WHAT’s the Polish for tumbleweed? The Poles are known as a fearless race but taking on a site on Deansgate Mews is a bold step for Lukasz Mazurek and Przemek Marcinkowski, the duo behind Platzki because this corner of the Great Northern Warehouse is in transition – yet again. So definitely ahead of the game, challenging the lack of footfall.
Their homely diner is the sole business (if you don’t count new axe throwing experience Whistle Punks) operating along the walkway where Beat Street withered away this time last year. Still the good times are coming for the Grade II listed former rail warehouse with a £300m transformation into an ‘urban oasis).
We hope dumplings and stuffed cabbage find a role in this renaissance because on the evidence of a fleeting pre-gig visit to Platzki it’s making an excellent (if rather substantial) contribution to the city’s diverse food culture.
Our real yearning was for the duck leg confit with kopytka (Polish potato gnocchi; they do go for filling) a colleague raved about – and which looked entrancing on the Facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/platzki/ Alas, it was off.
Our substitutes were first Pierogi, those boiled filled flour dumplings (£8). It was a joy to watch a young chef rolling and teasing the dough into little satchels holding onion and cheese. They were served with glorious cubes of sweet/sour beetroot.
Then a Golabki special (£8.50) arrived. Also known as Galumpki, it’s basically cooked cabbage leaves stuffed with a pork and rice forcemeat. Ours had a tangy, herby tomato sauce that was quite addictive. The bottled Polish lager that accompanied it less so.
Platzki is the name for potato flour pancakes, which got quite a cult following when the original street food operation turned pop-up at The Kitchens in Spinningfields. This is more ambitious if equally homely – like stepping into a farmhouse kitchen. We wish it well. Just mind any mid-air axes on the way.
Platzki, Unit F, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern Warehouse, Peter Street, M3 4EJ. 07719 731 662. Open from 12pm, Wed-Sun. Closing times vary.