Ania Brudnowska

Name: Ania Brudnowska
Age: 24
Born: Poland
Lived in Scotland: 4 years

The leisure sector has served up exciting new opportunities for Ania Brudnowska.

Since arriving in Scotland four years ago, she has developed valuable expertise through working in the restaurant and hotel trades.

So, it was natural for her and and Milena Skonieczna (27) to launch a Polish bistro and bar in Edinburgh earlier this year.

Their Cenzor Bar has carved out a niche in a city proud of its cosmopolitan tastes and its tradition for fine food: for one thing, its retro communist-era décor gives it a very distinctive look.

Appetising

Another novelty is the alliance, which Ania and Milena have formed with an Indian restaurateur to create a mouth-watering choice.

"It's an excellent arrangement," said psychology graduate Ania, "as it means potential customers have a choice between two places to eat and relax within the same complex – both completely different!"

Cenzor's traditional Polish food goes down a treat with regulars brought up on these staple dishes in their homeland. Favourites include sledzie, pierogi and kapsniak.

"We haven't developed a Polish recipe for haggis yet, but you never know what could happen in the future!"

Stocked up

The choice of refreshments is equally homely. "We stock seven different Polish beers and 10 Polish vodkas," said Ania who met Milena during a visit back to Poland two years ago.

"Even London doesn't have a restaurant like ours, as far as we know. We know we're doing something very different, and offering a place, which will appeal to the thousands of Polish workers in Scotland and, of course, to Scots who want to find out more on Polish culture.”

Influx

Apart from its Polish and Scottish customers, Cenzor also has a loyal Spanish and French clientele. It's estimated there are now more than 20,000 Poles living in the capital with the number having risen fivefold in only ten months.

This influx has been matched by the growth in the numbers of specialist outlets – from delicatessens to a monthly club night, appropriately named Polished.

It's managed by Iwona Zurawska and Jacek Zamojski (both 26) who run an exchange network which sees DJs fly in from Warsaw especially for the gigs.

Meanwhile, Ania and Milena have high hopes of expanding into another Scottish city, probably Glasgow, to cater to this growing market.

Information correct at :June 2007