Crossing the threshold of Ex’use me is a bit of an Alice-in-Wonderland experience – the world changes unexpectedly in sound, shape and proportion. Hushed conversations take over the sound of cars hooting on Vassil Levski Boulevard. The interior’s bold statement in black and white slices away the colour of the street. The striking two-tone elegance makes one think of Audrey Hepburn displaying an exquisitely long cigarette-holder between gloved fingers in Breakfast at Tiffany’s more so than of Citygroup CFO Sally Krawcheck decked out a two-piece suit and carrying an attache case. Still, Ex’use me is suited just as much for a romantic candle-lit dinner for two as it is for a sophisticated business lunch, especially if it seals a multi-digit deal. Don’t be fooled by its location (to get into the restaurant one has to cross the lobby of an new office building); this is not the place to grab a quick meal during lunch break, anything quick would not do justice to the venue – or the menu.  This is not a place to satiate one’s hunger. It is for those seduced into gourmet experiences. And if the food menu fails to convince you of this, the extensive wine list, representing almost every wine region of the world – old and new – should.

At the risk of sounding snobbish or patronising (my intention is neither), let me say that although Bulgaria boasts rich cuisine, its fine dining tradition is rather young. It is still possible for a restaurant to earn precious points by doing the basics right: serve complimentary water and bread, do not dump croutons into the soup before serving for a particularly soggy effect, and do not grill every drop of juice out of a steak, offer fresh-ground pepper, do not serve coffee with packaged sugar. Ex’use me scores high on all of these (save for the sugar).

Promise me prosciutto A restaurant’s menu is a promise. The more detailed it is, the more important it is to keep it. Ex’use me wins the gastronome’s trust with the rucola salad with cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, shaved parmesan and balsamic dressing (7 leva). It is a feast of tastes both strong and subtle, and it gets it just right.

Curry me over  Curry – an endless source of culinary ambivalence. Its taste is seductive, but a tad too much can overwhelm and numb the palate to other flavours. That makes it a good test to distinguish the heavy-handed chef from the one seeking a fine balance of tastes. This was why I decided, of the three soups on the menu, to gamble with the zucchini cream soup with curry, served with finely cut julienne pastrami and crispy croutons (4 leva). The texture is superb – homogeneous, yet with a bit of grain to keep that sense of fresh vegetables. Specks of roast pepper give it colour, the temperature is just right, and, bingo!, the croutons arrive on the side.

Rare is rare Here comes the carnivore’s delight: Ex’use me’s steak menu, which is exhaustive. I chose steak with edible boletus sauce and home-made mashed potatoes (23 leva). For a moment, I forget that the food critic’s job is to test, not tip, and explicitly ask that they prepare the steak on the rare side. The server takes gentle umbrage at my request, reassuring me that it is how they prepare the steak anyway. He spoke the truth, the steak was tender and juicy, on the rawer side of medium rare. The unmistakeable aroma of the boletus was the perfect finishing touch.

You say pudding, I say souffle       

Chocolate pudding has become a trendy dessert of late. In the past two months I’ve seen it on several menus. I have ordered it several times, and each time was served what I would rather call a chocolate souffle. This is exactly how it unfolded in Ex’use me, but I was inclined to forgive any misnomer after a spoon of this fluffy crusted treat for chocoholics. And because someone once spoiled it for me, claiming that the bulk of “chocolate pudding” served in local restaurants came half-made out of a Dr. Oetker box, I made sure I demand a confirmation that the chef prepares it from scratch.

After such a spectacular lunch, even anal-retentive wordsmiths could excuse the name’s odd spelling.

Ex’use me
15-17 Vassil Levski Blvd, Sofia
For reservations: +359 2 480 10 04
Working hours: Mon–Sun, 10am to midnight

Mediterranean Sea Bass

Ingredients:
Sea bass 400 g; white wine 30 g; tomatoes 280 g, chopped in cubes; capers 15 g; potatoes 300 g, sauteed and sprinkled with dill; olives 40 g, pitted and sliced; dill, basil, black pepper, garlic, salt

Preparation:
Fillet the fish. Rub the fillets with salt and black pepper and fry in very little oil (or without). Add the olives, tomatoes and white wine to the fish to make a sauce. Sprinkle with basil. Arrange the fish in a white plate and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with the potatoes. Serve with Sauvignon Blanc.