Archive for August, 2010

Some have been knowing it for a long time, some discover it now upon their arrival- but almost everybody falls in love with this delicious Italian food offered at GRANO-ITALIAN FINE FOOD.
The friendly (and always busy) owner Giulio can help you find your favorite cheese, salami, burrata or homemade pasta! More info HERE!

(behind Carturesti Bookshop)
Address: Str. Pictor Arthur nr. 13-15
Phone:  021 317 34 59
E-mail: ionescu.stelian@gmail.com

Gradina Verona is a garden cafe bar situated at the back the Carturesti Book Store, 2 minutes walk from Piata Romana in the direction of Piata Universitatii.   The entrance is on Pictor Arthur Verona.
The garden bar is a total escape from the busy surrounding streets of down town Bucharest . The large outdoor area has mature trees with overhanging branches, giving shade from the sun. It is decked out with a mixture of different wooden furnishings.

This a great place to have lunch or a drink on a warm afternoon and read a few chapters of the book bought from next door. There is also a small play area for children to enjoy.
The food offering is a simple selection of salads, sandwiches, pasta, casserole  with deserts of very high quality.  The presentation is attractive. There are two beers, Becks and Leffe Blonde, available on tap, served well chilled, in addition to a large selection of bottled beer.
There is a good selection of Romanian and imported wines, and an interesting range of cocktails both alcoholic and non alcoholic.
This garden bar can be the perfect place to spend an afternoon or evening on a hot day. It is open from April until the end of October from 10am until midnight daily.

With great help of our friend Claudia we restructured and updated our restaurant list in the Online Survival Guide! We list some restaurants which are our favorites in town – divided by cuisines.
POFTA BUNA!

As summer is in full swing. Many of the expat community are away holidaying somewhere outside of Romania, certainly a good time to escape Bucharest as the humidity rises.

Travelling to other parts of Europe and the World it’s great to experience the taste of the local drinks in their home environment accompanied by the local food.  When you try to bring some of that 4 Euro a bottle Rose back from the Cote d’Azur to recreate the same moment in the garden at home, it doesn’t quite work. On a recent golfing trip to the UK with a group of Romanians, the bottle of Palinca one of the Romanian team members had in the golf bag didn’t quite hit the spot. It is much superior when consumed at home. From a personal point of view, drinking Ricard with the French in-laws is a daily ritual not to be missed.  It is greatly enjoyed, often in large amounts, whereas the bottle in the drinks cabinet at home never gets a look in.

Travelling back to UK in the summer, Pimms No1 is  a fabulous drink on a balmy summers day in Blighty.  Of course it may require some imagination whilst using expressions such as ‘balmy summers day’ and ‘Blighty’ in the same sentence, but those who have tasted will appreciate the sentiment. This summer a personal stash of the gin based No1 will be imported back to Bucharest……anyone for a party…… anyone for Pimms!

Another great drink and one under rated or even disregarded by many and only ever drunk locally, is Sherry. It is a fabulous drink and there is nothing better then sitting by the water front in Jerez, eating the local Sardines and sampling the Sherry.

So wherever you are this summer, enjoy the local fair, as it doesn’t always taste the same at home.

Bucharest is hot, but not as hot as the last summers those days. If you feel like sports, check out the different options we have listed for you. And don´t worry- we updated and included an overview of the most important swimming pools in Bucharest . Enjoy the August and scroll down HERE!

ADDRESS: Calea Floreasca 111-113
PHONE: 0 733975277
E-Mail: mirela.thegang@yahoo.com

Always on the look out for something new and different on the local bar scene, I found The Gang Cafe and Lounge.  Situated directly behind Floreasca fruit market on Calea Floreasca, it is perhaps not the best location for passing foot traffic, but if you are in the area, it is certainly worth looking for.As you enter the premises there is a very neatly presented terrace, the edges of which are surrounded by pots of freshly growing flowers.  It is set back a good 30 meters from the busy road to create the impression that you are not sharing your glass of wine with the people in their cars. Look for the Peroni beer logo as all chairs and umbrellas were obviously supplied by the aforementioned beer brand.

Going into the interior space you enter a totally glass fronted bar area. This works well in summer when you may want to sit in an air conditioned environment but still enjoy the summer sunshine. It could also work well as a feature in winter time.

In the facing glass fronted area there is a showcase of green apples! Different!

The inside floor space is laid with solid wood parquet, and in the rear area of the bar this continues right through, up the walls and along the ceiling, to great effect. The furnishings are made up of very funky white padded sofas and stainless tables all with a small bouquet of fresh flowers in keeping with the flowers on the terrace which shows good attention to detail.

The food menu has a simple range of hot and cold food, and based on personal experience, it is of very good quality. An uncomplicated drinks list of beers, cocktails and wines, offers top local wine at very reasonable prices. The walls are decorated with random pictures of old American cars which, interestingly fills the blank wall space.

This is a place to go for a quiet lunch or a drink with friends during the day, but maybe it is as its best as a destination for a group of friends, meeting for a night out.
Overall, I like the Gang Cafe very much, with its comfortable and friendly environment, and uncomplicated good quality offering.