Book review: Borsch, Vodka and Tears: Food to Drink With

BORSCH, VODKA AND TEARS: FOOD TO DRINK WITH

By Benny Roff

Hardie Grant

IF you’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping honey spiked vodka and supping on cabbage rolls at Borsch, Vodka and Tears, then you’ll understand how many hearts and stomachs have been warmed by that skinny Polish restaurant down the Windsor end of Chapel Street. Previous manager Benny Roff has recreated that homely hospitality on the pages of Borsch, Vodka and Tears: Food to Drink With. Part Polish cookbook, part definitive guide to Polish vodka and part biography, it is written and photographed with a warmth and liveliness synonymous with the restaurant.

Owner Andrzej Kaczmarski’s story is compelling. So, too, the history and hardship of Polish migration to Australia and the strength, determination and ultimate success of the community. The book is peppered with great cocktails and achievable classic Polish recipes. If pierogi, schnitzel and sauerkraut are your thing, then this is for you.­