Timeless lunch break at Paupio 12

Summer is finally in town. Those days when in early morning you slowly and deeply breath in that sunny sparkling lilac air and hold it for a second. And you want to escape the office as soon as you have a spare lunch minute…to enjoy every minute of sunny afternoon. Longing for that nice city uproar and summervibe you head to the opening of Open Kitchen (very nice spot for summer meal outside, full of various chefs cooking openly), but…a being not in a mood to wait in a line for a perfect wok noodle (love it, love it!) accidentally end up in a bohemian city district Užupis and pop in a cozy in-yard terrace of recently opened new restaurant Paupio 12  (at 12 Paupio street) 🙂

As soon as you sit down in that cozy spot surrounded by swinging summer umbrellas time slows down. You immediately forget that you are on a lunch break and you just want to go offline..

You are immediately served by nice and friendly staff who are ready to tell you about each and every detail on the meals in the menu, which actually fits in one simple page. I love it. It takes simplicity to impress. It is also nice that nobody here tries to impress you with fancy plates or words in a menu that you might never heard before 🙂

They have a lunch menu, that changes every week and for 12 euros you get to select a starter, main dish and dessert. In the beginning you might think that you usually don’t get as good quality for lunch “package” as you would when going for a la carte. But at Paupio 12 – its another story…

So for starter – mozzarella salad with cherry tomatoes. Was just amazing, with soft and creamy cheese, fresh salad and sweet tomatoes. One of the best mozzarella salad I’ve tasted so far in Vilnius.

It is also served with home-baked bread with poppy seeds and very fine quality olive oil.

The started was accompanied with a main dish – duck with bulgur – which was just perfectly cooked and melted in the mouth.

Its that feeling when every bite makes you feel that good balance of all ingredients and you just want to chew slowly without any wish to comment and enjoy the timeless moment.

Finally, dessert….Guess what’s the best solution for a hot summer day..Yes, ice cream. But home-made, served very nicely and just brilliant taste (I had pistachio, but selection is wide!).

So all in all, didn’t expect a random summer lunch to bring such a nice experience of cozy home-made food, freshness and attention to preparation with love, not to mention very nice staff (which unfortunately is a big problem in Lithuanian dining places).

Comfort and quality combined. Definitely coming back for dinner. You shouldn’t miss it either 😉

P.S. Another nice elements – open kitchen, wood-fired pizza oven, very cozy interior, child friendly!