Just as I like it -- a diamond in the rough. My wife and I had just a single night in Poznan on our way to Munich. We did not expect much out of the city, nor did we need much, except for a good night's sleep. But, having found a restaurant with surprisingly high ratings in Google Maps, that also happened to be very close to our hotel, of course we couldn't resist the temptation.

It wasn't much to look at, nor did it stand out in any way among the dozen or so other restaurants and pubs at the Old Market Square. If anything, it seemed to be less busy than its neighbours.

The food spoke for itself, though.

My beef tartare was solid, if not outstanding. The meat was fairly good -- but I've had better elsewhere -- and the chef slightly overdid the seasonings and condiments, in my opinion, masking the beef's own taste. It was still better than four out of five restaurants manage to achieve.

But the main courses were nonpareil. My kotlet schabowy was just about the best schnitzel, or equivalent, that I've ever had. Tenderized to perfection, crisp and crunchy on the outside, yet juicy and flavourful on the inside. Baked potatoes were a perfect side for it, and so was sauerkraut, which was pretty good in itself, if not the best I've ever had, but also worked perfectly with the juicy cutlet.

Meanwhile, my wife was losing her over duck confit. Not only she claimed it was the best she ever had, she said it was "by far" the best. Having snatched a bite of garnish and sauce from her plate, I'm inclined to believe her.

In short, we expected nothing. We got one of the greatest meals in our life. Just a random stop on a road trip across Europe. Wow.

Special kudos go to our host, Philip, who took great care of us throughout the evening.

Expect to spend 80 to 120 PLN per person, depending on whether you go for starters and/or desserts, and what kind of drinks you decide to order. Service is blazingly fast, especially given the quality of food we're talking about here, and the servings are very generous. Expect a single main dish to top off your tank. You may have trouble walking after a starter plus main dish combo.