Polonia, Tipton

Its always a joy to check out a new type of cuisine, and the delights that Polish restaurant Polonia has to offer are a welcome addition to the region's dining scene.

Food fans visiting Polonia, which is tucked away in a courtyard off Market Place, in Great Bridge, are in for a treat of home-style cooking.

And that's partly because boss Robert Kubiczek has brought in his own mother to cook the restaurant's huge and constantly updated menu.

Surprisingly, Robert, who originally hails from the town of Legnica in south-western Poland and is himself a chef, says the majority of his customers - with the exception of his Sunday crowd - are Brits.

Many patrons travel from as far away as Sutton Coldfield, Kidderminster and Redditch to enjoy traditional dishes such as bigos stew and pierogi dumplings.

As well as the ex-pats, many customers are second or third generation Poles whose family sought refuge in the UK during and after World War Two.

Others are keen to eat dishes they first enjoyed on weekend breaks, or are simply curious foodies. The restaurant's menu boasts a host of Eastern European favourites, including giant potato dumplings with goulash and beef stroganoff, but is not as stodge-filled as many might imagine.

On my recent visit, I was genuinely spoiled for choice, and started off with a delicious grochowa po polsku smoked pea soup.

Packed with smoky flavour - possibly because of the generous portions of cured bacon and Polish sausage it contained - the soup immediately struck me as a perfect winter-warmer, and would have made an ideal lunch accompanied by a bread roll.

Tasty as it was, however, the dish was easily surpassed by my main course of boiled-then-roasted ham shank served with fried potato dumplings and a salad.

The generous chunk of ultra-tender ham looked and tasted absolutely fabulous, particulary when eaten with the serving of fresh horseradish sauce that it was presented alongside.

Likewise, the greyish potato dumplings easily supplied my carbohydrate requirements and were a treat that any hash-brown addict would love.

Aside from the lettuce, tomato and cucumber served on the same plate as my main course, I also opted for an extra combination Polish salad plate.

This came with sauerkraut, beetroot salad and fresh coleslaw.

I'm a long-standing fan of sauerkraut and Polonia's serving did not disappoint my high expectations.

The beetroot, which was refreshing and flavoursome and most definitely not pickled, also hit the mark.

The coleslaw, meanwhile, made me never want to eat another forkful of the stuff sold under the same name at supermarkets.

Polonia has a range of desserts, including ice cream and banana fritters, and according to Robert, the restaurant will soon start serving home-made Polish cakes.

However, on my visit the two courses, side-dish and obligatory bottle of Zywiec beer more than satisfied my requirements.

And my wallet left the restaurant in pretty good shape too - the total price of my food added up to well under £15. The cautious could even pop in for just a beer and a light snack for around the £5 mark.

I've never been to Poland but the food I ate at Robert and mom Elzbieta's restaurant reminded me of some of the best meals I've eaten in the Czech Republic and Hungary, and made me want to go there even more than I did before tasting the delicious food.

The restaurant is open from 3pm to 9pm Mondays to Fridays, and from 11am-10pm Fridays to Sundays.

Jim Dunton

15A Market Place

Great Bridge, Tipton

Tel: 0121 6011001