The Knaypa is Polish restaurant on Hammersmith's busy King Street which caters for everyone, including the thriving local Polish community.

The Venue
The Knaypa is set out over two floors. The ground floor is stylish and contemporary with its pale floorboards, black wood tables and high-backed red leather chairs. It's all clean lines apart from the rather striking, dark pink, undulating ceiling. Downstairs the atmosphere is a little warmer and resembles a bierkeller with its low ceiling, wooden tables and chairs and its own bar. Chef Dominik Moskalenko has previously worked at Le Caprice and Scott's Of Mayfair.

The Atmosphere
A smiling waitress welcomes you, which is a good start to any meal. While upstairs is a little more sedate and refined, downstairs is where the local Poles gather, hang out and drink vodka and the feel is altogether more convivial. The background music is uptempo.

The Food
The first thing to say about Polish food is, in keeping with other northern European countries, it is basic and hearty, rather than delicate and refined. As an indication, the brown bread comes not with extra virgin olive oil, but with pork fat — the Polish version of bread and dripping. For starters the borscht is thin and slightly peppery with veal pierogi swimming in it. Pierogi are traditional Polish small dumplings and have a gluey texture. The chicken soup with noodles is also thin, but nourishing enough to ward off any northern winter, and not too salty which is often its downfall. Other starters include smoked sheep's milk cheese (£5.45) and herring with three sauces (£4.65).

There's veal-stuffed pierogi again for mains, this time served with onion and smoked bacon, or else filled with sauerkraut and wild mushrooms. The bigos (sauerkraut stew with small pieces of meat) are crunchy and vinegary and come with a quenelle-shaped mashed potato (£8.74). The pork loin is pan-fried in breadcrumbs and isn't too greasy. It too comes with mash and a rather tasty Polish version of barbecue sauce, plus a side dish of pickles, pink sauerkraut and cucumber in sour cream. Other options are roasted pork shank in mustard sauce, golabki (stuffed cabbage leaves), and, with a nod to contemporary tastes, king prawns with braised fennel and basmati rice (£12.50).

The portions aren't too big, which is a relief as they leave room for the desserts. The apple pie is warm and more like a strudel with its soft pastry. It comes with a dollop of ice cream (£3.85). The cheesecake is in the German mode than the American variety, with its more savoury taste and fluffier texture. There are only two other choices: an assortment of ice cream or pancakes filled with forest fruits and whipped cream (£3.85).

The Drink
The wine list is pretty comprehensive and it's well worth going for the Italian house red, a soft and velvety Merlot. Especially with this type of food however, beer is an equally good choice and there's a good selection of Polish brews, including Zywiec, Tyskie and Lech. Last, but by no means least, are the vodkas, flavoured or otherwise. The vodka and apple juice, a traditional Polish combination, is highly recommended, either before of after the meal.

The Last Word
As long as you’re not expecting haute cuisine, and if you like Polish food, then The Knaypa serves it up in a stylish, friendly setting.

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