Bucharest city tales: A culinary tour of the town

Columnist Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe writes in her weekly column about life as an expat in Romania. This week she gives some ideas on where to go for something to eat, whether it is a business meeting, catching up with friends, a quick lunch or a cozy dinner.

When going for a business meeting, to meet with friends, or just going for lunch or dinner, the first question is always where we shall meet. So therefore I have made this list of places where I usually go to, when the question is being asked. I have tried to make a list that covers all situations, so you will have some ideas where to go, and of course there are a lot of other places you can go to depending where you live, work and wants to eat, so this shall just been seen as a little culinary trip in Bucharest. Lunch and day time meetings For lunch or for a business meeting, I will usually go to one of three places: Malagamba or Van Gogh in Lipscani, or to Restaurant Harbour in Piata Amzei. The only thing is that there is no wireless at Harbour, so it depends on the meeting. Delicious food at Malagamba - situated in Lipscani - and it is the perfect place for a lunch meeting, the food is always really good, and the dishes are almost all homemade, like the pasta and the vegetables fresh from the market, the kitchen is Italian, and during the day they an 'Early Bird offer - RON 29 for three dishes, this is indeed a good price, and with internet access, working while having something delicious to eat is possible. It's also a great spot from which to enjoy the life of Lipscani either indoors or outdoor. Malagamba has a whole page just for vegetarians in the menu, so if you are meeting a herbivore, you can impress them with your thoughtful choice. Best Vanilla Mango Summer drink in the world at Van Gogh - also in Lipscani, for lunch sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine is lovely, but for a meeting I prefer to sit inside where it is quieter. However, inside and outside has free internet access. What is cozy about Van Gogh is the atmosphere, inside the interior celebrates the Dutch painter Van Gogh, and there is a classic relaxed café ambienece. And then the food and beverages, there are two things I can truly recommend; the Vanilla Mango summer drink, this is just extremely delicious and I don’t know if they would combine well, but they also have this salad called Blue Apple, both of them can make my day. Nam nam (Danish for yum yum). Best Goose Borsch, that has to be tried at the Harbour - Harbour in Piata Amzei was one of the first restaurants I went to in Bucharest, and it became at a point my favorite lunch and business meeting place. It has a big outdoor terrace, as well as quite a lot of space inside divided into a smoking and non-smoking section. The interior is, unsurprisingly, nautically themed , and they offer a 3 dish menu for RON 20, as I recall. My favorite dish, that they have sadly taken off the menu, but still gladly make for me, is their pasta with tuna and smantana, otherwise their soup Goose Borsch or Bors de gâscă dolofană can really be recommended, it is the best soup I have ever tried in my life. The good thing about Harbour is that it is easier for people who come by car to find a parking place in the area compared with Lipscani.