RESTAURACJA FORUM KULINARNE — Restaurant in Wrocław

Profanation of hospitality, insult to guests, and parody of cuisine. Sadly, my visit to Forum Kulinarne was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had.

I visited with a friend a year ago, and although I hesitated to publish this, I feel the owners must read it as honest advice.

The first impression was good: the place looks nice, service seemed friendly, and the amuse-bouche (a mushroom soup) was decent. Unfortunately, that was also the last positive moment.

From then on, the menu and wine pairing were a sequence of mistakes. The courses lacked logic: mushroom soup, tartare, another soup, then fish, rabbit, risotto, dessert. A proper tasting menu should flow from light to heavy, simple to complex. Creativity is welcome, but not at the cost of basic structure.

The wine pairing was appalling. Instead of thoughtful bottles with clear origin and terroir, we were served cheap supermarket-style wines described vaguely as “Chardonnay from France” or “Pinot Grigio from Italy.” No appellation, no region, no quality. Several glasses had to be returned. Only after insisting did the waitress finally serve drinkable wines — proving it was possible all along. Why mislead guests with poor wines until they complain?

The food itself was equally problematic. The ostrich tartare was bland. Beef bouillon — wrongly placed in the sequence — was tragic, and absurdly paired with a feather-light Pinot Grigio. The fish was decent but overplated and average in taste. Rabbit was dry and unpleasant. Risotto tasted old, bland, and technically flawed. Desserts were excessively sweet and artificial. In every case, the plating promised more than the palate delivered.

Service was kind but untrained. The waitress tried her best, but she was clearly left without knowledge or preparation. She carried the weight of management’s negligence, forced to justify cheap wine choices with “now it is popular to pair meat with white.” It is not her fault. Staff must be trained, otherwise they cannot provide the class and professionalism expected at this level.

The greatest disappointment was at the end: despite returning dishes and most wines, we were presented with the full bill, without a gesture of apology or compensation. Only the poor waitress expressed sympathy. For a restaurant charging prices comparable to Michelin-starred menus in Spain, this is unacceptable.

This review is not written in anger but in care. The potential is there: the idea, the ambition, even the location. But potential means nothing without basics — discipline, training, quality, and respect for guests. Hospitality is not decoration or French words sprinkled on the menu. It is refinement and consistency from start to finish.

My advice: make it good first. Then refine. Then innovate. Only then aim for excellence. Without being good, you will only impress those dazzled by appearances. Guests who truly value food and wine will leave disappointed.

I sincerely hope the owners take this feedback seriously, train their staff, rethink the wine program, and simplify the menu to focus on quality. I will return one day to see if things have improved — because I still believe this place could become what it wants to be.

Until then, I can only say this experience was a lesson in how not to run...

Ah, Forum Kulinarne. Just the name alone conjures visions of a grey-suited man named Piotr stamping papers behind a desk under fluorescent lighting, debating legislation on the legal curvature of spaghetti. So, when my friend suggested we lunch at what sounded suspiciously like the Wrocław branch of the Ministry of Culinary Regulations, I was understandably dubious. I half expected to have to fill out a form in triplicate before being allowed to order a glass of water.

But lo! Nestled in a rather grand and respectably bourgeois building just a stone’s throw from the Wrocław Opera, Forum Kulinarne turned out not to be a Kafkaesque food tribunal, but rather a restaurant. A real one. With menus and cutlery and everything.

The interior? Inoffensive. That’s not a complaint, by the way. It’s an aesthetic choice. Soft neutrals, subtle tones – the sort of decor that whispers, “We won’t distract you from the food, and frankly, we’re a little shy anyway.” A few hushed diners murmured over business lunches, adding to the vibe that this was where people come to make Very Serious Yet Delicious Decisions.

Now, the menu. Oh, the menu. A well-composed culinary symphony of thoughtfully curated dishes that said, “We know what we’re doing, and yes, we know how to spell 'bouillabaisse' without Googling it.” I settled on the Smoked Kassler Pork Chop on the bone, because when in doubt, go with the pork – a life rule that’s served me well, along with “never trust a man who doesn’t like garlic.”

The dish arrived, glistening under the light like a meat-based halo had descended from above. It was well seasoned, the demi-glace was rich, and the pork itself sang with that deep smoky resonance that only a well-cured chop can muster. A proper symphony of savoury satisfaction. Bravo.

But – and here’s where my inner diva pipes up – texturally, it was all rather… squish. Don’t get me wrong, soft things have their place in life: pillows, clouds, and well-meaning Labradors. But a dish benefits from a little contrast, a bit of oomph – something to jolt the palate awake. Some crispy root veg crisps or a crackling shard of something vaguely aggressive would have done wonders. Instead, it was a plush, tender, borderline cuddly experience from start to finish.

Still, that’s me nitpicking while swanning about like a judge on a very polite version of Top Chef. The truth is, it was a lovely lunch. A solid experience that gracefully avoided being pretentious while still taking itself seriously enough to impress. Forum Kulinarne may sound like a place you’d be summoned to for a disciplinary meeting on improper fork use, but it’s actually a culinary haven.

Recommended? Absolutely. Just don’t expect fireworks – this is more of a gentle hug on a plate. But every now and then, isn’t that exactly...

The garden saved it all! I had a dinner for 2 people in this restaurant on 15/08, was public holiday but not so many guests at the time. We had a course of duck filet and tagine. The food were under expectation, let me tell you why: The duck filet was served cold and dry, as in the status of “congratulation” far beyond than well-done. It was over-cooked or being kept so long on heating up plate. So the meat was no longer pinky, juicy as it supposed to be, I guess this was the reason why we waited quite long. Grilled/stir-fried veggies were over-cooked as well with some peas were burned. As I have eaten some burned parts, it was too much bitter and smoked smell so I showed the waitress what was wrong with my order. My partner had tagine, shredded beef with chickpeas. He said it was ok, 7/10. Mediocre. I had attached photos for preferences. I started to read negative comments about this restaurant after my visits, and most of them were about long waiting time and attitude of waiter/waitress, unfortunately, it’s true in some ways. Our waitress started with unfriendly look at the beginning, after we had ordered our food and drinks, it turned out she forgot that the kitchen didn’t have plum-liked lemonade, she of course informed us and changed her attitude. At the end, after I told her what was wrong with my order, she offered some coffee/sweets/cakes but my dear, we don’t come there for “sorry offers”, we wanted to have nice meals and to enjoy our time overall but they have failed us. She then offered 10% discount for my bill, 144PLN but I don’t think it will change any thought about this restaurant as this was the first and last time...