This week I will feature Bulgaria, from where to eat, where to go, what not to miss, along with some great travel stories and photos. I will end the week with my List of Quirky Bulgaria, or rather, what I found the most interesting.
5 BEST EATS IN BULGARIA:
1. Pri Yafata, Sofia. The first night we arrived in Bulgaria, Sam and I took a stroll by moonlight in the gorgeous Sofia. Scratch that. Stroll is not what we did. It was more like we were on the hunt. I was excited. Nervous. Starving. A short distance from our hostel, I saw a local-looking restaurant which I perceived to have a lot of culture and a folk flare, thus I demanded we go there some night. However, Sam was determined to find a restaurant which his 'bible' (Frommer's Eastern Europe 2009) highly praised called Beyond the Alley, Behind the Cupboard. Let's just say, I got some great moonlit photos of the whole city as we walked across it entirely and found nothing beyond an alley or behind a cupboard as that restaurant no longer exists. We meandered through the curvy streets of Sofia, following the map our hostel gave us with some great eats marked on it, pursuing our next choice. Low and behold, it was Pri Yafata. The restaurant I initially wanted to go to. I try to think that I did not dwell on the now fact that I have quite the eye for picking great restaurants, but I doubt Sam would agree. Pri Yafata had the most delicious food I have eaten in my life. There food is so flavorful due to the rich soil throughout Bulgaria. They use so many seasonings I couldn't begin to name them! I indulged in a Caesar salad followed by steamed vegetables cooked in multitudes of flavor. The vegetables came with fries, but they were more like sliced potatoes fried, but mashed inside, complimented with a nice garlic yogurt sauce with dill to soak them in. My travel companion does not eat anything that came from the Earth, so he had the chicken and mashed potatoes, equally in flavor and mouth-watering sensation. Sam and I went full out on the first night, including a bottle of Mavrud, my favorite red Bulgarian wine (though I believe it could beat some of the Italian ones). As the night had grown late, and we were tired, rakia seemed like the best option to top off our food and wine. Rakia is a Bulgarian liquor which is most similar to whiskey. Order one glass for two people to try. The staff were extremely helpful and used their limited English to communicate which was absolutely no problem. Our server tolerated our many questions and curiosities, too. The one draw back is that it is possible to smoke in restaurants still in Bulgaria - took me back a decade, but it was not a problem as only two other tables were seated in the folk-y restaurant. The prices were reasonable- even more so with the exchange rate. If you have one meal in Sofia, go here - it will not disappoint.
2. Divaka, Sofia. On our way to hunt for Divaka after a long day outside the city, I spotted another restaurant, poorly labelled, which had the charm I was looking for; however, Sam wanted to find Divaka. Sam and I asked a few Bulgarians we spotted on the street where to find it. Most ran away from the sound of our harsh American accents. Finally, Sam asked a man standing outside another restaurant where to find this mystery restaurant. He said this is it! Our faces lit up as we thought all our walking had come to our destination. A woman exiting the restaurant thought otherwise. She said, NO! Divaka @#%@$%@$%. That is all we understood, but her finger pointing back the way we had come gave us a clue. She read the uncertainty on our faces, sweetly walked us back down the street, and pointed down another, at the charming restaurant I had earlier suggested. In your face, Sam. I do, truly have a gift for picking amazing restaurants. Though it is second to Pri Yafata, Divaka offers a younger atmosphere, cute secretive outdoor seating, three timber ornamented rustic rooms, huge portions, great prices, and is open 24/7. The service is not great, not complete crap, so I loved the place! I ordered one of their famous Bulgarian shopska salads pictured below, along with fries and creamy garlic dill sauce with cucumbers and maybe eggplant inside. The wine added a lot to the meal, making a great success.
3. Niky, Sofia. It's chilly outside as the Autumn dark sky swallows Sofia. It had been raining all day and the wind nipped my toes through my soaked boots. Sam and I circled around only slightly this time in our attempt to find Niky. For me, the ambiance was worth it. We walked into a door to the side of the main hotel. Warmness embraced us as we wandered into an oasis. Paradise. The sound of birds, flowing water, and chitter-chatter surrounded me. Flora and fauna filled the restaurant. We took a seat at a table in the center of the garden. Tortoises and fish were nearby. Gorgeous parakeets sang to us while a parrot stared curiously into my eyes. The server was unhappy as we arrived late. Thankfully, she allowed us to order, and even dropped the attitude when we used the magic word, "Blagodaria", meaning thank you in Bulgarian. Sam ordered the sache which sizzled when it came out on an earthenware dish. It consisted of meats and vegetables. Be warned, the portions are enormous! I had grilled vegetables and a shopska salad once again. The food could not compete with the ambiance, and did not offer as much flavor as the last two dinners; however, I could have eaten a burger there and paid $50 as I was constantly distracted by the magical environment. Fortunately, the prices were reasonable. Below is an attempt to capture the ambiance. Unfortunately, we did not take photos of our dishes that night.
4. Drushliavitsa, Rila Monastery. Situated just above Rila Monastery, Drushliavitsa offers a variety of fish and meats. Unfortunately, nothing vegetarian. However, I communicated my problem to the server, and he came up with something for me, which I truly appreciated. Whatever it was, it was fried. I do not believe I finished it as it was quite a large portion for lunch. The vegetables had those delicious Bulgarian seasonings on them at least! The glass of wine also added greatly. Sam and I dined with another traveler from China who barely spoke English, so it was a nice quiet meal, just the way I like it. The decor is nice and like walking into someone's living room. MTV on in the background playing American music videos, did not add to my realization I was in Bulgaria. The restaurant has a large deck wrapped around the two sides, complete with a bridge over the Drushliavitsa river. Prompt service and the price was more than I had expected, but it is located across the street from the tourist attraction, Rila Monastery, so I can't complain.
OVERALL, After leaving Bulgaria, what I miss most is the food at Pri Yafata. Unfortunately, since we ate Pri Yafata the first night, went to Rila Monastery the first full day, I peaked in my expectations within the first 24 hours, leaving me to want more from every other experience in Bulgaria. I recommend building the excitement up and following the restaurant list backwards.
