Eating Out: Lychees

Lychees give a contemporary twist to the art of brunch…

Ah, brunch – not quite breakfast, not quite lunch, but it comes with a little slice of fruit somewhere on the plate. A phenomenon that suits all hip cities, and catering to a bleary-eyed crowd looking to regroup from the night before, the best brunches give the body what it craves: something sweet, savoury, and alcoholic. Well, as a been-there-done-that 40-something, it’s exciting to revisit an age-old tradition presented with a twist: i.e., in a veganised and non-alcoholic format.

Worth the Wait

Rumour had it that the queue for the opening started building 30-minutes before the big reveal. Although that might not sound too welcoming, realize that the clientele at Lychees are like one happy family. Drawing in sociable, positive thinkers, it’s almost like standing in line for tickets to a Tegan and Sara concert.

Once Inside

Set in the back of one of Warsaw’s alt-culture staples, Resort, this isn’t the first collaboration that owners Monika Mazurek and Klaudia Górak have turned their hand to – find their original restaurant, the fab Peaches Gastrobar, sharing space with Klub Spatif. Design-wise, the pair’s taste for cool is unmissable and surmised by a wall of glazed ceramic tiles from Holland’s GBD.studio – believe us, it’ll become something of a background for spring fashion TikTok posts.

Plate Art

There’s something of a norm when plating dishes in the capital, and then there is what the dynamic international kitchen of Lychees comes up with. It’s not only plate art in the sense of how the dishes  are composed, but how the creative combinations of flavours come together.

Examples come thick and fast but shine especially brightly with a congee served with cashew butter glazed in muscovado, salsa macha, salty angel wings, roasted shallot, and a topping of roasted soybean sprinkles.

There’s humour, as well – take their version of the traditional zupa mleczna (milk staple), a PRL staple that gives many nightmares. Here it’s a witty delight of Asian tastes: lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves that slurp down to be followed by a rice dumpling with black sesame before giving way for a bobbing dessert of Prosecco-poached pear.

Insider Favourite

I mean, everyone loves French toast for brunch, but like the other surprises on the menu, this has an almost Sicilian kiss to it: enjoy a tomato and blood orange combination cut with a Mediterranean-influenced tahini. Snapped against the window it’s absolute hardcore food porn with tastes that you’ll remember long after you leave.

Insider Tip

Brunch is made for sharing with friends, but Lychees is special enough to be selfish and go on a weekday by yourself to savour it all without the weekend buzz.

Lychees

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Artykuł Eating Out: Lychees pochodzi z serwisu Warsaw Insider.