Dining in Bulgaria has turned into a pleasure of a new, higher class. Trendy restaurants, improving cuisine, more and more sophisticated chefs, rapidly developing wine culture and increasingly better and diverse products – they are all a novelty on the local food scene which has been heavily-damaged by the socialist past. Its development has been monitored for eight years by country's oldest and most influential gourmet magazine, Bacchus. Stickers “Restaurant of Bacchus” grace the doors of the best eateries around the country.
This week, the magazine gave its awards for 2008.

See the list of awarded and nominated venues below, with a short description and contact information.

In a grand ceremony on the 4 of February 2009, Bulgaria’s most respected media dedicated to wine and gourmet culture, recognised several restaurants and chefs throughout the country that it considered excellent in four categories.

In addition to systematically checking venues it already considers excellent, the Bacchus Magazine experts examined through anonymous visits new restaurants aimed at providing a high-class culinary experience in Bulgaria’s larger cities.

As they declare, with discovering the culinary spots created with the most professionalism, attention and enthusiasm, the Bacchus – Chivas Regal Restaurant of the Year Awards want to reaffirm truths established long ago: that expensive wine is not synonymous with class, that it is better to open a quality restaurant with four tables rather than a questionable one with 44 ones, that the excuse of being new in the business should be eliminated, that pretence should make way for quality and that the restaurant owners’ culture should not have to catch up with that of their clients.

According to the awards’ organisers, the recognition seeks to show that the respect to food, wine and the clients matters.

Awards were given out in four categories, four of them to restaurants, and one – to the best chef for original cuisine.

Restaurant of the Year: directed at venues that offer the best balance between cuisine, a professional wine selection, service, atmosphere, a faultless and elegant menu with appropriate content and adequate price. Or – as organisers put it, “what, amongst ourselves, we refer to as The Place.”

Debut: intended to highlight high-quality newly opened restaurants

Original Cuisine: which stems from the fact that since they came into existence, the world’s top restaurants are better known by the names of their chefs.

Best Beverage Selection: included because the wine list is a fatally important element for a good restaurant, The logic behind the selection, along with recommendations for appropriate wine, decantering, proper glasses and the serving of wine – if these are all an issue of knowledge, rules and reason rather than a shallow ceremonialism, that means that things are as they should be.

Awards and Nominations:

Restaurant of the Year Category

Award-receiver:

Musala Palace
This venue wins the Restaurant of the Year award for a second time (first one was in 2006), so we already know that the key words that characterize it are gourmet, luxury and classical feel. In other words – silver cutlery, bone china, massive wood, rare coffee sorts and wines – these are just details but aren’t they at the bottom of every perfect thing?
The selection of over 280 kinds of wines contains precious classics from France and Italy, the New World and Bulgaria and a tasting menu is offered which changed every season. On offer are many wines that are no longer distributed in the country.
The food – duck, buffalo, deer and beef, and the service – a discrete performance rather than a showy ritual, are other reasons for the award. So is the “History of Guests” file in the restaurant’s computer, which contains the preferences and peculiarities of regular clients.
Contacts: Varna, 3 Musala Street, ++359 52 66 41 00

Nominations:

Chef’s
Many already know that this restaurant that has people happily going the 30 kilometres between Sofia and Pasarel and that is done only when one is sure that tasty and interestingly presented food will be offered, prepared by experienced chefs and carefully selected products. The main course here has to have at least four components – main product, side, sauce, a carbohydrate and vegetable side, and the products are have a high quality and prefect freshness. The atmosphere – according to the owners, is “not gourmet.” But a visit to it offers an experience starting from the woods amidst which the restaurant is located to its warm and cosy interior made of stone, brick and wood.
Contacts: Pasarel, the Vuch area, ++359 0896 723 222

Sommelier
The idea behind this restaurant is for it to function rather as a club – a small, not particularly encouraging sign, windows high above the sidewalk and a locked door, with a doorbell. The latter is worth ringing if one has set aside at least 100 leva (around 50 euro) for a dinner for two.
The elegant old Sofia house which houses the restaurant contains one of the city’s best kitchens. The chef Georgi Zahariev excels at both more delicate and seemingly basic recipes. The menu contains no prices and a wine list is not available, since one of the venue’s principles is to build its clients trust. Intriguing entrées, excellent meats and good sommelier advice ensure a dinner worth ordering with eyes shut to the prices. The attention to detail and the quality and good taste are what make Sommelier an exceptional place.
Contacts: Sofia, 15 6th of September Street, ++359 888 250 581


Debut Category

Award Receiver:

Sasa
The first impression of this venue is created by its elegance and its incredible view of Sofia. The second one, of course, comes from the food. And since the food in question is Japanese, the requirements are much higher. The head chef Hiroaki Sasaguri makes not just superb sushi, bit other types of dishes too. He is joined by Petar Mihalev – head chef in Sofia’s Tambuktu, and Mario Lozanov and Tsvetoslava Tsvetkova who won the first national competition in team cooking which took place in Plovdiv last May.
Contacts: Sofia, Hemus Hotel, Floor 18, ++359 2 963 5414, ++359 885 889 080

Nominations:

Nino
Nino is an elegant and pleasant venue with a contemporary style which leaves one with a feeling of spaciousness with the dominating light-coloured wood.
The menu impresses with its eclecticism: from the traditional Bulgarian mish-mash to Coquilles St. Jacques, from lentils with bacon chips to spicy Thai soup. Simple dishes are also found here, as is pasta and three kinds of risotto – well cooked and served. The wine list – containing over 150 wines, the special winery and the proper service also contribute to the venue’s award.
Contacts: Sofia, 17 Cherkovna Street, ++ 359 884 000 606

Architect’s Club
In addition to being located in one of Sofia’s most beautiful neighbourhoods, the restaurant at the Architects’ Club was created by the owner of Mahaloto and Chasovnika – another two quality restaurants in the capital.
Despite the large selection of more delicate and light dishes, the veal knuckle enjoys the biggest popularity.
The service is of high quality and wine is served according to the rules – an increasing rarity. The larger part of the venue consists of a glassed-in winter in the Art Deco style, which opens up when the weather is warm – the atmosphere it creates is one of the reasons people continue to love Sofia despite the predominant nuisances, such as the traffic and dirty streets.
Contacts: Sofia, 17 Krakra Street, ++359 888 880 979

Beverage Selection Category

Award Receiver:

Stara Sofia
This restaurant’s consistency and serious attitude towards wine and the classical style of its wine card which contains both rare collection wines and all the best from the Bulgarian market are some of the reasons for the award. The surplus charge of the wine is completely logical and reasonable compared the venue’s class. With some expensive bottles, like Bordeaux and Sauternes, it is minimal. The restaurant’s cellar, equipped with a small tasting hall, is also indicative of its special attitude to wine – every bottle there is carefully preserved. All beverages are served properly – in the appropriate glasses, decanters and accessories.
Contacts: Sofia, 75 G.M. Dimitrov Boulevard, ++359 2 806 6600

Nominations:

Hebros
The inspired interior, the courtyard in the Revivalist style and the live jazz evenings are only a prelude to the culinary and wine experiences in this restaurant. After winning the 2003 Restaurant of the Year Bacchus – Chivas Regal Awards, the venue has retained its level. It is still as tasty and the service is classy but the biggest progress is perhaps with wine – the card has widened significantly and continues to be enriched. The wines are kept according to standards and the maître d’ Katerina Delizhova, who is among Bulgaria’s most talented sommeliers, can be counted on to recommend appropriate wine, serve it discreetly or give information on the all the wines offered.
Contacts: Plovdiv, 15A Konstantin Stoilov Street, ++359 32 260 180

Nino
A newly-opened restaurant that has a professional attitude to wine is always a nice surprise. Nino has a professionally-equipped winery with 25 seats and a wine list of over 300 labels – from Bulgaria and around the world. The surplus charge is quite modest and the way the wine is served is completely professional, with all the right accessories and glasses.
Contacts: Sofia, 17 Cherkovna Street, ++ 359 884 000 606


Original Cuisine Category

Award Receiver:

Plamen Petrov, La Famiglia
Plamen Petrov knows what Italian cuisine is, knows how to create it and – in the framework of the classical dishes, he adds his own personal touch. Trattoria La Famiglia is not the most elegant restaurant but its chef cooks remarkably well.
Contacts: La Famiglia, Varna, 1 Bregalnitsa Street, ++359 52 610 290

Nominations:

Viktor Angelov, Chef’s
After he made took the daring step of establishing Chef’s 30 kilometres away from Sofia, the venue has become one of the most pleasant and tasty ones in Bulgaria. Although Angelov takes an interest in the avant-garde culinary techniques, he does not cook very unusual or even gourmet food. He simply dedicated great attention to picking the best products, showing some imagination and balancing aromas and tastes.
Contacts: Chef’s, Pasarel, the Vuch area, ++359 0896 723 222

Deyan Dimitrov, Urania
Deyan Dimitrov from the Urania restaurant at the southern Bulgarian town of Sozopol has serious ambitions and an adventurous spirit. An innovator, he introduced a ten-scale tasting menu at the restaurant three years ago, 80 per cent of which contains avant garde dishes.
Contacts: Urania, Sozopol, 34 Milet Street, ++359 554 2717

Velin Velikov, Musala Palace
A chemist-turned-chef, Velinov is interested and has easy access to molecular cuisine and the experiments of Blumethal and Adrià, but the style of Varna’s Musala Palace recommends a more traditional approach. Velinov’s style is one of fine variations of “gourmet classics” – as a person with untraditional thinking he puts his personal signature in each dish. His crab soup should not be missed.
Contacts: Musala Palace, Varna, 3 Musala Street, ++359 52 66 41 00

Petar Mihalchev, Sasa and Timbuktu
Covered in tattoos and with an appearance of a street fighter, Mihalchev is among the best sushi masters in Bulgaria. This self-taught chef who always likes to experiment, was also the creator of the longest sushi in Bulgaria – 6.13 metres.
Contacts: Sasa, Sofia, Hemus Hotel, Floor 18, ++359 2 963 5414, ++359 885 889 080; Timbuktu, Sofia, 10 Aksakov Street, ++359 2 988 12 34

*Pictured in the opening photograph is Vladimir Valchev from Musala Palace receiving the Restaurant of the Year Bacchus – Chivas Regal Award for 2008. Photograph by Studio DARSS

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