New Polish Milk Bar Opens in the E&C Shopping...

NEW Release

Poland’s Most LovPoland’s Most Loved Style of Food Joint Lands in London

Mamuśka!, London’s first Polish ‘milk bar’, has opened at the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre in South London.

The bar mleczny (literally translated as ‘milk bar’) is a style of cafeteria that emerged in communist Poland after the second world war. Subsidised by the state and catering to blue-collar workers in urban centres, these cafeterias were characterised as much for their abrupt service as for their freshly made home-style food.

Still a favourite with students due to their low-cost healthy meals and with tourists for the unique and delicious Polish experience, the bar mleczny in enjoying a resurgence in Poland, although the menu now includes many meat products and less of the milk-based soups and drinks that originally prompted the naming.

Characterised in a scene in Stanislaw Bareja’s 1981 film “Miś”, the bar mleczny is a part of Poland’s past upon which many Poles of all political persuasions look back in found nostalgia.

Mamuśka! is a new conception developed by 3 Polish Londoners and a Canadian that borrows heavily from the bar mleczny (pronounced [melechne]). While clearly a private enterprise, the menu consists of large healthy plates of freshly prepared traditional Polish meals, all priced at £5.

Keeping prices low means there is a self-service counter, but there is no compromise on freshness or quality. Head Chef Anna Miarka proudly states, “We have no deep-fat fryer and our food is made from Polish fresh ingredients, all prepared from scratch, on site in our kitchen. Even the pierogies are hand-made!”

Managing Director Ian Coll explains, “We wanted to create a concept that would appeal to the thousands of Polish workers in the UK who deserve a healthy, hot meal for less than an hour’s wage. We are also confident that London’s famous Foody enthusiasts will register that a great piece of old Poland food culture has just landed on our doorstep.”

The Polish name Mamuska! means ‘mum’, or ‘mother-in-law’. Together with the tag line “Your mother will hate us” the brand is intended to be reminiscent of Polish home cooking while promoting a sense of fun. While there have been a number of Polish restaurants opening in London over the past few years, this is South London’s first. It is also the first Polish restaurant in central London to price a menu at a level that many will be seen as affordable on a daily and weekly basis, as opposed to a less-occasional treat.

Communications Executive Paulina Coll says, “We are very excited to be able to offer our customers this level of value. Polish people and Londoners who have visited Poland will instantly recognise our menu. All the favourites are there, and we believe that the addition of affordable Polish food into the area is long overdue.”

The recent proclaimed (but unsubstantiated) exodus of Poles from London, together with the economic downturn, does not phase the Managing Director.
“Our concept is low-cost, healthy food for a few select markets: Polish Londoners, students, foodies and immediate local footfall in the shopping centre” explains Ian Coll. “Given the upcoming Elephant & Castle regeneration project and the labour that will be required in the immediate area, we believe that Mamuśka! will become popular very quickly. In addition, we will have Polish TV and music, Polish magazines and newspapers and a community bulletin board, so our intention is to make Mamuśka! a routine meeting place for Polish South Londoners and that as a unique eating-out experience, others will make us a regular stop.”

Mamuśka! hopes to open new locations throughout the UK in the next 24 months.

---ENDS---

---NOTES FOR EDITORS---

Mamuśka! is the trading name of Mamushka Limited, registered company number 6928089. Shareholders are Ian Coll and Tomasz Ćwiękała. The Head Chef Anna Miarka is Mr Ćwiękała‘s fiancé. Paulina Coll is spouse to Ian Coll and was formerly Paulina Urban (Polish). The £5 billion Elephant and Castle Regeneration Project has recently moved forward. Contact the Southwark Council Regeneration Team for details of the regeneration project.

---CONTACT---

Mamuśka!
Unit 233
First Floor
Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre
London
SE1 6TE

info@mamuska.net
www.mamuska.net

Paulina Coll
Communications and Press Relations
+44 7947 304 319

ed Style of Food Joint