Eating Around Bucharest

The Romanian capital has been through much political and culinary change over the years. I have been lucky enough to have been bopping in and out of it over the past decades and I am happy to say that it has hit a culinary high note.

This can be attributed to a number of factors: great political stability and an affordable cost of living. A rapidly growing international community with new food interests and desires as well as an influx of foreign residents, chefs and sommeliers.

What’s New and Exciting

Let’s start with the Marmorosch, one of the most classic hotels in Europe. Housed in an 1800s Belle Époque bank building in downtown Bucharest the stunning hotel’s food and beverage director is Indian. The marketing director is Lithuanian. They may not speak perfect Romanian, but who cares at this point? This is how international the City has become.

When I last visited, a few months ago, the circuit training classes in the local gym were in English: a missed opportunity for me to learn a little more Romanian. That is because they were attended by such a dynamic international community that it made more sense to speak English: as most young Romanians do quite well.

For me it has shades of Amsterdam—both good and bad—in that Bucharest has become such an international space that many foreign businesses operate in English. No doubt the plumbers won’t speak English well in either City, but that poses no hurdle to dining out!

Food and beverage professionals I have met over the years in Amsterdam have long said they love the town for how truly international it is and how easy it is to get around. I would check the international box with Bucharest, but not the easy to navigate as only truly courageous drivers should navigate in this City themselves.

Both countries—Holland and Romania—have great primary ingredients: think meat and cheese, but a less-than-French sophistication when it comes to the evolution of their dishes. Which makes them both great fodder, and a blank slate, for culinary innovation: and that is exactly what is happening in Bucharest.

The secret of Amsterdam has long been out, but do try to get to Romania before it is overrun with tourists. Some of the towns in Transylvania are among the best-preserved Medieval Cities in the world. As of just two months ago you only heard Romanian spoken in the streets, but that is likely to change.

Let’s Get to the Food and Wine

The Blank Restaurant at the Marmorosch hotel bills itself as a steakhouse, but it is way more than that. Some of the most interesting options that the chef is putting out include the appetizers.

Plump crayfish croquettes, made with saffron, were crunchy and sensational. Slices of decadent wagyu tartare were sandwiched between in slices of nori.

The other most memorable dish was a local Mangalitsa pork, marbled with fat, that is often considered the Kobe beef of the pork kingdom. The restaurant has a great, and extensive, local wine list.

Another great find was Yuppies, a great wine bar in a high-net worth, expats’ neighborhood near a big park. The small restaurant functions as a wine bar and restaurant where wines can be purchased to go or for consumption on the premises. I have to say the owner, Doru Tache, did the best rendition of mititei, a classic Romanian beef kebab, made by local mammas for centuries. He also knocks it out of the park with his crudo and divine salads. The wine selection is affordable and impressive!

Back towards the center of town is the Great Hill Wine Bar, which interestingly enough focuses on only wines of the Dealu Mare region. It is the wine production region closest to Bucharest, at an hour and change drive, which has constantly been producing great-quality wines from a mix of local and international grapes.

The elegant bar has seating inside and out and only serves cheese and charcuterie plates. One of my favorite wines was from Gramafone, a Dealu Mare winery that also employees the very capable manager of the bar.

So, on my list for the next trip include a handful of other innovative places. Nouva, which bills itself as restaurant featuring local products with a focus on culinary tradition, which does an impressive multicourse menu inside and a simpler one on the terrace. Sadly, the menu is only in Romanian. The Artist, where the chef is Dutch, offers stackable pre-fixe menus with the option of wine pairings. Dishes include a chicken liver pate with sweet and sour onions and grilled polenta with eggplant. The wine list has a lot of nice French selections.

Kaiamo would be the third on my hit list, featuring modern Romanian food. Its website says it focuses on uncharted origins with Romanian roots. The restaurant features tasting menus with up to 20 courses with either wine or cocktail pairings.