"Daquise has the air of a dining room that hasn’t changed for half a century. Chandeliers hang alongside old photos and borscht is ladled tableside at this wonderfully old-school Polish institution in South Kensington. Sitting in its 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. But then we chew on the beef goulash for an eternity and are reminded that, often, you can’t have it all. The clientele, additional pieces of Daquise’s antique furniture, decompress at being served in the most thorough but familiar of fashions. There’s a sense that some of these folks—diplomats, ageing film stars, children of landed gentry—have been ordering the schnitzel since before they could hold cutlery. It’s a restaurant that feels core to many people’s histories and there’s an unmistakable charm to that. While parts of this menu should be met with a raised eyebrow, stick to the classics and you’ll be perfectly content. The tablecloths are white but the borscht is vibrant in colour and pepper. If you let your daydreams takeover, you can imagine sitting here waiting to meet your mysterious wealthy benefactor for the first time. But things like the fruit pierogies—hot dumplings filled with a slice of cold strawberry—can rupture this fantasy. That said, once a complimentary glass of ice-cold vodka arrives, you’ll more than likely fall head over heels for Daquise’s tried-and-tested method of courting once more. " - Jake Missing
