World Masters, Poznan

What a pleasant surprise Poznan turned out to be.  I had assumed as a vegetarian that I would really struggle on the food front - heavy dumplings, lots of meat and potatoes and nothing else!  But instead I found myself not having time to fit in all the gorgeous looking restaurants that were on offer.  A visit to one of the small markets showed the wonderful produce on offer, with lots of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and amazing wild mushrooms also recently picked.
What is so lovely in Poznan is the cafe culture - there are probably more cafes than restaurants, and people will happily stroll from one to the other, having different courses in each.
Cafe Bordo was one of my favourites, with a beautiful garden setting for the balmy evenings (of which we had a few), plus a cosy interior for the cooler nights.  The food was light and fresh, with local produce and regional specialities on offer wherever possible.  Pickled herrings in camelina oil were delicious - served with crisp lettuce leaves, tart apples, capers and warm homemade bread.  Camelina oil is a traditional oil used in Poland and is sometimes known as wild flax - it is high in omega 3 fatty acids, so a healthy addition to the diet, as well as being extremely tasty.

To finish my evening I was often tempted to stroll past (and into!) Cacao Republika - a cafe that included chocolate in most of its' offerings.  In my view if you are going to have hot chocolate it has to be thick, rich and full of flavour (one of those sachet that you pour hot water over is just nonsense!), and Cacao Republika delivered this with style, with the addition of cherries marinated in brandy, or a glug of Amaretto  - again I ran out of time to try them all, although did manage to fit in a slice of chocolate cake to accompany it!
And if beer is your thing there are a number of local breweries offering good tasting beer.  I was trying to take my racing seriously (!), but a number of my team mates did sample a few varieties, including honey beer in Brovaria, a great hotel, restaurant and lively bar, where you could also sample a large variety of  vodkas - I will have to return when I finish my rowing career!