The Bulgarian
Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, September 2006
Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables within easy reach in the surprising Black Sea resort. I am trying to see how many seas and oceans I can swim in before I pass on to the next world (is that Disneyland?) so I was drawn to this resort by its promise of fine sand and its low prices.
The Bistro, 3rd September 2006
You thought Moussaka is Greek? Think again; it's Bulgarian according to the "Bulgarian Specials" section of the menu. Goulash Hungarian? Wrong again - it's Bulgarian. Hotpot English? Won't you ever learn? It's Bulgarian! (However, I am told that Bulgarians don't eat their food hot, only cold).
Lots of different salds to choose from as starters. In some restaurants the salad choice was superb - bags of fresh ingredients brimming with flavour and crisp as the moment they were picked or harvested. Tonight I choose Tomaoto and Cucumber Salad - a mistake. It was just that: a sliced tomato and a sliced cucumber arranged next to each other on the plate. An attempt at a sauce turned out to be salad cream. So far so bad.
Then the main course. It made up for the salad. A hotpot that was authentic and wholesome. Difficult to find this sort of honest food in an English restaurant. Just beef done to a tender but firm texture with flavours of thyme and bay that were not at the overpowering "ale pie" rich steak, HP Sauce end of the spectrum. Lots of carrot, onion, potato and flagolet bean accompanyment with good sized portions. I have to admit it was re-heated and on the cool side but then I was surrounded by chip and steak-eating tourists so one can't expect the kitchen to have ovens full of these dishes; in fact, it's a wonder that they offer this dish in the first place when one considers the burger culture in which they exist.
Wine was a Bulgarian Cabernet-Sauvignon and, I have to confess, I couldn't have differentiated between it and a French variety.
No dessert as no room. But plenty of Brandy in the bar later since happy hour starts at 3:00 pm and finishes in October (would you believe I did the Karaoke - including a Dusty Springfield number, "I Only Want To Be With You" and Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera" - a real crowd-pleaser with lots of joining in).
The price? So low it would be rude to mention it.
Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables within easy reach in the surprising Black Sea resort. I am trying to see how many seas and oceans I can swim in before I pass on to the next world (is that Disneyland?) so I was drawn to this resort by its promise of fine sand and its low prices.
The Bistro, 3rd September 2006
You thought Moussaka is Greek? Think again; it's Bulgarian according to the "Bulgarian Specials" section of the menu. Goulash Hungarian? Wrong again - it's Bulgarian. Hotpot English? Won't you ever learn? It's Bulgarian! (However, I am told that Bulgarians don't eat their food hot, only cold).
Lots of different salds to choose from as starters. In some restaurants the salad choice was superb - bags of fresh ingredients brimming with flavour and crisp as the moment they were picked or harvested. Tonight I choose Tomaoto and Cucumber Salad - a mistake. It was just that: a sliced tomato and a sliced cucumber arranged next to each other on the plate. An attempt at a sauce turned out to be salad cream. So far so bad.
Then the main course. It made up for the salad. A hotpot that was authentic and wholesome. Difficult to find this sort of honest food in an English restaurant. Just beef done to a tender but firm texture with flavours of thyme and bay that were not at the overpowering "ale pie" rich steak, HP Sauce end of the spectrum. Lots of carrot, onion, potato and flagolet bean accompanyment with good sized portions. I have to admit it was re-heated and on the cool side but then I was surrounded by chip and steak-eating tourists so one can't expect the kitchen to have ovens full of these dishes; in fact, it's a wonder that they offer this dish in the first place when one considers the burger culture in which they exist.
Wine was a Bulgarian Cabernet-Sauvignon and, I have to confess, I couldn't have differentiated between it and a French variety.
No dessert as no room. But plenty of Brandy in the bar later since happy hour starts at 3:00 pm and finishes in October (would you believe I did the Karaoke - including a Dusty Springfield number, "I Only Want To Be With You" and Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera" - a real crowd-pleaser with lots of joining in).
The price? So low it would be rude to mention it.
posted by Jean-Paul Sartre at
8:28 pm
