Address: Ploshtad Oborishte,
located in Stari grad (Old Town), Shoumen
Working hours:
Noon to midnight daily
Tel: 054/ 802 222

Shoumen is not considered by many to be the garden spot of Bulgaria. There's an overabundance of Communist-era concrete, moulded and fashioned into various oversized and unattractive forms. In the centre of town stands the skeleton of an unsalvageable architectural abomination - a permanently unfinished apartment building resembling a huge, fossilised caterpillar stood on end.

High on a distant hill stands another behemoth - this one actually completed - a monument erected in the early 80s that pays tribute to 1300 years of Shoumen history (1300 steps lead up to this monster of a structure, for the benefit of those who would like to view Shoumen from above and afar).

Sight is not the only sense under assault in this town; for whatever reason, the breeze occasionally carries with it an acrid smell resembling a combination of diesel exhaust and kerosene.

But if you should find yourself in Shoumen, all is not lost. There really are some positive aspects to this town, including an older section which features not only some charming architecture but also a decent restaurant called the Popsheitanova Kushta.

Situated on Ploshtad Oborishte, Popsheitanova Kushta looks like a pretty white house and sits in the middle of a sunken, walled patio that you access through a pair of wrought-iron gates. Inside the restaurant, small rooms surround a larger space that is broken up into dining spaces through the use of wrought-iron partitions; the result is spacious yet intimate. White walls, tile and hardwood floors and an impressive collection of antique irons impart an air of homey simplicity. Weather permitting, there is also dining outside on the patio.

There were eight of us, and we arrived at around 5.30pm, famished after a long train ride. The place was devoid of other customers at this early hour, but (luckily) the staff was prepared to serve us. We sat down and were given menus to peruse which were in both Bulgarian and English. An eclectic mix of tunes played in the background - there was some pop stuff that sounded like it was from the 1960s (complete with organ and harpsichord), something that sounded like the European version of Roy Orbison, and some truly goofy Europop that kept us amused as we waited for our orders to arrive.

For salads, we ordered a prolet, a pechen piper shopski (shop-style roasted pepper salad), and a shopska salad. The prolet (meaning "spring") turned out to be a generous helping of matchstick-cut carrots and cucumbers garnished with dill and a somewhat desiccated lemon wedge. It was all right, but not terribly interesting. The pechen piper shopski, on the other hand, was very tasty, with its heaps of parsley, roasted green peppers, sirene (white feta-like cheese), and cooked egg. As for the shopska, it's hard to go wrong, and this was no exception.

We also opted for some kyopoolu (a mashed eggplant-based salad), which came in three thick scoops and was satisfyingly garlicky. We enjoyed it on some fresh slices of bread, which was toasted to exactly the right combination of external crunchiness and internal chewiness.

One of our party ordered chicken winglets, which were nicely crispy and simply done. They weren't overly seasoned, which allowed the natural flavour of the chicken to come through, but those who like their wings spicy might find these a bit boring.

For entrees, six of us ordered the house speciality, which was a satisfying slab of pork fillet topped with ham, mushrooms, tomato slices, gravy and melted kashkaval (yellow cheese). (One of the guys at our table commented, "All you need is bacon and you've got the trifecta!") The hardcore meat-eaters gave it a unanimous thumbs-up.

The real winner of the evening turned out to be the tender and tasty chicken kebap. Simmered in a brown sauce with carrots, caramelised onions and sliced mushrooms, this came to the table sizzling in a wide, shallow crock-like plate. Although the sauce was a little on the salty side, everyone agreed that this dish was excellent.

By now, the background music had segued into Bulgarian folk, and it was time to check out some desserts. The custard-like rice pudding contained very little rice and looked like cream of mushroom soup - which was a little disconcerting - but it was pleasantly creamy and not too sweet. Those with a chocolate craving found the crepe-like pancake filled with chocolate to be perfectly satisfactory, if not particularly unique.

An interesting dessert offering was the apple circlets, which were apple slices dipped in a light coconut batter and fried. These proved very tasty.

Our total bill, including two glasses of wine and four beers (one small and three large), came to 121 leva, which averaged out to a little over 15 leva per person. We were absolutely stuffed when we walked out of there, and everyone agreed that it was a good place to eat hearty in the heart of Shoumen's Old Town.