Authenticity on a plate
5:28pm Thursday 11th August 2011 in Eating Out By Barrie Hudson
“EAT like a Slovak,” proclaims the sign outside Peniba, a cafe and restaurant recently opened in Havelock Street.
The authenticity of the promise can never be in doubt, as Slovakia is the homeland of the three owners, sisters Nicoleta and Barbora Hromadova and Peter Tomasik.
Nicoleta, 20, said: “It’s about the culture. People in the past there lived simple lives.
“They took everything from their own animals and their own plants from their own fields. For what we do here everything is homemade.”
The food my dining companion and I tried one lunchtime was delicious – and very, very filling.
Peniba offers a broad range of items, including sandwiches at £2.75 (£3.50 with French fries) and breakfasts with everything from ham and eggs to roasted bratwurst at £3.50.
Pizzas start at £6.50 and rise to £7.50, and range from the familiar (Margarita) to the far less so (A la Slovakia with ham, two types of cheese, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes and oregano). Salads are £4.50.
There is a selection of traditional Slovakian main courses, and I opted for the national dish, Bryndzove Halusky (£5.50). Baby potato dumplings are combined with a tangy sheep’s milk cheese and topped with cubes of sauteed bacon. The overall effect was quite unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, and it’s something I’ll be sure to sample again.
My partner opted for Crusty Roll a la Slovakia at £4, with a helping of chips for an extra £1. The very large crusty home-made roll was packed to bursting with slices of chicken, herb dressing, salad, peppers, cucumbers and all manner of other good things, and was thoroughly enjoyable.
With a couple of soft drinks, the bill for more food than we could manage between us came to a little less than £12. We reeled out of the place like a pair of sated lions in search of a tree to sleep under.
Peniba is a welcome and worthy addition to the roster of national cuisines represented in Swindon, and I’d recommend it to anybody.
