Sofia is home to a mere handful of Indian restaurants but each seems well-frequented, especially in the winter when a hot curry banishes the cold and the January blues.

In the UK, of course, curry has long since usurped fish and chips as the nation’s favourite dish. Thankfully, that other quintessentially British tradition of seeing drunks staggering to their local curry house on a Friday night after downing eight pints of beer, their faces buried in a plate of chicken tikka masala, has not spread to Bulgaria.

All Indian restaurants in Sofia that I have visited, Kohinoor included, are calm and infinitely civilised. And since Indian food is my favourite cuisine, I am perhaps reasonably well-placed to judge the exquisiteness of the food or otherwise.

Kohinoor (which means "mountain of light" in Hindi), situated a little distance from Sofia’s famous Five Corners,  was very full on both occasions we dined there recently. It compares well to its counterparts in terms of interior design – spacious and furnished authentically. Its competitors, on the other hand, seem either too dark or somewhat tackily decorated and, thankfully, at Kohinoor there are no in-your-face Bollywood movies imposed on you from giant screens.

Service on our arrival was polite and prompt in terms of providing menus and taking orders and bringing pre-prandial rakiyas. I ordered vegetable samosa for starters (5.50 leva for 200g) and my wife ordered samosa with lamb (6.50 leva for 200g). The samosas were excellent, a little smaller perhaps than in one or two competitors but a good idea considering the main course.

On this first occasion at Kohinoor (admittedly a busy Saturday night), however, there was a long interval between their removing the starter and bringing us the main course, about 40 minutes in fact. We had to gently remind the waitress that we were still expecting our order. It was eventually brought to us with profuse apologies for the tardiness.

The main courses, however, were served piping hot and were well worth the wait. Our chicken dhansak (10.90 leva for 400g) was the best we have tasted in Bulgaria, just the right texture and suitably spicy and filling.  We shared a bowl of pillao rice (5.50 leva for 300g) layered, as advertised, with traditional spices and garnished with fried onions and ground cashew nuts.  

For dessert we had the gajar ka halva (4.50 leva), a sweet of grated carrot cooked with sugar and milk rounded off the dinner just fine. By then, after Naan bread (1.50 leva) and wine we were well and truly bursting. The bill came to a little more than 65 leva, a good meal that just hit the spot.

On another occasion, the service was much quicker and the food was just as good (and we opted for similar dishes as on the first occasion) indicating that the slowness on the Saturday before was an aberration. Again the restaurant was very crowded so we occupied a seat on the ground entrance floor – not to be recommended, by the way, particularly in the winter when the door opens at regular intervals. Thankfully, however, we were quickly ushered downstairs when a table became free.

Overall, the best Indian food we have had in Sofia to date. So far, no item we requested has been missing from the menu – unlike in other Indian restaurants – and all dishes were clearly explained and weighted.

Info

Address: 3 Khan Asparouh Str.,Sofia

Tel: 088/ 253 25 41

Open: Monday to Friday 11am to 11pm
Saturday 5pm to 11pm
Sunday - closed

Credit cards: yes