Daquise, Thurloe Street, London

You arrive at foreign city during the day. After an afternoon and an early night full of meetings you finally arrive at your hotel and decide to head out to town for a nice dinner. You mumble to the taxi driver to take you to a newstand to grab some newspaper and under extreme time (and roaming cost) pressure you look at Yelp to see where you should go. Daquise turned up, a polish place on Thurloe street and it sounded like a good fit for a nice dinner. My mood immediately soars when walking into the place, a very comme-il-fault gentlemen, dressed immaculately but not british-over-the-top welcomes me. You feel welcomed and relax as he takes you to the table, it quickls shows that he’s probably the owner. If you’ve ever wanted to feel the difference between a chain restaurant and a strong proprietor – try this one here.

The interior has a nice patina, with wood, cabinets and some old machinery, again not tacky but tasteful. The menu is fantastic and I get all jittery just from looking at it. First I sample some polish dumplings, covered with a tad of butter and bacon bits. Heavy, yet heart-warming dough, a stuffing with oomph and the drizzle of butter makes them silky. Like all dishes, these are served by the chefs in heavy iron cast pans, carried through the dining room with Panache. Another interesting touch.

My next dish is a true highlight calf brains on hearty slices of bread. Not often do you stuff like this on a menu. I liked the heavy use of herbs, especially dill which was unexpected but nicely cut the richness. Ever since I went to look at railroads in Poland I’ve come to like this cuisine, but forgot to remember how filling it was. The breaded pork chop, wasn’t quite as flavorful, some salt & herbs would have helped, but I did like the two large dollops of mashed potatoes that went with it. As you can tell I loved this place, from atmosphere to the food to the owner. Prices are actually pretty sensible.