Address: 6 Atanas Dalchev Str, Sofia
Tel: 970 01 11
Open: 9.00 to midnight
Credit cards: yes

Overall 4/6
Service  3/6
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)

Snuggled into Iztok, one of Sofia’s more expensive quarters, only one bus stop away from the bustle of the city, Moderato attracted me immediately with its tranquillity. In contrast to the huge two-storey building that houses it, the verdant garden is small, but full of flowers. The rather high buildings surrounding it, however, make it look like it is at the bottom of a well.

When we arrived, most tables were empty, but by the end of the evening they had filled up and the garden had turned into a lively, cheerful place where English and French predominated.

This did not apply to the inside – it remained rather inhibited, with only people in formal wear. Of those, a number were waiters – one to open the door and welcome you, another to guide you to your table and still another to serve you – which made the place seem much sophisticated, to the point of being a little stiff for my tastes.

After several minutes, the waiter approached us with two menus, but only gave one to me, then left. After a few moments, he leisurely returned and handled my friend an English menu. My friend, though he is American, claims that his Bulgarian is better than their translator’s English, so he crossed-checked things in my menu several times while complaining about spelling errors and occasionally apologising for being such a grammar nazi.

While waiting for our combination salad (7.80 leva), steamed asparagus (six leva) and pork fillet, we indulged in the bread, which came with two pats of butter and a dab of tapenade, placed on the table before we arrived. Spreading it over a slice of brown bread was a good way to whet our appetite before the real food came. The waiter came to pour water in our glasses every now and then, a good digestive step.

Everything was smooth till the moment we realised that we were being charged for these trifles, which we had not requested. There being bread, butter and olive pate on the table when we came, we naturally assumed that this was a classy joint that treated its customers well; finding out later that we had to pay for the privilege (5.40 leva) when we weren’t even informed of this beforehand, much less given a choice of whether we wanted to shell out for it, rather soured the impression.

Meanwhile, the salad came – several slices of tomatoes and cucumbers neatly accompanied with a dollop of tapenade and snezhanka salad (drained yoghurt with cucumbers), a baked pepper and two good slices of Bulgarian sirene cheese. Everything was crispy and plentiful, and I really appreciated the abundance of firm feta-like sirene that so enhanced the flavour.

The large portions, however, apparently only apply to the salads. When we were brought the “main” course, we were surprised at the small portions. My tiny asparagus spears in a yellow cream sauce (six leva) numbered 10 or less, served in the middle of a large plate that made them looked even smaller. The waiter had recommended them as a fresh daily special, but it turned out that a couple were tough. My friend’s pork fillet (16.20 leva) was quite tasty and smelled wonderful, and the melted cheese made it wonderfully moist. However, if it were not for the baked potatoes sprinkled with dill that he ordered as a side dish, the pork, though delicious, would by itself have been completely insufficient.

As we were both watching our respective budgets, we left hungry and when I asked, my friend said that he didn’t especially want to come back.

However, my desire to give this restaurant a second try brought me back one Saturday evening. I made a reservation beforehand to make sure that I wouldn’t have to wait to be seated. To my surprise, the restaurant was empty again.

As the garden closes at 9.30pm, so the noise from it will not bother guests in the hotel above, my friend and I were seated inside. I did not object at all. Despite being in the corner, I still had a pleasant view of a waterfall coming from the wall, a guitar-like bar and other musical-themed pictures on the walls. Till the moment when the loud noise of someone drawing money from the outside ATM, right behind my back, mixed with George Michael.

At this visit, my friend decided to try the risotto with forest mushrooms (8.80 leva) (I still wonder if they were really picked in the forest) and I tried one of the desserts – cream cake with fruit (5.20 leva). Both of these were tasty and artfully presented.

The creamy mix of rice and mushrooms came served in a cylinder shape with shredded yellow kashkaval cheese over it and several potatoes around it – all in complete harmony. The dessert was served with an abundance of freshly whipped cream, only slightly allowing the cake to present itself with a coating of meringue, making the whole piece a light pleasure. And the fruit part was made with real slices of chilled kiwi, plums and pears, rather than the usual sugary jarred fruits put into cakes.

Overall, Moderato is attractive with its extensive wine list and refined culinary offerings, but make sure you’re ready to spend a good amount on dinner.