Of all the memories that Greece provides, it is probably the food that is one of the happiest: pastry shops with syrupy sweets, an incredible range of olives, fresh seafood and tender lamb. True, Thessaloniki is only 340km from Sofia, but why drive all the way to Greece when you can have just as high of quality in Bulgaria?

The first visit to Elea was kind of a surprise, like, ‘you mean that there is a good restaurant in the wall behind the entrance to the nightclub?’ And there was. (Just be warned that after about 10pm, the jazz and blues that whisper through Elea’s speakers are accompanied by the thumping rhythm of dance beats in the background.) On that first visit, more than two years ago, the restaurant had recently been opened, the project of a Greek chef who had previously headed the kitchen at the Sheraton; a Bulgarian has since taken over, and the quality of food remains excellent.

As does the service – discreet, polite and able to respond capably to English-speaking guests. The overall feel of the restaurant allows a sense of intimacy, despite the fact that all tables are visible from the door. A recess to one side houses seating for eight or so, and down the centre of the hall is a two-sided upholstered bench. Greys with accents of black, white and red give a calm, classy air to the interior, while a table holding magazines by the door encourages one to grab a few, and sit down with an espresso.

After being seated, guests receive a basket with fresh-baked little olive oil rolls, accompanied by a pot of roasted sweet pepper spread and a pot of feta cheese spread; these, along with the water that is poured, incur a two leva charge for each customer, keeping with a tradition of restaurants in Greece.

The menu itself is focused, yet varied – the selection of appetisers is the largest, with items like sauteed lentils with olive tapenade, grilled shrimps, mussels in tomato sauce, roasted sweet peppers with bacon and frisee, and such like. At one memorable lunch, I had the grilled octopus (about 21 leva), a whole creature the size of a hand, tender and perfectly charred, doused in extra virgin olive oil and decorated with syrupy aged balsamic vinegar.

Salads, like the caprese with fresh mozzarella or Greek salad with feta and arugola, are freshly made, and the ingredients are rich in flavour. A particular favourite has been the green salad (a mix of green leaf lettuce and arugola, 7.80 leva) with a light mustard vinaigrette, sweet-tart cherry tomatoes, dried tomatoes that tasted of the heat of summer, crumbled mizithra cheese and sliced black olives that were mild and not at all salty, but very complex in taste. On one visit for a March lunch, that salad was so fresh that it still had sand in the lettuce, and a little green insect walking out from among the leaves.

That has not happened since.

At Elea for dinner recently, we ordered the chicken with lemon rind (15.20 leva) and the prosciutto-wrapped rabbit with game sauce (26.80 leva). When they came – both delivered at the same time, if such has to be mentioned for this restaurant – we were in awe, so pleasing to they eye they were: the chicken had an almost 1970s retro feel to it, with the X of ham-wrapped chicken breasts standing up in a chartreuse sea of lemony sauce on top of a low-rising circle of mashed potatoes. The three pieces of boneless roasted rabbit, accompanied by little carved footballs of roasted potato, were succulent, slightly salty-sweet and had a delightful char on the ends.

Add to that deliciousness a bottle of Telish rose wine (19 leva) and an espresso (two leva), and we were very happy.

The three-page wine list, surprisingly, has only two offerings from Greece, both from Domaine Sigalas. (The focus is on top-rank French, Italian and Argentinian wines, along with good names from Bulgaria, Chile and the United States.) When asked about this, the waitress said that, if requested ahead of time, Elea would have no problem procuring other Greek wines, and, in addition, for parties, menus and food offerings were open for discussion. We’re guessing that the upright piano at the back of the room would go towards the same purpose...

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Overall 4/6
Service 4/6
Atmosphere 4/6
Food 5/6
Price $$$$
($ up to 12 leva a person for three courses; $$ 12 to 20 leva pp; $$$ 20 to 35 pp; $$$$ 35 and over pp)

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Address:
127 Rakovski Str, Sofia
Tel: 02/ 987 03 39
Open: noon to midnight
Credit cards: yes