Do you like your full English breakfast with red cabbage?
How about your macaroni cheese with kielbasa sausage?
These are just a couple of the imaginative Polish fusion dishes available at Stenecki – the latest addition to Dundee’s vibrant Exchange Street.
Stenecki, Exchange Street
The eatery – previously known as Daily Grind – was rebranded by new owner Goska Kidd in July.
She took over the popular coffee shop, as well as its branch in Arbroath, in May.
But Stenecki – the name merges those of Goska’s late father and late father-in-law – bares little resemblance to its predecessor.
Former regulars of Daily Grind will know it was famed for its rock and roll themed interiors, with graffiti-style wall art and neon signs.
Stenecki, however, draws inspiration from nature, with forest green cushions and tree-bark art work.
It’s a large and inviting space, with a mix of booths and counter tables, Otis Redding playing in the background and a sleek coffee bar abuzz with young staff.
We were greeted warmly by Goska’s husband when we arrived and shown to seats next to her ‘office’ (a table in the corner) where she appeared to be firing through some admin before the Sunday brunch rush.
She’s not the only one. Several stools were occupied by millennials on laptops, looking productive yet relaxed while sipping on coffees.
I made a mental note to return on a remote working day.
Stenecki combines flavours from Poland and Scotland
The menu is creative and enticing, full of Scottish breakfast and lunch classics with a Polish twist.
There are also some summery and exotic options, including frozen acai bowls and iced Matcha lattes.
Obviously, we started with caffeine.
I ordered an oat milk flat white (£3.90) while my friend Fiona went for a coconut milk latte (£4), which both arrived with perfect creamy hearts.
Crucially, they tasted great too: strong, velvety, and not too hot.
Our pal Zoe branched out with an espresso tonic (£4), one of the latest coffee trends which originates from Sweden and is a concoction of, you guessed it, espresso and tonic water.
I accepted her offer of a sip with trepidation (fizzy coffee sounds kind of terrible?) but was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing and bitter taste.
These were swiftly followed by my vegan Biscoff milkshake (£5), which was so delicious I knocked it back in about 45 seconds.
Creamy, thick and sweet, finished with a mountain of whipped cream and a Biscoff biscuit, it’s safe to say it hit the spot.
To eat, I ordered the sourdough bruschetta with whipped goats cheese (£8.75), which was delicately anointed with a sprig of watercress and a swirl of balsamic glaze.
The juicy tomatoes, crunchy raw red onion (do not order this on a date) tasted wonderful with the warm and chewy bread.
Plenty of vegetarian options at Stenecki
Although this was lovely, I was greedily disappointed by the thin scrape of goats cheese. More cheese, please.
Fiona had, and was delighted with, the toasted sourdough with garlic mushrooms (£8.75).
She appreciated the range of satisfying textures, including crunchy nuts mixed into a creamy sauce and more of that tender, peppery watercress.
Zoe, who opted for the vegetarian fry-up (£11.75), was delivered a huge plate of sourdough toast, tattie scones, baked beans, poached eggs, red cabbage, masala spiced peas and garlic mushrooms.
The unusual combination of flavours sounded strange to me, but Zoe lapped it up, telling us the ingredients tasted great together.
Her only bugbear? One of the poached eggs was runny (how she likes it), while the other had a hard yolk.
Half way through our meal, the lovely Goska – a former police officer – checked in to make sure everything was okay.
Laughing, she told us we had ordered the least popular items on the menu, which were on the verge of being scrapped.
Stenecki opened by former police officer
I replied that we are all vegetarian, which might have something to do with it?
“Oh, well we LOVE vegetables here!” she enthused.
Her career pivot suits her.
For dessert, we shared a plate of the apple fritter pancakes (£7.50) – a Polish breakfast classic – which came warm and gooey with a sprinkle of homemade nutty cinnamon granola, dollops of clotted cream and a dusting of icing sugar.
This was heavenly, with the tart fruit cutting nicely through the otherwise sweet dish.
Scraping our forks around the plate, we made sure not to leave a single crumb.
The verdict
I am excited about Stenecki.
With unique dishes combining flavours and textures from Poland and Scotland – their signature pierogi (Polish dumplings) is next on my list – it’s the perfect place to go if you fancy trying something new.
It’s also a great one for those who forgo meat, with plenty of delicious vegetarian options.
Not to mention, the prices are very reasonable.
It is evident, from the carefully curated menu to the perfectly puffed cushions, that Goska has poured her heart and soul into the venue.
Although traces of Daily Grind live on – particularly on its social media accounts – Stenecki has very much succeeded in creating its own identity.
With its relaxed atmosphere and the friendly discourse between staff and customers, I can see it quickly becoming a cornerstone of the community.
Information
Address: 418a Exchange St, Dundee DD1 3DL
T: 01382 782658
W: https://www.instagram.com/stenecki_coffee/
Price: £60.60 for four mains, five coffees and one milkshake.
Disabled access: Yes
Dog-friendly: Yes
Scores:
Food: 4
Service: 5
Surrounding: 5
For more restaurant reviews, check out our food and drink section.
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