Gessler at Daquise

As a big fan of the old Daquise, the 'Gessler Daquise' is a real disappointment. The food, whilst certainly not bad, is expensive and the portions are small. Somebody on here has commented on the fact that Polish food is not all about huge portions of potato and cabbage. Whilst that it is true and Polish food is capable of being served with flair, I'm sure that the writer has never come away from a good Polish restaurant in Poland feeling hungry or short-changed! The service is also certainly not what it was, a number of classic dishes have been removed from the menu, the atmosphere is sterile and slightly manic to the point where you can't relax and just enjoy your evening the way that you once could.

I wasn't going to post a review on here but I was prompted by seeing a number of people bemoaning the loss of the old Daquise and learning that the former manageresses of Daquise have now opened a restaurant in Hammersmith called Malina. I have visited a number of times since it opened in February and it's like the old Daquise only better for reasons which I have explained within my review on the Malina page. If you miss the old Daquise, then vote with your feet...
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4 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Friday, April 15, 2011

An amazing experience for me and definetely worth every penny spent. Food was delicious and freshly prepared. I loved the decor as it reminded me of old style Warsaw and I will be definetely back soon to try some more!
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Agnes
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 03, 2011

Great restaurant, attentive service, good value for money
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

What a superb find!!!

We were blown away by this restaurant, which you might not expect much from, looking at the exterior. Some of the finest food in London; wonderful compliment of flavours, expertly cooked and prepared, and the host has impressively reliable wine knowledge!

Staff were friendly, helpful and efficient.

An absolute pleasure!
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Simone Goodman
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Like some of the other reviewers, I was first taken here as a child and continued to come here from time to time over the past 25 years. The old Daquise was a South Kensington family favourite, a familiar, old-fashioned and unpretentious restaurant that was as much a meeting place as a place to eat. The typical dishes such as the Herrings and Pierogi were always tasty and the portions were generous. Drinks were reasonably priced too. I always felt contented and satisfied after a meal here. Unfortunately this was not entirely the case on my last visit to the newly made-over Daquise.

I would like to make a few suggestions (should the new owners wish to take note):

1. The service is correct but distant and formal. It needs to be warmer and more personal (though not over familiar).

2. Portions are not sufficiently generous for the price. 6 pierogi at nearly £10 is unjustified. Either provide more Pierogi per portion (10 would be good) or please reduce the price to reflect the small portion.

3. Herring - please serve with less oil. The oil seeped into the other ingredients on the plate and this was not appetising.

4. Please bring back the Polish rye bread to serve on arrival. Much more authentic and tasty than the Pizza Express-style dough balls currently served.

5. Restaurant was freezing. Granted the weather is cold outside, but feeling cold while eating in a restaurant is simply not on.

6. The coldness of the air temperature was heightened by the visual coldness of the decor. Needs warming up: floor rugs perhaps. Ceramic wall tiles and wooden floorboards is more appropriate for a fish restaurant, is distinctly chilly in atmosphere and doesn't match the style of food. Introduce a log fireplace perhaps?

Please would the owners take these points into consideration, and the points of other reviewers, as I am sure we all wish this place to survive for as long as the previous Daquise.
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Krzysztof Potocki
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Bonkers. I'd been going to Daquise ("The Polish Corridor" in our household) for nearly 25 years, mainly for the borscht, the herring, the bigos and the golabki. There was always a lovable, soothing, welcoming quality to the place. Timeless and unchanging.

I was saddened to hear that it had changed hands, but my wife and I decided to give it a try. No borscht with little dumplings!!! No bigos!! No golabki!

What we did have was actually very well cooked and was excellent value. Today we went for lunch and had a first rate pumpkin soup (before today I would have considered that to be an oxymoron) and delicious veal stew on straggly dumplings like spatzle and a glass of wine for £9 each.

But the service. First comes the plate. Then a wait. Then a randomly selected component of your meal, then a wait, then another component, then a wait, then the final bit of food, then a wait and maybe a sprinkle of garnish. So don't start eating until you are sure you've got everything!

The first time we just sat in stunned silence, mesmerised by the sheer chaos. Today we had tears of laughter rolling down our cheeks.

I particularly enjoyed, having paid some 15 minutes earlier, being asked if I would like the bill. By the same bloke that had taken my money not so long before.

The food is good. The service hilarious (I've given it a 10 for its genius quality, but if I had no sense of humour it would be a 2), The prices fair.
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Dudley Brown
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Very good restaurant. Excellent meat dishes (whole roast leg of pork is to die for), and really good poultry as well (duck). Not cheap but extremely satisfying portions. The presence of cooking staff might not be everybody's cup of tea but I liked it. This is not a posh restaurant- it's a place to eat great food and being served by the chefs underlines that.
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Marcio
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What a disappointment. Despite the food being tasty fresh and wholesome, the bad atmosphere and catastrophic customer service ruined what should have been a pleasant birthday meal.

The waiting staff seemed clueless and unhelpful, and in what must be a failed attempt at a novelty culinary experience, the kitchen staff seem to do most of the work - both cooking and serving the food. Mr & Mrs Gessler, if you're reading, having gruff, overworked, kitchen staff serving food while front of house stare vacantly into the distance isn't novelty, it's ridiculous. My boyfriend was twice elbowed in the head as the next tables slop was administered straight from the pot.

The manager seemed to go to great lengths to do even less than the waiting staff, drinking wine and intermittently grunting "you want a drink?" at uncomfortable diners. No, I don't want another drink, what I want is to not be charged £7 for soup in a restaurant with filthy toilets.
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2 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Thursday, September 30, 2010

As a Pole who has lived in London for years, it pains me that the concept of Polish food prevalent among people here seems to be that it should be cheap and primitive, preferably to do with potatoes and cabbage. It is like saying that all British cooking is about fish and chips - I wonder what the numerous British 3-starred chefs would have to say about that.

This place is the best Polish you'll ever have outside of Poland. Further, you'll be unlikely to find this good a quality even within Poland. It's clearly meticulously cooked, flavoursome and delicate (though not admittedly not light). Not cheap but why should you expect it to be, considering how fresh and good it is. The setting is very classy without being pretentious. You are served by the chefs themselves, who by a long way outnumber the waiters, which shows where the priorities lie in the place. A great establishment all in all, well worth a visit.
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Edyta
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, September 09, 2010

If you've read these reviews then you've probably got the gist.

If you liked the old Daquise for its cheap, appetising food, avoid the new place like the plague, except perhaps to lay a wreath for the death of an old London institution. You stand more chance of getting a bowl of borsch and nalesniki at McDonalds than you do here. The only thing left of the old guard is the sign.

If you like pretentious, yuppified, overpriced 'nouvelle' Polish cuisine, with stripped down wooden tables, you may nevertheless like this place, but I hated it.
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socrates - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, August 28, 2010