Bulgaria - Eastern Europe - page 77

more cafe-style Club Lavazza on Vitosha Blvd. (no. 13; & 02/987-3437 )—the lat-
ter is also the best place in town for a coffee (Lavazza of course), with plenty of cigar-
chomping bad boys to make it feel like a truly authentic Italian joint. If you're in the
mood for Indian, Taj Mahal is rated the best ( & 02/987 3632; 11-ti Avgust 11),
though newcomer Awadh is making real inroads ( & 02/943 3001; 41 Cherkovna;
www.awadhresetaurant.com). Cozy Le'Etranger ( & 983 1417; 78 Tsar Simeon St.),
the city's best French bistro, in one of Sofia's most cosmopolitan areas, but still a won-
derfully intimate affair with only seven tables personally tended by owners Oliver and
Mitana. Tambuktu ( & 02/988 1234; 10 Aksakov St.), a chain specializing in fish
dishes, is also highly rated by locals, though the garish signage did not encourage
exploration on our part.
With the exception of Pod Lipite and Awadh, all the restaurants listed here are
within walking distance of the hotels reviewed above, though you might want to take
a cab at night rather than risk getting lost (perfectly safe however). And don't forget
to carry cash if credit cards aren't listed—given how inexpensive dining is at these
places, it needn't be much.
MODERATE
Beyond the Alley, Behind the Cupboard INTERNATIONAL/BULGAR-
IAN It's not just the name that's quirky; located in an attractive Art Nouveau house,
in an interesting up-and-coming area just north of the Cathedral, the decor at this
fabled restaurant is equally eccentric. In the lovely garden you are greeted by a classic
Bulgarian water fountain, but here sprouting some 20 taps; in the lobby is an antique
cupboard filled with childhood mementos (changed seasonally); even the bathroom is
a surprise, so don't miss it (and look up)! Food is a mix of international (French/Ital-
ian) but with Bulgarian influence—the “village salad,” for instance, comprises fresh
vegetables topped with Rhodope cheese matured in a juniper casks, while the balls of
Itchera goat's cheese, coated and deftly fried in slivered almond coats, is superb; simi-
larly so the oven-baked rabbit, stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and
served with a potato gratin, and the toasted soda bread stuffed with baked peppers and
brie. With a large wine cellar updated annually, the wine list is also a superb introduc-
tion to one of Bulgaria's best-kept secrets. Small wonder that this is a personal favorite
for the editor of Bacchus, Bulgaria's revered food and wine magazine and host to the
likes of Bill Clinton and Catherine Deneuve. In short, if you have time for only one
restaurant in Sofia, head to Beyond the Alley.
31 Budapeshta St. & 02/983 5545. www.beyond-the-alley.com. Reservations essential at night. 13lev-25lev
($7-$16/£4.50-£8.65). Note that 7% service charge is added to bill. MC, V. Daily noon-midnight.
INEXPENSIVE
Monastery Cook House BULGARIAN You need to get here early just to get
through the menu—quite the longest we have ever seen, with much of it either
mouthwatering or somewhat obscure. Like Pod Lipite, this is thoroughly Bulgarian
cuisine, but here the owners have collected traditional recipes from 161 Bulgarian
monasteries, and there is plenty on the menu you won't find elsewhere, like
“Plakovsjka Hayverna,” peeled garlic, mashed with salt and oil, lemon, bread and wal-
nuts; and “Vartyana tarkana,” nettle and spinach stew, cooked with walnuts, garlic,
cheese, and butter. Like their restaurants, Bulgarians have a real flair for giving dishes
amusing names, and Cook House is no exception, with translations like “Thin Waist,”
“Full Stomach,” and “Tasty long-distance runner”—the latter a deboned rabbit leg,