Polanka

Lively Polish ballads play in the folksy pale-wood panelled dining room hidden behind this attractive Hammersmith deli/restaurant. An eerie blonde mannequin decked in brightly embroidered costume gazes at diners. Pelts of wild boar decorate the walls. So far, so mountain-kitsch. The friendly service is utterly genuine, however; coupled with the generous portions of traditional food, it makes Polanka a place worth frequenting. Mild herrings in oil were enlivened with lashings of raw onion and pickled cucumber - perhaps not a great date dish. A gargantuan plate filled to the edges with four Frisbee-sized potato pancakes and a lake of rich pork goulash might have lacked something in aesthetics (resembling a brown reservoir garnished with a slice of orange), but it certainly made up for this in flavour. The pancakes were pleasingly crisp on the outside, firm on the inside, and contrasted with the rich stew filled with wonderfully cooked pork that melted in the mouth. A skylight brightens what would otherwise be a poky room, making it a very pleasant place to linger over a tasty piece of cake from the deli's display case.