Lucky Cafe
Address: 21 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd
Tel: 943 33 44
Open: Monday to Saturday 8.30 to 22.00, Sunday 10.30 to 22.00

Bulgarians are tremendously sweet toothed and enjoy pastries, cakes and other such desserts on a daily basis. To accommodate this sugar dedication the country is covered with pastry cafes, or in Bulgarian terms “sladkarnitsi”. Some are undistinguishable while others are supreme. I myself generally prefer savoury items, but do enjoy and appreciate quality desserts immensely. Therefore on the special occasions that I do have a yearning for a slice of torte, I go to one place only, the Viennese patisserie Lucky, which began making gourmet creations almost 15 years ago. Considering that many shops and restaurants close down within their first few years, 15 is proof of merit.

There are three locations in all: a small one in TZUM called Lucky Espresso Bar, another in Kempinski Hotel Zografski, where the company also owns a restaurant named American House, and their mother ship Wiener Cafe on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, the one I visit most. The cafe is expansive and airy, with light-filled tall ceilings and art adorning the walls. Its recently improved interior has cream- and coral-coloured walls, and elegant upholstery. Female waitresses are dressed in simple traditional costume, I assume Austrian, of a corseted vest with a white blouse, and an empire-waist skirt reaching the floor.

Here at number 21, between the Eagles Bridge (Orlov Most) and the University, skilled artisans create the cakes using imported cream, butter and chocolate to ensure the utmost quality and taste experience. The results are evident and delicious. The easy bilingual menu offers only foreign treats, cakes with names such as Zuppa Inglese, Versailles, Prince Regent, Royal, Almond, Carrot, Esterhazy, Marzipan, Morocco Safi, Japanese, Tiramisu and more.

The Royal is listed as being flourless, with almonds, vanilla and chocolate. A bouquet of light and rich, soft and crispy fills the mouth, and other magical flavours are detected too. I like it very much. The strawberry cheesecake looks and tastes good, but is very different from the New York-style cheesecake one may be used to. Instead of a sweetened, rich cream cheese, there is only a fluffy whipped filling, a European variation I suppose.

My favourite of their cakes is the Raspberry Velvet, a sumptuous dark chocolate and raspberry ganache with hints of Cointreau. It is simply stellar, and beautifully served with a fresh raspberry and mint sauce. The taste is similar to a molten lava cake or a chocolate souffle. In fact, I loved Raspberry Velvet to such extent that I chose it as my wedding cake for my special affair two years ago.

Lucky does specialise in celebration cakes for weddings and other such important events. And for the smaller admirers of sweets, Lucky offers unique edible miniature figures of fairy tale scenes, boots, houses, animals and other familiar characters. These are always on display and available for purchase, and in themselves are an interesting site to see. The grown-ups can enjoy a realistic flower bouquet, consumable too (although I cannot say much for the taste, since I have never tried them).

In fact the artisans at Lucky are so good that they attend competitions all over Europe, and have brought the Culinary Cup home many a time. The latest winning creation is a chess set, on display at the 21 Tsar Osvoboditel cafe. Some of the special-order wedding, birthday and sugar art can be viewed on their website (www.luckybg.com).

The cafe also offers light meals and snacks, including exotic salads, sandwiches, pasta and wine, muffins, croissants, festive breads and seasonal items, too, such as pumpkin pie and Christmas cookies. A savoury food item costs between seven and 10 leva and a piece of cake is about six. If you wish to purchase a whole cake to go, a 10-piece will cost you 39 leva and a 14-piece 55.

Lucky is a perfect setting for a classic polished brunch, an afternoon client appointment or even a romantic rendez-vous, not to mention the spot to find one of the most delicious wedding cakes.