Metropotam - Going out

Jazz, blues and funky lights in Lucky 13

Tea — 2007-07-10T09:13:00+00:00

To escape what Romanians call "Tuesday's three unlucky hours" (trei ceasuri rele) and to defy our fate, a cocktail or a coffee in Lucky 13 might be exactly what you need. Lucky 13 is one of the few places where you will not feel crammed and you are not bound to overhear the conversation from the table next to you. When you come in, it's almost unbelievable that there is so much space and that the managers didn't fill the whole place up with tables.

This Cafe is located in Curtea Sticlarilor, in the historical center. As you go in, just take a left, then walk to the first floor. The style of the place is elegant, with the look of an old house, nicely preserved and decorated. If there weren't any tables, you could easily mistake it for a ball room.

The dim lights are the result of high paper lamps, which create a warm and relaxing mood. All you can hear in jazz and blues, and the elements of decor, such as the saxophones and other musical instruments, the vintage posters and the cubic furniture make you think of inter-war jazz clubs.

After sitting comfortably in your chair, you order something to drink. We were expecting high prices considering what the place looks like, but we were wrong. :) Beer starts from 4 lei (Ursus) and can get up to 10 lei (Corona), a soda is about 4 lei, and cocktails are between 8 and 13 lei. We drank a very good Green Apple (it really was green and had crushed ice in it, something we don't see very often) and a Rainbow. Tuesday is Viennese tea day, another antidote for those three bad hours.

The staff is ok, although it might take a while to be seen in such a big place. If you are the last customer and the bar is closing, you will not be refused if you ask for another four beers and then... another frappe (speaking of which, it's great here).

Lucky 13 is a great place, looks nice, appropriate for a coffee in the afternoon or tea with friends in the evenings. Also, it's a nice place to go on a date, because nobody can hear what you tell your loved one. :)

More photos in the Gallery.

Lucky 13
Str. Selari nr. 9-11
In Curtea Sticlarilor
Open: Mo-Sat 10:00 - 02:00, Sunday 14:00 - 23:00
Tel: 021/ 3144066

See it on the map

Restaurant: Vama Veche km 0

Tea — 2007-07-09T12:08:00+00:00

This restaurant brags about “Large quantities for workman’s prices” which should be exactly what some philosophers are looking for (because we all know that you can’t think on an empty stomach). What attracted us to Vama Veche restaurant weren’t the gates, nor the prices, but the atmosphere and the terrace.

Although the street has melted like an ice cream held in the sun, on the terrace, in the shade, we were protected by the vine and the weather just seemed milder. And when the lemonade came, life started again.

lemonade, 7 lei

Although the prices in the menu aren't exactly "for workmen", the variety of dishes and the delicious promises make up for it (chicken and mushrooms crepes 15 lei, gigantic schnitzels 15 lei, cooked dishes 12 lei, beef for about 25, tuna-filed orange 12 lei).

Considering the heat, we just could not handle the meat dishes, so we settled for a salad. By the time it arrived, we were ready to eat anything.

Caesar Salad, 14 lei

House Salad, 11 lei

We were curious to see what the inside of the building looks like, so we took a tour to find the restroom, which never ceases to amaze. After getting dizzy walking around in circles on the stairs, we found ourselves in front a door with a woman's shoe over it. We went in.. thinking it's the wrong address. When we looked closer though, we found ourselves in that magical, private place.

Although we enjoy the bohemian retro pub upstairs, we recommend the terrace, with a note that after 23h you might get yelled at by some neighbors if you don't keep your voice down.

When our salads were served (really slow for some dishes that require no cooking whatsoever), we were wondering why we received knives. The answer was evident when we held up the fork and the content had no visible end. :-)

We gloriously finished up our lunch at Vama Veche km 0 (which reminded us of the sea side location of Vama Veche because of the fishing net in the entrance) with a colossal ice cream (10 lei).

The restaurant is close to Gradina Icoanei, Cristofor Columb street, 13.

The coolest places to go out in the summer

Tea — 2007-07-06T10:21:00+00:00

This article was written in order to get some courage to go out these days, leaving behind the safety and comfort of indoor, artificially cooled places. Usually, the main thing to look for in a place to go out are the location, style, prices and menu. Well, we decided to change that and look for places that just make our life easier and make us forget the heat.

Good news, everybody: we are not talking about the ice cream aisle in the supermarket... :)

A tea in La Metoc garden is just what one needs. You are hidden between flowers, waiting for the evening to pass and enjoying a fruit tea or a mate. Keep in mind that his place is fit for those who are able to put beer and sodas aside for an evening and just relax, not so much for those that would like a loud gossip between friends.

Another tea-place where you can avoid the heat is Ceai la Cotroceni. This time, the secret recipe is a chily dungeon. The menu contains more that 100 types of teas.

If what you want is a cold tea, choose a red fruit or roibos one. The black teas are a little bitter when cold. We advise you to make a reservation for the evenings because it is almost always full.

Arcade terrace on Smardan street is a true oasis. After passing through the noisy bar, you arrive in a small place, full of plants, decorated in light colors where you can try a fruit cocktail or an ice coffee meant to awaken you completely.

We've discovered the largest ice tea in town, in a little place called Churchill. And it really is what it says: Ice and Tea, homemade and garnished with dried or fresh fruit pieces. Another good thing is that here you'll find more that the classic two types of ice teas, lemon and peach - you can enjoy mint, sour cherry and red orange teas.

Another terrace that we recently visited is Cafeneaua Actorilor de Vara in Tineretului Park. We can still taste the fruit nectar and the apple cocktail that we gently drank in the dusk while we considered getting the honey nut crepe and a cup of ice cream.

Everybody knows that cinemas are pretty cold. This metropotam has found himself several times shivering in Cinema Pro and Hollywood Multiplex. Pay one price, get twice the satisfaction: you see a good movie and avoid the sun.

If you know any other cool places - temperature-wise - don't hesitate to tell us!

La Motoare

Tea — 2007-07-05T13:47:00+00:00

What is left to say about Motoare? Not too many things, but that’s why we were there. La Motoare is one of a typical day’s stop for the youth of Bucharest, like it or not. Friends meet there for a beer, it fits a big group of friends, and it’s the place to go after wandering around town of a free place in a bar (and of course, everything is taken). The conclusion: “ok, let’s go again to Motoare!”

The first thing that welcomes you is the wall drawing, a miniature city, colorful and full of life. The place attract its clients with large spaces, (relatively) cheap beer, drafts, French fries, maybe even Bacardi, coffee or plain water. The best thing that defines La Motoare is the color. People wear colorful clothes, the walls aren’t gray anymore, there are sometimes film projected on the white screen right across from the bar, even if the sound is sometimes deplorable.

La Motoare became the place for urban people. Here we can see some alternative theater, the work of Film graduates, artists’ drawings and what not, some events. Here you’ll find all kinds of people, like the typical bohemian with a scarf around the neck in the middle of summer or a corporate person that came up for some fresh air.

For some it’s the most comfortable and within reach choice, for others, we’ve heard, it’s a style-thing. People here wear Converse shoes or string sandals, pink belts and emo haircuts, rock band tees, large pants or flowery dresses, African jewelry and jeans.

Some discuss the last editorials and the book fair, others about ipods or new websites. Plenty talk about school, teachers, and grades. Some about business, others about concerts. We could write entire books about the discussions we overheard here. Showing off, shyness, all of it can be found in this crowd. It’s impossible to go there and not see someone you know.

One of the most annoying parts of this experience is sitting in line at the bar. You have to think ahead, and just buy all the beer you’re going to drink all at once.

You might think of climbing the stairs from the wall, but we advise you not to, we’re certain it’s not allowed.

Yes, it’s a popular place. Some might not like it for this reason, other go only for that reason. One English man told me once, while drinking a 3 am beer, that it’s extraordinary for him that such places exist and that at home he cant just sit at a terrace at night and listen to music while lying on a bench. Of course, the main reason is the cold.

It’s definitely not the best looking or the most interesting, not the cheapest and not the most expensive place in Bucharest. We’d place it somewhere in the middle, but we have to admit it has the gift of attracting people by something. Some come to see what others are up to, others to be seen, some find it cooler to sit on the stage, others prefer the benches. Not important. What matters is that it’s always full, and even those that criticize it, ever for good reasons, sometimes come around for a beer.

Restaurant: Burebista

Tea — 2007-07-05T13:26:00+00:00

For the vegetarian in you, do NOT step into this restaurant, as it offers a very large variety of hunter’s food. Today we present Burebista.

There are 3 restaurants in Bucharest named this way, the first one opened in 1998.

Specific hunter’s restaurant is located on Batiste Street, right across the US Embassy. The first one is located on Calea Mosilor, and there is a third one – traditional – close to Piata Victoriei.

This restaurant has 3 levels, a ground level and two (one and a half, to be precise) in the basement, and, for its decoration, combines the medieval style (amours, flags with tassels and coasts of arms) with a rustic one (massive wood furniture and stuffed animals).

The staff was very prompt and kind, we were told precisely about what we were about to eat. Ah... the menu. Rarely does one get to see such diversity and order.

For example, a page full of appetizers is all one needs to get a hunger-attack: venison back with fruits in aspic (14 lei), wild boar in tartar sauce (15 lei), hare (15 lei), duck liver terrine stuffed with jam (32 lei) or deer pastrami (11 lei).

The main course (if you skip the classical soup) is also luring: Pan-fried venison fillet with Williams pears and currents (30 lei), duck foie grill sour cherry sauce (36 lei), roasted wild pheasant with currants sauce(36 lei), bear’s paw (450 lei).

In case you enjoy the atmosphere but just can’t live with the idea of eating Bambi or his fellow bunny friends, the restaurant offers a variety of “classics”: all kinds of salads (6-11 lei), soups (6-8lei), cold meats or raw vegetables (potatoes, eggplant) or various types of cheese.

Also, you’ll find a variety of regular types of meat (chicken, beef, pork) in original presentations, with plenty of delicious sauces: wine, mushroom, sour cherry, apple or tartar (4 lei). For desert, the honorable cheese dumplings (we’ve heard they are the best in town).

The wine menu is extremely diverse and even contains some old Romanian wines: Murfatlar, Tarnave, Dealu Mare and Cotnari, the oldest being a Sauvignon Blanc from Cotesti Region from year 1976 (150 lei).

The atmosphere, slightly too crowded because of excess ornaments (especially animal ones), gets better in the evening, when a folk music band starts playing and little lights are lit which give the feeling of an old inn.

The restaurant is full in the evenings, so we recommend a reservation, phone no 004 021 211 89 29.

To see more, take a look at our photo Gallery.

Restaurant: Contele Dracula ot Dambovita

Tea — 2007-07-05T12:57:00+00:00

Motto: Count Dracula would say, "Listen to them, the children of the night. What sweet music they make."

Metropotam dined today in the chapel. In case you reckon he started having a heretical behavior, you are pretty close to the truth. Today we ate in Count Dracula’s den.

West of Dambovita River, across Natiunilor Unite passage, street number 8A, behind old walls covered in ivy, in the depths of chilly cellars dwells a prince that has risen against all odds for the love of his suicidal lady.

OK, let’s leave romance and soap stories aside for Coppola, as Bram Stoker would say if he was alive today, let's cut the Bela Lugosi nonsense.

Contele Dracula restaurant is a fascinating place, if you’re into Dracula goodies. Actually, we were told that 90% of customers are foreign.

As you come in, you face a fork in the road. If you take a right, you’re about to dine in a bloody atmosphere, under the classical portrait of Tepes Voda, the model for Bram Stocker’s hero. His picture is positioned in between who spears that seem quite authentic. If you decide to take a left, just change your mind.

The room has an Adams Family kids style: walls are baby blue, and the décor is taxidermist. Way in the back is the Hunter’s Saloon, with walls covered in bear clothes (a brown full one), a huge deer head and various other ex-living beings from the Transylvanian woods, probably victims of count’s appetite for hunting. A little frightening, but that’s not why we are here.

Our veins could hardly wait, so we descended through the alchemy bar (where Dracula is preparing his eternal-life recipies) on to the chapel… where we were left with our mouths open in surprise. A sinister (in the good way) combination of a medieval cellar and hardcore bordello: furniture made out of wrought iron, heart shaped pillows, everything covered in red. The designer really worked his magic.

While looking at the menu, we realized that someone tried his best to get the Dracula feel. Each dish is presented bilingually with quotes and references to Stoker’s book or Coppola’s film, with colorful, funny descriptions. We reckon it must take at least 10 minutes for each customer to make up his mind.

Here are some examples: sheep pemmican (22 lei) was served by Dracula’s personal cook to the ottoman messengers, right before they ended up on a stick themselves. Renfield’s food (30 lei) is a mystery dish presented as Renfield’s dungeon howl, with his mouth full of flies, bugs and a juicy piece of rat meat: “Blood is life!”

Diable chicken

Prices are medium: Van Helsing tray 24 lei, black rooster salad 19 lei, outlaw chicken 25 lei, mix grill 34 lei.

Count’s dishes are a little bit more pricey (50-70 lei) and so is the hunt: princely bear filé 68 lei, quail in blackberry sauce 42 lei. Cocktails are also pretty pricey, but their names make them worth it: Crucifix, Midnight’s Children – 23 lei.

Nobody home

In the profound silence of the den, at the table below the scary, open coffin, we were surprised to hear music. We were glad it wasn’t Gothic or pagan music, but a sort of Buena Vista, so that the Diable chicken (25 lei) could be fully enjoyed, especially with a Pasul Bargaului cup, a delicious dish made out of fruit so ripe that they seemed to be freshly picked by Dracula’s maidens.

fruit cup Pasul Bargaului, with a bloody jelly lip

It is a place you have to go at least once, to enjoy and eat well. If you are decided to do so, we advise you to pick either Tuesday, Friday or Saturday evenings – that’s when the count passes by and entertains his customers. Don’t forget to make a reservation (004-021-312.13.53) and be aware of the summer program, the restaurant opens at 16.00.

to be sure you’re not about to be bitten by fellow diners, the ceiling is covered by mirrors

When we left, looking back one last time at the snail traces on the walls (authentic?!) and iron handcuffs, a Celine Dion song just started - “we don’t say goodbye” - and thus we almost saw the dark prince fluttering his bat wings near Mina’s window, whispering with his white, thin lips “give me my peace”…