loft is located about the Duxton pub, the stairs to get up there are inside the pub.

A.baker bread with Pepe Saya butter ($3.00pp).  According to the bill this was one serve (there were six little slices of bread). The butter was on the harder side but it didn’t tear the bread and was still able to be spread.
Chickpea crepe, caramelised onion and lamb pruscuitto ($14.00). We weren’t going to order an entree but it didn’t take much to twist our arm either. There was nothing that really stood out to us so we went with the recommendation of the waitress. Chickpea crepe, lamb prosciutto… These ingredients were unfamiliar to me so I didn’t know what to expect. The lamb tasted like pastrami and gave this a nice salty hit with spices. The crepe was slight oily but retained its crispiness which I really adored. The caramel used onions were cooked perfectly and added the sweet touch which really brought this whole dish together. For something that we almost didn’t order, it was a delicious surprise.Tangier Taster a colour and fruity mix of fresh limes, agave syrup, orange juice, pineapple juice with a top of cranberry juice ($9.00). I’ve had many mocktails in my time, they usually taste like an over sweetened fruit juice with one dominating flavour but this was really nice. It was a lovely balance of pomegranate and lime.It’s not often that I choose the same meal as the other person if there is just the two of us eating but I felt like risotto and my friend really wanted it too. Two risottos please.

Lobster and fennel risotto, saffron butter ($34.00). There were four decent sized pieces of lobster in the risotto which was not over cooked and had a little natural sweetness of its own. The risotto itself was rather rich and filling, my friend thought it was a tad too salty for her but for me it was fine especially since it wasn’t served with Parmesan cheese. The fennel gave the dish a refreshing feel with a nice crispy texture contrast. It was a little on the smaller size for a serve but the risotto is filling and the flavours were very rich.I was surprised that there were only two tables during the lunch seating. I guess people just need to find about this place, the delicious food and the rather convenient location.Venue: The Loft

Address: above the Duxton pub at the Turner (stairs are inside the Duxton)

Opening hours: lunch Thursday – Sunday dinner Wednesday – Saturday