As you stroll through Gdansk’s cobbled streets you can’t help but gaze up at the intricately decorated buildings and find yourself mesmerised by the sheer beauty of each and every individual design. Gdansk’s uniquely designed buildings, in their array of different colours, as well as the jaw-dropping vistas along Gdansk’s historic waterfront, paint Gdansk as a picture postcard city. I first touched down in Gdansk a mere six months ago and upon arrival I immediately fell in love with the beauty of this city, so much so that I couldn’t resist returning here to enjoy a second Gdansk weekend break.
During my first trip to Gdansk I tried to visit as many of the city’s main attractions as possible in my two days, but for this trip I had a different agenda. As well as travel, my other passion is food and drink, and so it goes without saying that on this trip I wanted to explore more of Gdansk’s culinary scene as well as the Gdansk’s craft beer craze. A craze which is taking over most major towns and cities in Europe. Click here to read all about my first visit to a Gdansk.
During my first trip to Gdansk I was introduced to the delicious Polish staple, pierogi. Pierogi are a delicious potato based dumpling which have a similar taste and texture to gnocchi, but with a sumptuous filling. You will find pierogi in most Polish restaurants, each with a range of delicious fillings. During this Gdansk weekend break I enjoyed two different types of pierogi. The first had a mushroom and potato filling, served in a light oil dressing with ceps. The other variety was packed full of wild boar meat, and served in a creamy mushroom sauce. Both varieties had a completely different flavour, but equally as delicious. My only word of warning is that even though they are small, they are very filling!
Stews are also very popular within Polish cuisine and on my first trip I enjoyed a delicious Polish stew served in a bowl made from a small round loaf of bread. This time I wanted to sample more of what Poland has to offer the gastronomic world. With Gdansk being located on the Baltic Sea, fish is a huge part of the diet, along with game meats such as boar, duck and venison. I am very fond of duck dishes so I just couldn’t resist a duck breast served in a plum sauce, with gnocchi and Brussels sprouts. At first I was a bit sceptical about the sprouts and gnocchi but they worked nicely in the dish. I also enjoyed a beautiful cod fillet with a lobster ravioli made from squid ink pasta in a rich and buttery lobster sauce, served with asparagus spears.
As well as delicious food, the craft beer phenomenon which is sweeping across Europe has really started to take off in Gdansk, with many microbreweries popping up across the town. One of the largest is Browar PG4, which is located in the Central Hotel. As well as PG4, there are many other microbreweries in Gdansk, with some of the best being Cathead Multitap, Browar Piwna, Labeerynt and Brovarnia Gdańsk.
During my trip I decided to pay a visit to Cathead Multitap as it was located opposite my hotel, and I had noticed it earlier in the day. When I arrived at Cathead Multitap I was surprised to find that they had an extensive range of 24 varieties of craft beer to choose from. With so much choice it was quite difficult to pick just one craft beer to try, and there was no way I was going to try all 24, so I decide to sample two beers. The first was a light pilsner style beer and the second a dark porterhouse style beer. Although these two beers could’t have been any further apart, they were both delicious in their own way, but my absolute favourite was the dark beer.
Because my second Gdansk weekend break was quite short, I didn’t get time to visit any of Gdansk’s other microbreweries. However due to an issue at my hotel during this trip, I have been offered a complimentary two night stay to take during the next 12 months. So I am planning another Gdansk weekend beak sometime soon to discover more of this city, and to discover more delicious Polish food and many more of their fantastic microbreweries.
It is indeed! Haha, I tried it too!!!