Our first choice for dinner last night at Art Restaurant went sideways unfortunately so off we went to option two, which luckily wasn’t too far off. And pierogi was on the menu.

Albertina was in lists of recommended places in Krakow and from how it looked online it was definitely worth a detour. I held our first dinner out in Poland with much anticipation – from the much-talked about low prices to the great food and service – that I was probably expecting too  much from the experience. As soon as we walked in however a lot of the items got ticked off in quick succession.

The only tables free on short notice though were in the cellar – slightly stuffy and dark but quieter than the main dining room. Starting off with Polish bubbly and Polish wine – a couple more firsts on this trip – the appetizers of fresh oysters and restaurant version pierogi (not the white ones I usually saw online), the chef’s amuse bouche, and parade of dishes afterwards were all terrific, punctuated with familiar Filipino humor from my two dining companions made for a great first meal in the city. If first impressions do last, this one will linger for a while.