The couple behind Pierogi Pierogi, a hit market stand selling Polish dumplings, have fulfilled their long-held dream of establishing a restaurant where they can showcase the true breadth of Polish food, upending the cuisine’s austere and stodgy stereotype.

Out of a modernist cream-hued space in Brunswick East, Dominika Sikorska and Guy Daley are serving regional dishes, snack-ified versions of Polish staples, and brighter takes on Soviet-era recipes at what might be Melbourne’s first contemporary Polish restaurant in more than a decade.

“The whole mission [of Pierogi Pierogi] has been looking at Polish food and Polish culture and asking, ‘Why isn’t it more popular?’” says Daley.

The couple started Pierogi Pierogi 10 years ago, taking their stall from Queen Victoria’s Night Market to festivals before landing a deal to sell their frozen dumplings in supermarkets in two states. But they were constantly looking at restaurant sites.

At Eat Pierogi Make Love, designed by Studio Heck, they’ve kept the atmosphere casual with bar stools, booths and small plates.

“We kind of wanted to get away from sharing, but I think when you have a completely niche, different cuisine, everyone wants to try everything,” says Sikorska, who was born and raised in Poland.

It’s nearly mandatory to start with pickled herring and red currants on spelt toast, alongside a shot of vodka (there are 14 choices). Mountain cheese that’s brined and smoked is made in-house, a three-day process the couple learned in Poland several years ago. It’s grilled and served with cranberry sauce.

There’s sausage in several dishes, but it’s always brightened by pickles, horseradish or tart flavours. In the gzik, potatoes are smashed, fried and topped with a firm fresh cheese similar to quark, radishes, cucumber and chives – ingredients that symbolise spring in Polish cooking. A large bracket of raw salads – carrot, beetroot and more – also keep things fresh.

Writing the menu with chef Aleksandra Gladysz, Daley and Sikorska wanted to show that Polish food is a kaleidoscope of techniques and flavours, with many regional variations, too.

“What’s traditional in Poland?” says Sikorska. “We had the cuisine from before the war, between the war, there’s the aristocratic way of eating, and then we have a long history of rations during communism and after.”

Of course, there are pierogi – five different kinds, including the highly inauthentic crowd favourite of potato, jalapeno and vegan cheese.

In a nod to Soviet-era architecture and design, the interiors are deliberately minimal, which allows the poster art – a tradition that flourished during the communist era – to shine.

“It’s like a love letter to Poland,” says Daley.

Open Thu-Sat 5pm-11pm for walk-ins only

161 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, pierogipierogi.com