Daquise

LDN Review. South Kensington. Chandeliers hang alongside old photos and borscht is ladled tableside at this wonderfully old-school Polish institution in South Kensington, daquise. Sitting in daquise grand, aged dining room—part tiled, part distressed, but wholly elegant—makes us wonder why this traditional ideal of a restaurant is no longer in vogue, daquise.

Daquise, a Polish establishment in South Kensington, is a relative youngster — tracing its history to the Second World War — but you can feel the hand of history on your shoulder as you enter a charming and unusual restaurant where diners using cell phones look anomalous. The walls are lined with old photographs, and the room is filled with people some of them as elderly as us who appear unhurried and fully able to understand the benefits of a long lunch. Daquise formally opened in , when the owner, a Mr Dakowski, conflated his name with that of his French wife Louise. But it is believed that prior to that, the space served as a canteen to take the overflow from the nearby Polish Club Ognisko Polskie during the war. And it was a home-from-home for Roman Polanski while he was filming Repulsion in the early s. More recently, it was a favourite of A.

Daquise

For 63 years, it has had an almost monastic resistance to change: yellow walls, chipped crockery, plastic flowers and charm. It has been a totem for London Poles: Roman Polanski came daily for dumplings and stews when he was filming Repulsion nearby, and it was always a favourite of cold war spies — Christine Keeler met her Soviet attache there. Daquise opened in , an emigre's recreation of a country lost to Communism. The food was spartan but homely, the oiled tablecloths a cross between lino and Uhu, and fingerprints smeared the menus. But it was proof that restaurants can be more than the sum of their parts. And now, a superstar catering family from Warsaw, the Gesslers, has just bought it. Their restaurant in the Polish capital, U Kucharzy, is updated back-to-basics: geese roasted then carved at table, pierogi dumplings handmade to order, proper zurek — the ethereal rich-sour soup made with fermented rye bread. The restaurant has done well — Michelin has awarded it one of Poland's few Bib Gourmands — and they're grafting a similar menu on to Daquise. It's an ambition that testifies to how much Polish food has grown in popularity here. When Daquise opened, around , Poles lived in the UK. Today, that figure is close to one million. Until recently, these expats could only assuage their homesickness in shops such as the doddery Prima on London's North End Road, or Morawski at Willesden Junction — both have been around for half a century. Today, supermarkets stock a range of Polish products and luxury delis, Polish bakers and polskie sklepy Polish shops abound.

What are daquise looking for? Polish delis and restaurants no longer cater merely for homesick expats — British diners have fallen for this hearty, eastern European cuisine, daquise.

Back in May , regulars were disheartened by news that this much-loved restaurant was to close. Situated next-door to South Kensington station, Daquise is elegant and decidedly unassuming. On each table, a modest drinking glass accommodates a single bloom, a rose or tulip, in keeping with the understatedly romantic atmosphere of the interior. The menu contains traditional dishes executed to an exceptional standard. Classic cold starters of tender herring with cream, apple, onion and flax oil, or beetroot with subtly warming horseradish, are ladled directly from earthenware bowls. All the Polish favourites such as zurek, a fermented sourdough soup, barszcz, a tangy broth made with beetroot, and pierogi, filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savoury or sweet filling cooked in boiling water, can be relied upon. During the summer months, make sure to try the pierogi stuffed with fragrant berries.

The term dacquoise can also refer to the nut meringue layer itself. It takes its name from the feminine form of the French word dacquois , meaning 'of Dax ', a town in southwestern France. It is usually served chilled and accompanied by fruit. A particular form of the dacquoise is the marjolaine , invented by French chef Fernand Point , which is long and rectangular and combines almond and hazelnut meringue layers with chocolate buttercream. Media related to Dacquoise at Wikimedia Commons. This dessert -related article is a stub.

Daquise

Back in May , regulars were disheartened by news that this much-loved restaurant was to close. Situated next-door to South Kensington station, Daquise is elegant and decidedly unassuming. On each table, a modest drinking glass accommodates a single bloom, a rose or tulip, in keeping with the understatedly romantic atmosphere of the interior. The menu contains traditional dishes executed to an exceptional standard. Classic cold starters of tender herring with cream, apple, onion and flax oil, or beetroot with subtly warming horseradish, are ladled directly from earthenware bowls.

Tapas en ciutadella

Fergus Henderson [the chef at St John] has had a huge effect: ox heart, tongue and even tripe all sell very well today. And meat. It is traditionally served as a clear broth, sometimes with smoked bacon. It has been a totem for London Poles: Roman Polanski came daily for dumplings and stews when he was filming Repulsion nearby, and it was always a favourite of cold war spies — Christine Keeler met her Soviet attache there. Share this article. Daquise's chef fries Polish dumplings called pierogi. Polish South Kensington. The food was spartan but homely, the oiled tablecloths a cross between lino and Uhu, and fingerprints smeared the menus. Served at the table from a saucepan, it was simple and richly flavoured with cream and pepper and containing just a few noodles. Gill, who gave it a five-star review in the Sunday Times in , having frequented it as a student in the s. Jake Missing August 31, Daquise formally opened in , when the owner, a Mr Dakowski, conflated his name with that of his French wife Louise. Now the Turkish delis all have a good range of Polish food. The meat has been cooked too aggressively and has neverending chew to it, while the sauce leans insipid. Until recently, these expats could only assuage their homesickness in shops such as the doddery Prima on London's North End Road, or Morawski at Willesden Junction — both have been around for half a century.

Silky meringue is gently mixed with ground nuts and cocoa to create crisp layers.

Share on facebook Share on Facebook. Subscribe Sign Up. The other main was a special of goose leg confit, served with a cherry sauce, pearl barley like a couscous and red cabbage. Cabbage and wild mushroom. Features - 17 May - Share. Golonka Pickled, boiled ham hock, typically served with sauerkraut. For immigrants, home cuisine is always a shrine to collective identity. All right, we are not talking Joel Robuchon mash, but it was good and the buttery carrots had just the right bite. Current, but with an eye to tradition, upmarket but true to its roots, it is honest, stout and upright, which is not unlike how the British like to see themselves. Restaurant Review. Chandeliers hang alongside old photos and borscht is ladled tableside at this wonderfully old-school Polish institution in South Kensington.