Perfekt
Borissovata Gradina, at the corner of
Tsar Osvoboditel and Evlogi Georgiev boulevards
Tel: 089/ 461 29 13
Open: every day, all day

The recent renovation of Ariana Lake has transformed what was a cement pit filled with stagnant water and rubbish and a cement quadrangle with uneven pavement into a bustling leisure area complete with two new, spiffy venues on the piazza: a cafe, and a birreria named Perfekt.

If only it were so.

Perfekt takes its inspiration from German bierstubes, or so it appears, though I’ve never seen a restaurant in Germany with such an amusingly presented menu. It is the food that gives a nod to perhaps Bavaria, or if not the food – which includes “German” delicacies like beer soup (the waitress was unable to say what it was; she also admitted that no one had ever ordered it from her), sauceless currywurst and the Perfekt zakouska (aka, breakfast/snack – a mixture of sliced sausages, scrambled eggs and rusks, topped with vegetable) – then the little image of a bar maid on the menu.

Also on the menu are semi-senseless jokes, often about imbibing and/or with sexual undertones, some quips, and a number of boxes marked “Special Offer!” in which certain items are recommended. The whole appears as a four-paged newspaper, dated November 10 1989. Curious.

The staff are about as kind as can be; the service is horrible.

One weekday lunch, it was not until someone decided to come clean off the outside tables that they realised that they had customers. Menus, cutlery arrived, and in about three minutes, so did the waiter, eager to take our orders. We asked for a bit more time; he returned 90 seconds later. My German salad came after only about 10 minutes, and I was pleased with the freshness of the lettuce, the chunks of ham (that were actually more meat than marbled by-product: always a good sign), the sweet, juicy tomato cubes, and the duly received horseradish cream in an individual pot. The cream was very tasty, though the horseradish had little zip.

It probably took about 20 more minutes for our other items to arrive – grilled vegetables, French-fried potatoes and a currywurst. Note that the pot of katsup was an extra charge. The vegetables (unseasoned as they come) were grilled to perfection, and I enjoyed the slabs of mushroom that added some hardiness the sliced aubergine, courgette and red pepper.

Lunch for two, including a soft drink, came to about 18 leva.

I decided to return, and one warm evening, headed out for a beer. The place was packed. All the outdoor and indoor tables were full, so it was necessary to share. That is an unfortunate thing about Perfect: all the tables are long and picnic-style, so smaller parties tend to feel like afterthoughts.

When I was finally able to flag down a waitress, I was told that the Zhiva Bira (a local brew) had run out, so I settled for a Shumensko (2.15 leva for 500mL), to be accompanied by a cabbage and carrot salad and an order of teewurst. She was, thankfully, able to explain the difference between the different types of sausages.
Fifteen minutes later, my beer came. Fifteen after that, the salad arrived (finely shredded vegetables were only made better by the balsamic vinegar and olive oil that are standard on the table – if your server can find some cruets not in use). Fifty minutes after having registered my order (per the time on the receipt that is placed on each table upon ordering), she returned to tell me that they had run out of teewurst; nor were there any other sausages available.

Despite the convivial atmosphere – everyone from mushy-eyed teenagers to groups of friends to young families to retired couples – I finished my beer and returned home, hungry.

The waitress, as were the other waitstaff that I have encountered there, was extremely kind and humane; they’re probably some of the nicest I’ve encountered in Bulgaria.
Still wanting a German sausage, I returned another evening, this time rainy, and over a holiday weekend. Perfekt was still full. Inside, the dark browns of the wood accented nicely the green of the lake; the whole of the restaurant is glass-walled, allowing for an excellent view. The music is modern, and thankfully kept to a talkable low.
The sausage. There was no teewurst available. There was no Munich-style wurst available. There were, however, currywurst and bratwurst. I settled for the latter at 5.45 leva. Forty minutes later, it arrived. And it smelled like bratwurst should. These, though, were three long, thin wurst, well seasoned, not too greasy and almost too salty. We’ll not blame the chef, for I doubt that they are made on-premise.

Again the staff were kind and accommodating. On a whole, though, they seem to lack experience in the art of serving.

The restrooms have always been well-stocked, yet with such a large seating capacity, two stalls seem insufficient: monitor your beer intake. About the beers – two Bulgarian and three imported brews are available draught, and Bulgarian and some imports (but not German) are available in bottles.

If only orders arrived a bit quicker and the food listed on the menu were available – for what is the point of offering German specialties if they are consistently lacking?