The Hanut Restaurant /
ресторант Ханът
27 General Kartsov Str, Karlovo
Tel: 088/ 726 96 18
Working hours: 10.00 to till late; closed Sundays
Free WiFi
Credit cards: no

Of all the facilities comprising the Hanut complex – shops, a bar, a hotel and a restaurant in one venue – on this particular occasion I decided to write about the restaurant. Everything is made of dark brown walnut: chairs, tables, window panes and even the cute miniature fence around the neatly mowed grass in the middle of the courtyard. The countryside ambience is soothing; despite being on the main road from Sofia to Bourgas, behind the massive walls of the Hanut (meaning "the khan") complex, the only sound you’ll hear is the echo from the artificial fountain.

The atmosphere inside does not make a particularly great impression – just an ordinary, medium-sized restaurant for around 40 to 45 people, ideal for small wedding receptions and prom parties. There’s just one catch – the further inside you go, the darker it gets. Windows are only on one side of the restaurant and since the inner courtyard is surrounded by the hotel’s other buildings, not enough light gets through. They try to compensate with electric lighting, but I’m not fond of this particular combination.

My friend and I were fortunate to get seats in the blooming spring-green garden. We had to wait for the menu a little longer than usual but that was because of the crowd. The explanation for this is simple – visitors are attracted by the beautifully arranged garden, the varied menu and prompt service. The restaurant offers a wide choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a rich selection of salads, meals with chicken, pork or veal as well as around 20 pizzas and 10 vegetarian meals. The menu may arrive quickly but, unfortunately, it’s only in Bulgarian.

The winter selection is mostly limited to pickles or baked peppers (preferable to eating tasteless and dry tomatoes) whereas in other seasons the fresh and crispy vegetables are a real delight.

From the 20 different types of salads, my brother chose a shepherd’s (ovcharska) salad (450g – 4.10 leva), and I ordered a summer aroma (lyatno uhanie) salad (350g – 3.60 leva) along with a glass of ayran. We were pleasantly surprised when the salads arrived promptly and simultaneously. The summer aroma salad is like a pyramid with well-ripened tomato slices, crispy and cool cucumbers and a juicy pepper, which really reminded me of the taste of summer. The combination of both sirene (feta) and kashkaval, abundantly sprinkled on top of both the salads, made them even more delicious. I always order ayran, one of the secret little tricks to establishing whether a restaurant skimps on its ingredients. This time the ratio of yoghurt and water was perfect.

Since I got lost in the vast choice of main courses, the waitress was good enough to suggest several entrees, from which I ordered the drunk chicken (piyano pile) (350gr – 5.50 leva). The name is misleading (there’s nothing alcoholic in it) but it’s totally worth it, especially if you like blue cheese. Additionally, chicken tenders are smothered in cream sauce swimming with pieces of blue cheese and mushrooms. The other dish we ordered was pretty uncommon – Hawaii chicken (pile Hawaii) (350gr – 5.20 leva) – in contrast to the other selection, it was very sweet because of the pineapple pieces. A small ball of white rice accompanied the yellowish tenders in the milk cream. The fresh, cooked-to-order meals were served right out of the oven while we were still enjoying our salads, so there was enough time for them to cool down.

Suddenly, the heavens opened but the quick assistance of the bartender and the waitresses prevented any spoilt meals. We were given seats under a shelter, again in the open air since I was unwilling to part with the beautiful view of the garden. Plus, there are no separate areas for smokers and non-smokers inside, so the only solace is to take the ventilated tables under the air conditioners.

On another winter visit I tried the ice cream. Although it was windy outside and almost no one orders a melba (an ice cream dish served with fruit and usually a fruit syrup) during that time of the year, I decided to check whether the ice cream was stale. Once again I was pleasantly surprised – the creamy and fresh ice cream was neatly garnished with strawberries, blackberries and a cookie.

Overall, I can wholeheartedly agree with my brother that eating out at Hanut was a good way to spend several hours!