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April 15, 2012

Romania: pre-Easter weekend

We recently went to Bucharest for a long family weekend. Main advice if one decides to fly Tarom (or Brussels Airlines, in which case the flight is operated by Tarom): the special foods (vegetarian and especially kosher) are much better than what one would normally get.

As for restaurants (no pics this time, sorry), we went to the Chinese Garden in Bucharest, which we understood is supposed to be one of the best in town. By comparison to other Chinese restaurants in Brussels/Western Europe, we found the food quite average. Big plus for the large number of choices on the menu. My fish in soy sauce and garlic was all right. The shrimp dumplings had spent some time in the freezer and our second main dish, octopus with vegetables, turned out to be quite similar to the fish, plus way too much soy sauce and MSG. Atmosphere was nice (especially when surrounded by dear friends) but service fairly slow.

Second stop in Bucharest was the Sky Bar. Located in the poshy area of Dorobanti, in a rather banal building, this is apparently the first roof bar in Romania. Just that once you get to the fifth floor where the bar is, you realize that there are much taller buildings around and that you are anywhere but "above the city". That surprise apart, I loved the interior design (very chic white chairs and cosy couches, cool lights and entertaining music). They also have a big terrace which must be very nice in the summer. The menu was generous for both foods and drinks, including some original non-alcoholic ones. Definitely recommended!

A nice little surprise was also the Aristocrat restaurant in the old centre of Targoviste, a small city 80km away from Bucharest. We were the first customers that evening, so the staff was welcoming and friendly. Small elegant place, although quite common, with some comfort food options (mix of French and Italian, plus some Romanian options). What was probably best about it were the prices!

PS: r1d may not share the same views, he is more demanding and critical when it comes to food:)

Chinese Garden (Bucharest)
http://www.chinesegarden.ro/bucuresti/
Sky Bar (Bucharest)
http://www.skybar.ro/


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