Trifter

EAT, DRINK AND LOOSEN YOUR BELT NEWCASTLE upon Tyne has had a large Polish community since the war years. There were quite a few Polish boys at my school during the 1950s. Now a Polish restaurant has opened on Railway Street, near the Central Railway Station. The Globe has turned its upstairs room into the Stolowka Restaurant, based on a Communist era factory canteen. They are even hoping to introduce the block-booking system of this time. This allowed workers to pay for a month’s meals in advance, then present a voucher for each meal. Stolowka is offering a range of 10 starters, 12 side dishes and 20 main courses in its well-appointed L shaped bar. Among the favourites are Bigos Z Mlodej Kapusty, a meat and young cabbage stew or Zvrek, a sour soup with sausages and egg. Stolowka offers a wide range of Polish beers and vodkas to complement this authentic ethnic cuisine. Tyskie at 5.6% is one of the more popular beers, though there is also Warka, 5.7%, Lech, 5.2% and the extremely potent Okocim Mocne at 7%. Vodkas include Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka or bitter stomach vodka and Zubrowka Bison. Chef Linda Kossak, who is a member of a noted Polish artistic family, was recruited from a large restaurant in Poland. She has brought a real creativity to her preparation and presentation. “It is all home-made traditional Polish food, not something that has been souped up for the English market,” said owner Liz Jasiak, a bass guitarist, who came to the UK in 2002. I was a little nervous about visiting Stolowka as I remembered the old White Eagle Polish Club in Newcastle’s West End. I recalled the exorbitance of these friendly people who enjoyed life and made everyone welcome. I found that the Polish people in Solowka had not changed. They were still outgoing and welcoming. I had a really good night. It was really a case of using the old Polish salute of Jedzcie, Pijcie i Popuzczajcie or eat, drink and loosen your belt. Stolowka can be contacted on 298 4000