Ognisko
This beautiful Victorian stucco building, located on exhibition road has a background just as strong as it looks. Intended for use as a gentleman's club in the 1940's, the building quickly became the seat of the Polish Government in Exile during and after the second world war. It also housed relief society for Poles who sent parcels to Polish prisoners of war and refugees around the world.
Inside is just as mesmerising, with high, decorative ceilings and big beautiful beams.
I knew the food had to look this good too.
My boyfriend James and i were greeted immediately and had both of our coats taken to put in the cloakroom. We walked into this stunning candle lit room and we were seated. After being given a choice of a variety of breads, we took our first drinks order.
Keeping in theme with the Polish restaurant, we both opted for a vodka martini with a twist.
The manager Jasiu came over and introduced himself. He was lovely. He had a warm smile and a cheeky glint in his eye. After some jokes about not messing about by starting with martinis, he asked if we would like an appetiser and suggested Trzaski - the pork crackling with pear and horseradish sauce. James and i love a good pork crackling so i was fully on board with that. James absolutely loved them, so much so, that they inspired him to try and make his own... (Oh dear!) They were really great.
Jasiu then came back and asked if we were ready for starters. He suggested some of the best dishes and kindly offered us to try a mixture of them which i thought was great.
We had salad of marinated beetroots, goats curd and walnuts, Placki - Kaszanka, a potato pancake with black sausage, apples and onions and spiced sauteed chicken livers with dried cherries.
I already knew i would love the beetroots and curd, its a favourite of mine, and this one did not dissapoint! James is really into black sausage. I tried it once a few years ago after i bought it from a shop and couldn't eat it again but i thought, why not? And i'm glad i did! I didn't realise it was suppose to taste like that. It has a great lightly salted, meaty taste. The chicken livers had a delicate spice and the cherries really complimented them. The potato pancakes, well, think of fried potato and then times its greatness by 100.
Ieva, my lovely friend doubled up as a bar tender, brought over 2 wines she thought would match perfectly with the mains. We were feeling red so she came over with 2 she had picked out. Chateau des Antonins 2010 Bordeaux Superieur and Monte Alentejano 2010 Jose Neiva, Portugal.
I had a glass of the first and James had a glass of the second. James said after, he knew that he wouldn't have good wine like this for a long while after this meal.
For mains, Jasiu recommended Sarna -the venison, or the confit of duck which James and i were both pleased about because we had already eyed them up. He suggested having a Polish side dish as we probably have had mash potato before in our life, and picked out the Kasza which is roast buckwheat groats.
My venison which i had ordered medium rare, was cooked perfectly. It was tender, tasty and the honey roast pear and cherry sauce that accompanied it really complimented it. I had never tried Kasza before but it was delicious. It has a really nice nutty taste and reminded me of 'crumbly stuffing'. You can never go wrong with stuffing. It also acted as a sponge for me to mop up the rest of my sauce without getting my hands involved, which is always a plus.
It was then pudding time! Ieva came over with 3 flavoured vodka shots, just as we were waiting for our dessert. (Now that's what i'm talking about!)
The vodka itself, was absolutely amazing. I can't even begin. I have had a fair share of vodka in my life time but nothing came close to this. We were given rhubarb and apple, pear and strawberry. The strawberry was hands down my favourite but it was still a very close call. It is all made on the premises by the bar manager Michal who is very talented. I'm pretty sad you just cant buy it by the bottle and take it home, but not as sad as I would be if you couldn't just come in and order it from the bar, with a great bar menu they have too!
I was pretty full at this point. I could see James
making some faces to suggest the same but dessert looked too good to pass up. I left the choice up to Ieva, who picked pavlovas, served with chantilly cream and mixed berries. They looked awesome and were made to perfection. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. James had a dark chocolate shell, which i may or may not have tried a bit of too. It was filled with chocolate mousse and served with vodka marinated cherries. James said the shell was crisp, the mousse was smooth, rich and well balanced.
Jasiu came over and asked if we would like anything else. I think our faces said it all but he left the cocktail menu "just incase". That's my kind of restaurant!
I was tempted into a further 2 more cocktails, much against my better judgement, but they were so good.
I had a lemon and basil martini, which was literally through the roof. It was my favourite drink of the evening. Aside from the vodka being exceptional, it had a very authentic lemon taste, a little bit sour which is something i am a big fan of. With a basil and black pepper float, the whole drink was a hit.
I then had a champagne cocktail which consisted of champagne with creme de casis and infused cherry vodka. It was a beautiful drink, the cherry vodka sat at the bottom whilst the champagne rested on top, served with a stirrer.
I could sit there and drink their homemade vodka all night, so i thought on that note, it was probably best to go home. It was a really lovely opportunity to go and thank the chefs for our delicious dinner. They work really hard all the way downstairs in the kitchen and were really happy to receive feedback from our meal.
Not only for their amazing atmosphere, homemade vodka and Polish dishes, Ognisko is also worth a trip for the outstanding service, which James also thinks might be the best he has ever had.
Thankyou so much for having us.
55 PRINCE'S GATE,
EXHIBITION ROAD,
LONDON
SW7 2PN
https://www.facebook.com/ognisko
Inside is just as mesmerising, with high, decorative ceilings and big beautiful beams.
I knew the food had to look this good too.
My boyfriend James and i were greeted immediately and had both of our coats taken to put in the cloakroom. We walked into this stunning candle lit room and we were seated. After being given a choice of a variety of breads, we took our first drinks order.
Keeping in theme with the Polish restaurant, we both opted for a vodka martini with a twist.
The manager Jasiu came over and introduced himself. He was lovely. He had a warm smile and a cheeky glint in his eye. After some jokes about not messing about by starting with martinis, he asked if we would like an appetiser and suggested Trzaski - the pork crackling with pear and horseradish sauce. James and i love a good pork crackling so i was fully on board with that. James absolutely loved them, so much so, that they inspired him to try and make his own... (Oh dear!) They were really great.
Jasiu then came back and asked if we were ready for starters. He suggested some of the best dishes and kindly offered us to try a mixture of them which i thought was great.
We had salad of marinated beetroots, goats curd and walnuts, Placki - Kaszanka, a potato pancake with black sausage, apples and onions and spiced sauteed chicken livers with dried cherries.
Ieva, my lovely friend doubled up as a bar tender, brought over 2 wines she thought would match perfectly with the mains. We were feeling red so she came over with 2 she had picked out. Chateau des Antonins 2010 Bordeaux Superieur and Monte Alentejano 2010 Jose Neiva, Portugal.
I had a glass of the first and James had a glass of the second. James said after, he knew that he wouldn't have good wine like this for a long while after this meal.
For mains, Jasiu recommended Sarna -the venison, or the confit of duck which James and i were both pleased about because we had already eyed them up. He suggested having a Polish side dish as we probably have had mash potato before in our life, and picked out the Kasza which is roast buckwheat groats.
My venison which i had ordered medium rare, was cooked perfectly. It was tender, tasty and the honey roast pear and cherry sauce that accompanied it really complimented it. I had never tried Kasza before but it was delicious. It has a really nice nutty taste and reminded me of 'crumbly stuffing'. You can never go wrong with stuffing. It also acted as a sponge for me to mop up the rest of my sauce without getting my hands involved, which is always a plus.
It was then pudding time! Ieva came over with 3 flavoured vodka shots, just as we were waiting for our dessert. (Now that's what i'm talking about!)The vodka itself, was absolutely amazing. I can't even begin. I have had a fair share of vodka in my life time but nothing came close to this. We were given rhubarb and apple, pear and strawberry. The strawberry was hands down my favourite but it was still a very close call. It is all made on the premises by the bar manager Michal who is very talented. I'm pretty sad you just cant buy it by the bottle and take it home, but not as sad as I would be if you couldn't just come in and order it from the bar, with a great bar menu they have too!
I was pretty full at this point. I could see James
making some faces to suggest the same but dessert looked too good to pass up. I left the choice up to Ieva, who picked pavlovas, served with chantilly cream and mixed berries. They looked awesome and were made to perfection. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. James had a dark chocolate shell, which i may or may not have tried a bit of too. It was filled with chocolate mousse and served with vodka marinated cherries. James said the shell was crisp, the mousse was smooth, rich and well balanced.
Jasiu came over and asked if we would like anything else. I think our faces said it all but he left the cocktail menu "just incase". That's my kind of restaurant!I was tempted into a further 2 more cocktails, much against my better judgement, but they were so good.
I had a lemon and basil martini, which was literally through the roof. It was my favourite drink of the evening. Aside from the vodka being exceptional, it had a very authentic lemon taste, a little bit sour which is something i am a big fan of. With a basil and black pepper float, the whole drink was a hit.
I then had a champagne cocktail which consisted of champagne with creme de casis and infused cherry vodka. It was a beautiful drink, the cherry vodka sat at the bottom whilst the champagne rested on top, served with a stirrer.
I could sit there and drink their homemade vodka all night, so i thought on that note, it was probably best to go home. It was a really lovely opportunity to go and thank the chefs for our delicious dinner. They work really hard all the way downstairs in the kitchen and were really happy to receive feedback from our meal.
Not only for their amazing atmosphere, homemade vodka and Polish dishes, Ognisko is also worth a trip for the outstanding service, which James also thinks might be the best he has ever had.
Thankyou so much for having us.
55 PRINCE'S GATE,
EXHIBITION ROAD,
LONDON
SW7 2PN
https://www.facebook.com/ognisko
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