Home From Home: How to get Polished in London

Andy Binkiewicz
Jul 22, 2017 · 5 min read

Last year Poles officially became the biggest ethnic minority in the UK. We’re omnipresent, there’s no denying it, but apart from a few quirky facts, I feel that the Brits don’t know much about us.

Pierogi at Daquise. Credit: Andy Binkiewicz.

The history of Polish London goes way back to the WWII, when the first expats arrived on the British soil and made Ealing their new home, we even had our in exile government in London. Today the neighbourhood is like miniature Poland, with the biggest number of Polish speakers in the UK, their rich history and small cafe, restaurants and shops. The most iconic one, Parade Delicatessen, which promoted Polish delicacies since 1950’s was closed down in 2015.

Last year Poles officially became the biggest ethnic minority in the UK. We’re omnipresent, there’s no denying it, but apart from a few quirky facts, I feel that the Brits don’t know much about us. Polishness is many things; our love-hate relationship with football, enormous patriotism, complaining a lot, rich history, great hospitality, unpronounceable language, love for spirits and sometimes over-excessive pausing with the k word (the equivalent of English eff word), to name but a few of our peculiarities.

Where to grab a bite?

At the heart of it lies food, and boy, do we like a good feast. We’re extremely hospitable (our famous saying translates into English as “guest in the house, God in the house” — we are very Catholic), so if you ever get invited to a Polish dinner, my personal advice — fast for the entire day beforehand. Though there are Polish delis everywhere in London and you can buy pierogi (dumplings) and Tyskie (one of the most popular lagers) in almost every supermarket, this is not the way to let Poland onto your plate.

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Ready-to-go meals would be blasphemous. Polish meals are hearty and homemade. Our food is perhaps not as eye-pleasing as some other cuisines, but its beauty is in the ingredients and flavours. On the surface, it may seem pretty carnivore-friendly, but if you look closer you’ll see there are plenty of choices for vegetarians. Even the most popular version of our flagship dish — pierogi — is meatless. We really like experimenting with salads and we’re the world champions of pickling, name it we’ll squeeze it into a jar. This makes it healthy and certainly up and coming, given the current trend in pickled and fermented food. To draw a Polish food map of London would most likely take at least a year, but there are two places, which for me best encapsulate the essence of Poland.

Pea soup at Daquise. Credit: Andy Binkiewicz.

Daquise, by the South Kensington tube station (only one bus away with 430) is an institution. It has been in London for over 60 years. Apparently our government in-exhile, frequented the cafe. If you want to experience the best of traditional Poland, that’s the “it” place. Its interior is very simple and traditional and the first time I visited it reminded me of Sunday lunches at my grandma’s. In fact, a lovely older lady does serve your pierogi straight from the pan, the way you’d have it at home. Their menu is orthodox in a good way, but also versatile. Try their selection of soups, and (a must for a Polish lunch).

Mamuśka, in Elephant in Castle has an entirely different take on Poland. They try to breathe new life into traditional Polish food and smuggle in a bit of Britishness and modernity with coleslaw, burgers and vegan options, to name but a few. Their menu is seasonal, so you can experience best bits of Polish grub for every season of the year. The place itself feels to me like a blend of milk bars (communist version of McDonald’s — cheap canteens with “fast food”, which were iconic in the past, but are now almost extinct) and Nandos. Definitely try their (hunter’s stew) and (potato pancakes). Mamuśka’s drink menu showcases a variety of Polish vodkas, they even make their own vodka slushies. Personal tip: order orzechówka (after a few your tongue might be elastic enough to pronounce it) — hazelnut vodka — and get some milk on the side. Pour into the half a shot glass of vodka and you’ll experience the flavour of — the beloved dessert of Polish kids.

Sip of culture

Apple vodka slushie at Mamuśka. Credit: Andy Binkiewicz

The cultural heart of Polish London lies in Hammersmith at the Polish Social and Cultural Centre (Posk). They organise an enormous number of events and activities to integrate our community and preserve our identity, but also promote Polish culture to the Brits. Since the Brexit vote they’ve been doing an amazing job on bringing our communities closer. If you’re a jazz fan, definitely pop into their Jazz Cafe for their regular jam sessions. If your ears are brave enough to listen to our unpronounceable language for a few hours, check out Posk’s regular subtitled screenings of the best bits of Polish cinema.

Polish Cultural Institute regularly showcases the best of Polish cultural events both in the UK and Poland, so if you want to get to know more about Poland, you should definitely subscribe to their newsletter.

To have a full-on Polish experience al fresco, you must visit Potters Field Park. Once per year, Days of Poland, the UK’s biggest Polish festival is held there in a form of a picnic. It’s a unique chance to savour some of best of the Polish grub, watch our folk dances and boogie to both our traditional and contemporary music.

Daquise, 20 Thurloe St, South Kensington, SW7 2LT, www.daquise.co.uk, 0 20 7589 6117. Open Mon-Sun, 12pm-11pm. Starters from £6, mains from £15.

Mamuśka, 16 Elephant and Castle, SE1 6TH, www.mamuska.net, 0 20 3602 1898. Open Sun-Wed, 9am-11pm. Thur-Sat 9am-12am. Starters from £3.50, mains from £7.50.

Polish Social and Cultural Centre (Posk), 238–246 King St, Hammersmith, W6 0RF, www.posk.org, 0 20 8741 1940. Open Mon-Sun 10am-9pm.

Polish Cultural Institute, 10 Bouverie Street, EC4Y 8AX, www.polishculture.org.uk, 0 20 7822 8990. Open Mon-Fri, 9.30am-5:30pm.

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Andy Binkiewicz

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"Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you are at it" binkiewicza@gmail.com

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