In addition to this week's special 2004 in Review pages of this newspaper, it is also an appropriate time to honour the tradition established last January of asking The Sofia Echo restaurant reviewers to say which restaurants they found most memorable during the course of their visits last year.
Marlene Smits said of restaurant Bvlgaria (4 Tsar Osvoboditel Street, Phone 988 53 07), "The food, service and atmosphere definitely stand out for me. It's calm and modern, the food is really up to standard and the service is great. Its personnel know about etiquette, but are absolutely not stiff. After having dinner there, I went back several times just for some dessert or a meeting."
Of The Thirsty Dragon (2, 13 Mart Street, 964 06 40), Marlene noted: "This is one of my all time favourite restaurants in Sofia. I visit it almost weekly. The food is great except for some exotic dishes that they simply don't know how to prepare properly. Apart from that the atmosphere is cosy and nice and that makes it a great place for informal dinners."
Her view on Pod Lipite (1 Elin Pelin Street, 866 50 53 or 866 50 59): "This restaurant is definitely a great way to have real traditional Bulgarian food in an old fashioned, but quite classy, environment. The food is great! And that's why it's a good start for foreigners to acquaint themselves with Bulgarian cuisine."
Of Hua Sing Sin Low (113 Vassil Levski, Telephone 943 34 83), she said:
"Here I simply had the best Chinese experience in Bulgaria. It's not a place one chooses to dine in for its looks, but the food is great."
Marlene's view on Komara (on Edison Street and Trudolubie Street, behind the parking of block nr. 9, 0887 265 021): "Komara is certainly also not on my list in terms of beauty. The food however, and in summer the tranquillity of the garden, is really a pleasure. I went back many times after the review and every single time I had a nice meal."
Gersende Schubert gave Pizza Victoria (7 Tsar Osvoboditel Street) four stars "for a terrific quality restaurant that is simply and neatly decorated" and she liked Pizzeria Ugo (45 Vitosha Boulevard and on William Gladstone Street), noting the careful thought that went into the decor, a diverse selection of dishes and pizza sizes that were "just right" as Goldilocks might have put it.
David McMullin gave Opera (113 Rakovski Street) five stars, as well as describing it as trendy and tasteful, and giving it a "bravo!"
Julia Terlinchamp had her first experience of Russian food at Gara Za Dvama (18 Benkovski Street) and said it had "eliminated any bad thoughts I once had about Russian cuisine".
Gus Worth awarded four stars to Amber (70 Burel Street in Ivan Vazov): "We can definitely say go to Amber and prepare to stop," and four stars to Rio (1 Bulgaria Boulevard, near the National Palace of Culture), which he thought to be good value for money, even with a bill for two of 64.40 leva.
Danny Dresser gave Awadh (41 Cherkovna Street) three stars, an Indian restaurant that he praised as a "highly welcome newcomer to the Sofia scene...even those who don't like very spicy food should give it a try, as the chefs are very happy to hold back on the chillis".
David Toal said of Bistro Boné, "the restaurant is basically a quaint, simple place favoured by locals. Much of the menu features the standard Bulgarian fare, but there are some interesting variations on traditional recipes and a few unique offerings. I've visited the restaurant three times, and each time found that the kitchen took care in consistently producing attractive, well-prepared meals."
Christine Milner said: "The best one I reviewed this year was the At the Fountain (17 Yanko Sakuzov Boulevard) where we had a really good meal that stood out from so many mediocre places. They obviously have an excellent chef and I hope it stays that way. The interior was just right - fairly trendy and tasteful but still cosy and we had a very good waiter who behaved naturally.
"The health food restaurant Kibea (2a Dr G Valkovich Street) is also a good restaurant and I regret being a little down on them in my review, they were the victim of circumstance and the fact that I chose something to eat that I should have known I wouldn't like. I know lots of people who really like the place and the standard of cooking has remained very high. Kibea also has a bookshop and a health food store downstairs, which I use quite frequently".
Looking back over the 15 restaurants he reviewed in 2004, Clive Leviev-Sawyer named his favourites as Armenian restaurant Egur, Egur (18 Sheinovo Street), Maharaja (65 Kiril and Metodii Street) for its Indian cuisine, and Retro (2 Dobromir Hristov Street) for its sophisticated atmosphere and decor, and excellent food and service.
Marlene Smits said of restaurant Bvlgaria (4 Tsar Osvoboditel Street, Phone 988 53 07), "The food, service and atmosphere definitely stand out for me. It's calm and modern, the food is really up to standard and the service is great. Its personnel know about etiquette, but are absolutely not stiff. After having dinner there, I went back several times just for some dessert or a meeting."
Of The Thirsty Dragon (2, 13 Mart Street, 964 06 40), Marlene noted: "This is one of my all time favourite restaurants in Sofia. I visit it almost weekly. The food is great except for some exotic dishes that they simply don't know how to prepare properly. Apart from that the atmosphere is cosy and nice and that makes it a great place for informal dinners."
Her view on Pod Lipite (1 Elin Pelin Street, 866 50 53 or 866 50 59): "This restaurant is definitely a great way to have real traditional Bulgarian food in an old fashioned, but quite classy, environment. The food is great! And that's why it's a good start for foreigners to acquaint themselves with Bulgarian cuisine."
Of Hua Sing Sin Low (113 Vassil Levski, Telephone 943 34 83), she said:
"Here I simply had the best Chinese experience in Bulgaria. It's not a place one chooses to dine in for its looks, but the food is great."
Marlene's view on Komara (on Edison Street and Trudolubie Street, behind the parking of block nr. 9, 0887 265 021): "Komara is certainly also not on my list in terms of beauty. The food however, and in summer the tranquillity of the garden, is really a pleasure. I went back many times after the review and every single time I had a nice meal."
Gersende Schubert gave Pizza Victoria (7 Tsar Osvoboditel Street) four stars "for a terrific quality restaurant that is simply and neatly decorated" and she liked Pizzeria Ugo (45 Vitosha Boulevard and on William Gladstone Street), noting the careful thought that went into the decor, a diverse selection of dishes and pizza sizes that were "just right" as Goldilocks might have put it.
David McMullin gave Opera (113 Rakovski Street) five stars, as well as describing it as trendy and tasteful, and giving it a "bravo!"
Julia Terlinchamp had her first experience of Russian food at Gara Za Dvama (18 Benkovski Street) and said it had "eliminated any bad thoughts I once had about Russian cuisine".
Gus Worth awarded four stars to Amber (70 Burel Street in Ivan Vazov): "We can definitely say go to Amber and prepare to stop," and four stars to Rio (1 Bulgaria Boulevard, near the National Palace of Culture), which he thought to be good value for money, even with a bill for two of 64.40 leva.
Danny Dresser gave Awadh (41 Cherkovna Street) three stars, an Indian restaurant that he praised as a "highly welcome newcomer to the Sofia scene...even those who don't like very spicy food should give it a try, as the chefs are very happy to hold back on the chillis".
David Toal said of Bistro Boné, "the restaurant is basically a quaint, simple place favoured by locals. Much of the menu features the standard Bulgarian fare, but there are some interesting variations on traditional recipes and a few unique offerings. I've visited the restaurant three times, and each time found that the kitchen took care in consistently producing attractive, well-prepared meals."
Christine Milner said: "The best one I reviewed this year was the At the Fountain (17 Yanko Sakuzov Boulevard) where we had a really good meal that stood out from so many mediocre places. They obviously have an excellent chef and I hope it stays that way. The interior was just right - fairly trendy and tasteful but still cosy and we had a very good waiter who behaved naturally.
"The health food restaurant Kibea (2a Dr G Valkovich Street) is also a good restaurant and I regret being a little down on them in my review, they were the victim of circumstance and the fact that I chose something to eat that I should have known I wouldn't like. I know lots of people who really like the place and the standard of cooking has remained very high. Kibea also has a bookshop and a health food store downstairs, which I use quite frequently".
Looking back over the 15 restaurants he reviewed in 2004, Clive Leviev-Sawyer named his favourites as Armenian restaurant Egur, Egur (18 Sheinovo Street), Maharaja (65 Kiril and Metodii Street) for its Indian cuisine, and Retro (2 Dobromir Hristov Street) for its sophisticated atmosphere and decor, and excellent food and service.
