Makedonska Kruchma
Address: Dobrinishte, 1 Georgi Dimitrov Str, near the baths
Tel: 07447/ 2274, 088/ 87922 99
[http://dobrinishte.cbbbg.com/mak_krachma.php]

For such a small town, Dobrinishte has its share of worthwhile restaurants.

A long holiday weekend recently found us at Makedonska Kruchma, on the recommendation of a friend who had been before.

Like most kruchmi (traditional Bulgarian taverns) ours was decked out in historic textiles, folk music (live later on in the evening) and rough-hewn wood.

And like most kruchmi, the menu was extensive with offerings, providing choice for all taste preferences and fancies. But they didn’t have chicken hearts.

Wine selections leaned towards larger labels - Damianitza, Todoroff, Domain Boyar, Domain Menada - which was unfortunate, as the better (if not best) Bulgarian wines tend to be from smaller producers. There were, however, a few such. But seeking out a native varietal, and not wanting to spend 25 leva on a bottle, I chose a Damianitza melnik (11 leva), which was passable. The waiter had sufficient knowledge about the restaurant’s cellar.

Others started with rakiya, which ranged from about 2.50 leva to expensive.

The service was prompt - enough to make us surprised at the speed at which our meals arrived once we ordered them.

And we ordered: selska salata (four leva), which is like shopska salata, but the sirene (feta-like cheese) comes in a slice next to the cubed cucumbers and tomatoes, instead of grated on top; shopska salata (3.50 leva); ovcharska salata (4.50 leva), which did have ham on it; and grated cabbage and carrot salad (2.50 leva), which came dressed. Though a bit early in the season, the vegetables shined with freshness and depth, earning superlatives from all present.

Before those were finished, our main dishes came. We had asked the waiter what he would recommend, and like in many places, either for his comfort or for yours, he recommended the house special (typically a combination platter). This makedonska combo dish (12 leva) was huge, enough for three of us to not finish it all. Some of the bits on the iron salver were only identifiable upon tasting - slices of sauteed tongue. Also embellishing the order were choushki byurek (farmer’s cheese-stuffed deep-fried sweet peppers), some type of gyuvech (a traditional meat-and-vegetable stew), some other meats and things, and melted kashkaval (hard cheese) blanketed the centre of the top.

It looked scarier that it tasted. Actually, it was quite enjoyable, trying all those random things that one sees on the menu, but never wants to commit to ordering a whole dish.

For those who decided to order separately, the shkembe chorba (milk-based tripe soup, 3.50 leva) received the appellation of tasty, but not the best ever, and there was revelry in the chicken kavarma (a type of stew baked in a clay pot, nine leva). Overall, the food was good, rich and deftly prepared.

Service continued to be attentive, despite the restaurant being near full (it seats 150 inside, plus about 200 in the lovely courtyard). Children’s antics amused us, and a synthesiser and vocalist added to the atmosphere.

Coffees (about two leva each) and cappuccino accompanied the house dessert, which sounded more interesting (Grandpa’s Secret or something, four leva) than it actually was (a pot of hard ice cream, and nothing special, as it’s sold it markets around the country. Oh well.), and a palachinka (crepe).

While the experience pleased us sufficiently, it was not the most superb of meals, if only because of the large scale of the establishment and insufficiency of home feeling. For a more intimate, and more memorable, time, at better prices and with better food, go to Babouch Mehana /Бабуч механа/, next to the summer courtyard and across the street.