45 years of communism in Poland could be compared to a culinary nuclear holocaust. Consistent shortages of everything have reduced the Polish cuisine to just a few basic staple dishes. Thus, I have a great respect for Magda Gessler, who is trying to revitalize the traditional and regional cuisine all over the provincial Poland with her TV show “The kitchen revolutions” by reorganizing one restaurant at a time. However, what that has done, in the meantime, to 5 or 6 of her restaurants in Warsaw is not always very good. I strongly believe that the owner’s, even periodic, presence is key to a successful restaurant. Magda Gessler’s latest restaurant is Biała Gęś, and it is in exactly the same place as Restauracja Polska Tradycja used to be. It used to be quite a feat to get a reservation there before at lunchtime or in the evening. It is not a problem any more, and unfortunately uneven quality of food and lack of attention to detail may play a role in this situation. For starters, zimne nóżki, beef tartar or the soups are just plain. Not bad, but not that great either. The goose-meat pierogi are worth mentioning, because they do stand out in this field of mediocrity.
For the main course, the only thing that can be recommended is, well, the goose. It is relatively easy to create a dry and inedible goose, but there the meat is tender and done to perfection; however, served without imagination. The fish are tasteless though, and the boar is the driest I ever ate – a really boring boar ;P
Thus, while I do admire Mrs. Gessler for what she is trying to achieve all over Poland, I am not impressed with what she has not achieved at Biała Gęś in Warsaw.
PS. A friend of mine paid 580 zloty (130 euro) for a bottle of regular vodka there; saying that the place is overpriced in wine and hard liquor would be an understatement.
PS. A friend of mine paid 580 zloty (130 euro) for a bottle of regular vodka there; saying that the place is overpriced in wine and hard liquor would be an understatement.
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