“Cztery talerze” (Four Plates) is a newly opened restaurant, although the citizens of Szczecin, who used to visit the Galeria restaurant, find the place familiar. Robert Iłłakowicz, the owner, decided to give the restaurant a fresh look and feel. He decided that the best person to assist him would be Magda Gessler.

'Robert has approached me through my family and asked me to help him create a new restaurant', Magda explains how the family of famous restaurateurs appeared in Szczecin. - Being a busy person, I had to turn his offer down. But I recommended my son for his vast experience, and was absolutely sure he would be great in the job.

And this is how Tadeusz Muller moved to Szczecin. He had studied culinary art in Spain. He took his first steps as a cook assistant in a well-known restaurant in Ibiza. Then he worked in a few local restaurants in Madrid. He managed the famous tapas bar in Warsaw. ‘I have never persuaded my children to follow my career path’ Magda stresses. ‘But this world is highly addictive. I was totally preoccupied with cooking, and at home we were always talking about food, tastes and smells. Tadeusz entered this world independently and he is very consistent in his decisions.’

Magda Gessler sees certain similarities between his son and a British chef – Jamie Olivier. - He approaches food as an intellectual and an expert at the same time looking for the truth in food and for real products. He has created nearly everything in "Cztery talerze": from the interior design to the menu. And what can we find in the menu? ‘We offer European cuisine with Polish roots’ explains Tadeusz Muller. ‘You can have Polish beef, a Polish catfish, dumplings stuffed with duck and wild bolete mushrooms or herrings. Our food is always made of traditional local products.

The prices - from moderate ones at lunchtime to more expensive dishes from the menu. An average lunch at “Cztery talerze” will cost you about PLN 25. For snacks like bolete mushroom dumplings with goat’s cheese and wheat crust you will pay from PLN 19 to PLN 30. The price of a light meal such as roast potatoes with gherkins, salad, roast bacon, a fried egg with curdled milk is from PLN 20 to PLN 30, depending on the type of bacon - Polish one is less expensive than Italian pancetta. According to the restaurateurs a good duck should cost from PLN 40 to PLN 70. More sophisticated dishes, such as Argentinian roast beef or grilled octopus tentacles are served upon individual orders. A seasonal menu insert is changed weakly.

What is Magda Gessler’s recipe for a good restaurant?

‘I think that going to a real restaurant is like returning to the time of the Renaissance - it should be an aesthetic experience. The client must have a good time and feel at home in such a place’ explains Magda. ‘It is not about business, it is all about passion. A restaurateur must manage everything: from the food, the design, music, service to interpersonal relations. Excellent food is not everything – what you need is a good atmosphere.

ŁP