Bite Size Reviews
Posted: 03/09/2006
Restaurants in which Vivid writers dined recently included:
Amsterdam
(Str Covaci nr 6, 313 7580)
Lively, happening restaurant, bar and café that is really an oasis in the heart of Lipscani’s criminally neglected historic area. Convivial atmosphere, friendly service and a full inexpensive menu to choose from. Busy in the evenings. Dinner for two and beers came to RON 70.
Asami
(Calea Victoriei 17, 312 4785)
Well done Japanese teppanyaki food, and good to see some Romanian chefs learning the skill too. Great vegetables in tempura, and Sapporo beer. Quite expensive at RON 200 for two people.
Avalon
(Howard Johnson Grand Plaza, 201 5030)
Excellent restaurant, impeccable service, quiet, intimate, smart atmosphere, very interesting menu. Difficult to make a mistake on the menu but the Florentine soup (baby spinach leaves, with a poached quail egg atop a wafer of parmesan cheese) was spectacular. Two-course lunch with coffee and a glass of wine for two came to a little over RON 100.
Balthazar
(Str Dumbravia Rosie 2, 212 1460)
We were there on one of the busiest nights of the year when every waiter in town is rushed off his feet and delays are expected. Despite it being absolutely chock-full with revellers Balthazar coped magnificently. The wild mushroom soup made an exceptionally good starter, the sushi was great as always and my friends thought their chicken was outstanding. The bill for three including a bottle of Pinot Noir came to RON 200.
Barka Saffron
(Av. Sfentul Sanatescu 1, 224 1004)
A friend is convinced that the reason he was able to avoid catching a cold all winter was that he had a curry "seven out of ten on the spicy scale" in Barka last October. Warm atmosphere, likeable staff, reliable and wholesome food and an interesting array of cocktails and cigars. Good for eating and drinking alike.
Cupola
(JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, 403 1925)
Always a very pleasant, relaxing dining experience regardless of the occasion, impressive, simple Italian home-cooked food. Excellent choose-your-own antipastas. Friendly service with waiting staff breaking out into song in the evenings. Bookings essential if you’re there for dinner. Dinner for two without wine, but with an Exclusive Club card came to just over 70 RON.
Grand Café Galleron
(Str Nicolae Golescu nr 18a, 312 4565)
A centrally located grand villa tastefully renovated into a café-bar. A hit with the in-crowd. Beautiful, marble columned central area. Efficient service. Drinks are very reasonably priced: we were there with a group of 15 and the bill was just over 100 euros. A must.
Horoscop
(B-dul Dimitrie Cantemir nr 2, 335 4031)
An old warhorse of a restaurant that has been considerably made over and hence seen a marked improvement. With so many imposters posing as pizzas, its good to find the real thing. Excellent calzone and salads, centrally located right by Unirii, and very reasonably priced.
Idmemos
(Str Dr Felix nr 15, 317 7037)
Authentic Turkish dining atmosphere and cuisine, with food exposed in a glass case for customers to choose. A place to eat well and cheaply, but not somewhere to take a date. Moussaka highly recommended.
Palace Hotel, Sinaia
(Str Octavian Goga nr 4, 0244 313 051)
The hotel may have undergone renovations but the restaurant remains pretty much the same, serving no-frills good food at surprisingly low prices. We had vegetable soups and one of the best examples of papanache you are ever likely to find anywhere. A great place to stop during a car ride to Brasov. Bill was only 25 RON for two.
Piccolo Mondo
(Str Clucerului nr 9, 223 2225)
The oldest and still Bucharest’s best Middle Eastern restaurant, which deserves all its success. Two outdoor terraces which were packed all summer long. A great range of Lebanese and Romanian foods. One of very few places you can enjoy a nargila. Reckon on spending about 15 euros a person.
Restaurant Pekin
(Calea Victoriei 16-20, 310 3160)
Small but surprisingly good Chinese restaurant that you have to be taken to otherwise you’d miss it completely. Upstairs from Pasaj Calea Victoriei. Eggplant dishes were delicious. Bill for a lunch for three came to 120 RON with a tip.
Roberto’s
(Athenee Palace Hilton, 303 3777)
Ambient, warm surroundings, great salad bar, meat buffet, more than a dozen different olive oils, attentive service, wonderful, inventive food. Only in its first year and already one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.
Trattoria del Tatoei
(Calei Victoriei 26, 315 3399)
New walk-down Italian restaurant gradually gaining clientele thanks to its excellent, well-priced menu. Good range of side dishes - the spinach and the broccoli, and the penne with sun dried tomatoes all come highly recommended.
Trattoria Il Calcio
(Str Mendeleev nr 14, 0722 134299)
Busy Italian restaurant serving cheap no-frills food in the heart of Piata Amzei. Antipasta recommended.
Uptown
(Str Rabat 2, 231 4077)
Unquestionably one of Bucharest’s best restaurants whose quality has been enhanced further by an extensive makeover,
which has added interior space, bar space as well as many other improvements. Always popular and well patronised by interesting people so reservations are advised.
Gorgonzola pasta with walnuts is highly recommended.
The Whitehorse
(Str George Calinescu 4A, 231 2795)
Many people enjoy the pub downstairs but it is just a little too dark, crowded and smoky for our liking. The restaurant upstairs however is spacious with a good variety of pub-type counter meals. The salads are excellent, and there wasn't very much that could be criticized about my omelette. Lunch for two was 65 RON.
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