It is a unique place on the culinary world map. The restaurant is the most successful culinary spot in Poland. Since 2016, it has consistently held one Michelin star. It has also achieved the top result in the Gault & Millau guidebook for two years in a row (2018 and 2019 – 18.5 points and 4 caps). It was the first restaurant from this part of Europe to be recognized by the jury of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and it was included in the prestigious list of The Diners Club® 50 Best Discovery Series. Andrea himself was chosen as one of the 100 best chefs in the world by Le Chef magazine. The Senses restaurant is also the winner of many national prizes and distinctions.
The name of the restaurant is no accident. When you visit the restaurant, expect all your senses to be stimulated. Only here will you try original flavor combinations of the most exclusive products from around the world. Your sense of smell will be pampered by selected and distinguished fragrances, which you would never expect on a plate. Using a variety of textures will not only let you hear the sounds of food, but you will also have the opportunity to use your sense of touch. And everything will be complemented by an artistic presentation on handmade plates produced according to Andrea’s designs. The impeccable service and wine pairing perfectly selected by the sommeliers will make your visit the finest three hours ever spent in a restaurant.
Andrea Camastra is a unique chef! Energetic, full of passion, with an unusual approach to cooking. Whenever he has a moment, he leaves Warsaw and heads for Kolbuszowa (Podkarpackie region), where his parents-in-law live. Because Andrea not only fell in love with Poland, but also with a Polish woman. There, Andrea helps with farm work. “Yesterday I was all dirty, and today, I’m in a clean apron, I’m preparing an artistic and fragrant dessert. That’s inspiring,” he says.
In Kolbuszowa, where the restaurant’s produce is sourced, you can find feral hogs being bred, as well as fallow deer, poultry and lamb. There are also vegetables and fruit grown in a traditional way, which, along with the best products from around the world, form the basis of Senses cuisine. And it’s a unique one at that! Andrea is passionate about his work and completely devoted to his restaurant. As he admits: “I work 14-16 hours a day, I often do not know what is going on outside!”
In addition to his title as of one of the top 100 best chefs in the world according to Le Chef magazine in 2019, he has also been recognized as “Chef of the Year North England,” “Chef of the Future 2015,” and “Chef of the Year 2017,” according to the Gault & Millau guidebook. Andrea’s unique talent and courage in crossing conventional borders was appreciated by Hervé This (originator and father of molecular cuisine), who during his stay in Poland appointed him ambassador of the “note-by-note” method and called him the successor of the legendary Ferran Adria.
Andrea cooks using the latest culinary techniques, while not forgetting about tradition. “I grew up surrounded by Italian cuisine. That’s where my love and great respect for the natural products comes from.” He comes from Bari, the city of Queen Bona, who taught Poles culinary curiosity and the taste of new vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplants and artichokes.
Andrea, despite many years of experience, never stops learning and is constantly searching for the latest innovations. He is the winner of numerous awards and distinctions, but he is still aware that there is a long way to go before reaching perfection. “Every chef has to start somewhere. Just like a child learns to walk before running,” says Andrea.
