3 January 2007

I'll start with the word "surprised." Surprised... and then enchanted. You will remember your visit to U Kucharzy (The Chefs') for a long time.

n The sense of surprise comes from the place's unusual arrangement. You enter through the "staff only" door and sit at a table in the kitchen area, which is covered in white tiles. There does not seem to be any door leading to the "restaurant" at all. That, of course, is too little to make anyone feel enchanted. Confused by the unspectacular, almost ascetic interior decor, only a few moments later do you start to realize what it is all about. The sound from the piano does not come from a CD, but from the actual instrument. You become even less distrustful when you see the menu. At noon, a pork loin leaves the stove (zl.28), 2 p.m. is the time for Polish-style chicken (zl.38), at 4 p.m. veal ham (zl.31) and while evenings are ruled by roast goose (zl.71), duck (zl.69) and pork ham on the bone, the ham slices have the consistency of ginger bread.

Now it was the time to place my order and then the enchantment came. U Kucharzy is the quintessence of a restaurant without any culinary extravaganza and cheap tricks like steaks larger than the plates or a free glass of watered-down cherry liqueur as a good-bye. A restaurant according to U Kucharzy is about being ready to feed tasty and quality food to its guests. You get to see how your steak tartar is chopped with fresh onions, capers, anchovies and mixed with egg yolk, which will whet your appetite even if you have just finished your traditional Polish Christmas feast.

You will soon realize it is the chefs that pull the strings here, as suits the restaurant's name. The 26 professionals chop, stew, reduce, stuff, fry, fillet, stud and strain right before the your eyes and they wait the tables themselves. This is a restaurant without waiters, a brilliant idea. Mind you, the chefs are no fakes. The back of the former Europejski Hotel restaurant hires 26 professionals recruited from across Poland. You trust them and their skills when you see them prepare game (zl.56-66), Polish-style brain (zl.28) or quail wrapped in slices of bacon (zl.48) with their super sharp knives that they take home as priceless tools.

You can spend the rest of your night out at the A la Fourchette bistro on the corner of Krakowskie Przedmieście and Ossolińskich streets and open 24/7. As a welcome, you will be treated to a shot of vodka, a glass of beer or wine, all relatively cheap at zl.4. Starters cost zl.8, which, if you ask me, is phenomenal when it comes to restaurants in Warsaw.

U Kucharzy, 7 Ossolińskich St. (Europejski Hotel), tel. 0-22 213-33-93, www.gessler.pl, open from 10 a.m. until the last guest leaves.
Credit cards are accepted.

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