27 Angel Kunchev Str.
Tel.: 980 4098
Working hours:
11am - midnight, dayli
Credit cards not accepted
www.annette.bg

There is a Moroccan restaurant in the United States. It's called Matam Fez and it sits on the sometimes dodgy, but always colorful, Colfax, the longest east-west road in the country.  Matam Fez is full of theme, educating eastern-culture-seeking citizens of Colorado's new west with belly dancers, rose-water splash rituals, utensil-less meals, impractical cushions, sweet-savoury combinations, glittering textiles, and a long wait for the bill. Meals there are an event.  And an expensive one. But while Matam Fez can be characterised as a warm, yet conspicuous den for tourists and locals, Sofia's Moroccan offering, Annette, a name of French origin meaning "gracious", is a little more subtle in its style and caters to a more elegant group of jetsetters.

A new door between Dani's and DaVidi's, (both delectable and well-known selections along Angel Kunchev), Annette is in a hot little spot and that always helps.  An outdoor terrace would be nice, but then you'd miss the striped pillows, festival of fire-lit green, red and blue lanterns and the melted-icecream walls with cave-like cubby holes to light your dinner.  You wouldn't see the liquor cart, so casually placed near the customers, as if to insinuate you're attending a friend's dinner party instead of a restaurant. You wouldn't feel the immediate luxury that high ceilings inevitably provide. You wouldn't sense your limbs go limp from that atmosphere, which only one's favourite restaurants manage to achieve. You might not hear the instrumental music of eastern flutes and oriental hums.

Outdoor seating, however, might allow you to escape the completely impractical and uncomfortable chairs in the third room.  The atmosphere helps you forget, but they simply don't work - not for men's torsos nor for any lady interested in crossing her legs. The cushions in the first room are fun, but require some pillow arranging to get comfortable.  I suppose the point is authenticity, but comfort has been sacrificed and as a diner, specifically a European one, whose meal can last for hours, this is a consideration.  Remember to avoid the table just inside the door to your right, unless you don't mind being hit with every entrance and exit.  If you're desperate for a meal and Annette is booked, which was the case on a recent Saturday night at about 8pm, this table will do. 

But no matter where you sit, I predict the service will be a standout, as it was for me at both a Friday lunch and a Wednesday dinner.  The waitress, owner (who graciously stopped by our table) and woman who answered my reservations call all spoke enough English.  The convenient bilingual menu (one for each side and hooray, no long, oddly organised groupings to sort through) makes your selection easier.  And now lets eat.

My favourite thing about Annette was the salads.  Tiny little ramekins full of flavour and texture, we chose 10 for 24 leva (feeds four).  I loved the stringy and moist spinach mound with spices - it got all lost in my mouth. And the pile of mashed chickpeas was perfect - just on the verge of becoming hummus.  There were peeled tomatoes and peppers called Matbuha (to remind us we are in Bulgaria) sliced and marinated aubergines, soft and divine; their pate, surprisingly, even better.  Syrup-strewn dates cleanse our salted palettes.  There were thick hunks of bread for dipping, which our server dutifully replenished when empty.  And there were plenty of meat and carbs, too. One friend ordered the falafel sandwich and couldn't stop raving about its crisp outside and spicy flavour, but the veggie quiche (full of only potatoes, it appeared) lacked flavour. There was also our chicken with honey, mustard and spices - very tender and tasty. Msunum, although tempting to try simply because of its tongue-twister title and traditional Moroccan origin, resembled a very dry piece of banitsa with meat. But I'm sure they are baked in batches, so give it another go.  A myriad of other Middle-East themed selections are available - chicken shish, hummus, cous cous, leek-stuffed pitas and yoghurt-topped marinated vegetables, just to name a few.  Don't forget the mint tea for a post-meal treat.

I found the prices quite reasonable considering the service, ambience and food quality.  Lunch for four, with no alcohol, came to 52 leva.  Dinner was a grander affair, but not even close to outrageous and well worth the experience.  Take a peek upstairs before you leave.  Their loft, perfect for your next foreign visitor or girls' night out, is a white-washed hideaway where lounging seemed not only encouraged, but expected. Conclusion: During daylight or after dusk, Annette delivers.  I'll be returning this week.