Romanian food experiences disappointed me this time

In this post I am going to present shortly my culinary experiences I have had during my holiday in Romania. I will be talking solely about the experiences I had while eating out, not about the ones eaten home at my family.

My holiday lasted about one and a half weeks, time when I was road-tripping Romania, crossing 14 counties, traveling from Dambovita up to Maramures, and then down again to Dambovita (my home county) from which I went one more time up the country, this time in the eastern part of Romania, in Bacau County.

I traveled all these areas because there were many points of interest (tourism wise) for me, points I have never traveled so far, eg. to the Merry Cemetery, Timisoara, Corvinilor Castle etc. However, apart for this points of interest, food was another goal of my trip. I use to travel for food, and I am very interested in tasting local foods, or just eating out and trying the talent of different chefs or the level of service different places have to offer.

I am quite used with the local food in Romania, but I am still excited about eating out -in Romania- as often as I can, looking for exciting experiences both through the places and service, but also through the dishes.

This time I was pretty disappointed with most of the experiences I have had in Romania; and here starts my story:

Me together with my companions first ate out in Baile Herculane, a touristic destination in the western part of Romania (very popular not long time ago). There we had dinner at a place named Restaurant Pizzerie Cristal; a random place we discovered in the middle of the town. From the street the place looked clean and appealing, with plenty of guests inside, and a menu of interest for me (with grilled trout and the traditional papanasi).

The disappointment started here from the very first moment, with waiters being inattentive at us, letting us stand in the middle of the restaurant without welcoming us or having any kind of interaction with us. After some moments when we waited for their attention, we decided to go to them and ask them. Just then we got a table. That was also the moment when we began to discover more about the places. There was water on the floor but nobody cleaned it, or place a sign of slippery floor. The waiters seemed to be all very uninterested in their guests. Moreover, some of them just used our chairs to support themselves while discussing about their guests or arguing that some guests left the place without paying. Then some of them began a fight with another guest who apparently didn’t received its order for a long time. At a moment I received the food I ordered; grilled trout with boiled potatoes. If the fish was good, the potatoes were cold and not very well boiled. The first positive aspect from waiters’ side came only when my wife received hers papanasi, and the waiter decided to give us two spoons instead of one, since there was only one person who ordered it. At the end of the dinner, on one side, we paid a cheap price for a dinner, but on the other side the food and the service matched the price we paid; both being very low.

The next time we ate out properly was in Timisoara. This time we chose the place that was recommended to us from our hotel’s receptionist. The restaurant is named Casa Bunicii. It is located in downtown Timisoara, and it has a very lovely garden; a perfect place for a dinner in a nice summer evening. Although there were many guests, we managed to get a table without having a reservation. The waiters seemed to be guests-orientated, apart from one of them who seemed very uninterested in working there, waiter from who we had never received back any answer to our requests, so we had always to ask one more time another waiter. Yet, the food was delicious and comes in the right portions.

In Cluj -the next major city we stopped in- we asked the receptionist of our hotel for some recommendations of good restaurants, but we were not able to receive any hint; we were sent however to the historic center of the city, being told that there are plenty of restaurants. It is truth that there are many restaurants and eateries, and after a long walk around them we decided to eat at Bistro Vienna, a bistro with terrace and a menu close to the Austrian menus. However, from the first interaction with one of the waiters we faced the same problems: poor service and extremely long waiting time. The waiter was quite irritated by our questions related to the menu or availability, closing the discussion with a invitation to stay only if we want to wait about 45 minutes until we receive the order. We stayed! We chose a table for ourselves, order and then wait. The drinks came first, and the food came after a long waiting time. I got a portion of Bistro ribs; the food looked ok, but it tasted not very good. The ribs were kind of plain; the cabbage was fade, while the boiled corn was almost sour. Then, the waiter forgot about the portion of papanasi my girlfriend asked for, so I had to go and order it again. When it finally came the waiter realized he had never cleaned our table after we finished the main dish. In the end we paid about 40 euro, and left the place disappointed, wondering whether we’ll find a decent place with a good service or all the places have the same issues in Romania.

Next stop was at Spanata, in Maramures, a place very popular for the Merry Cemetery. After we visited this tourist attraction we head for lunch at Complex Pastravul, a place recommended to us by a local. Complex Pastravul is a guest house somewhere close to the nature. It looks very clean and well maintained with a terrace behind the building and two deer in a small garden in front of it.

The menu is quite exciting with many dishes representing Maramures’s region. I decided to go for a goulash soup, a portion of warm polenta with sheep cheese and scarps, and a lemonade. The excitement was very high, but it was cut off be the news that the waiting time for the food was of about 45 minutes; and it proved to be no more and no less than 45 minutes. The waitresses were running all the directions, but they seemed not to be enough. I saw guests disappointed and leaving, but me, together with all I traveled with, decided…again…to stay. In the end it was all worth it, because the food tasted very good. However, the disappointment remains for the lack of attention businesses pay to services.

One of the best experiences I had, was the coming morning, when I had breakfast in the restaurant of Maestro Hotel in Vatra Dornei. There I had for breakfast food most of you’ll like to have for lunch or dinner: fried chicken livers, and fried cheese. Here the place was clean, the menu was rich, the prices not bigger than other places I was eating before, but the service was very good -at least in comparison with the other places: the waiter was welcoming, polite and customer-minded. The food came in good time, but I have to mention there were not many guests either. However, this was the first place I left tips at a restaurant in Romania, after driving about 1000km and eating in many different restaurants; the tips was worth it.

The last part of my holiday in Romania I spent it in Bacau, my wife’s city. There I use to ate at my wife’s mom -who cooks very well- but it happened to eat out three times. First time I ate at Restaurant Manhattan. There I had a portion of lasagna and the Romanian traditional dessert profiterol. Beside I had a glass of fresh orange juice. The atmosphere was very decent, and the service as well. There was a waitress who behaved nicely, and the food came in good time, especially if compared with the other experiences I had in Romania before. The food was good, though the orange fresh juice tasted a bit “not fresh” and the profiterol was a bit different than what I knew it should be like; moreover, it was very big, more than enough for a hungry man.

The second place I ate in Bacau was Pizzeria Luca. Luca restaurants have spread around Bacau and now they can be found all around the city offering different goods: from pretzels to sandwiches and pizza. I discovered this place by driving by it and it caught my attention with the crowds present on its terrace, and through its appearance: made of wood and clean. The first impression on spot was still not satisfying: we entered the restaurant, passed by some waiters without being greeted or asked anything, reached a reception where the waiter in charge there didn’t even looked at us for about 2-3 minutes although we were just face-to-face. In the end, we were sent to a table, with a cold voice. The waitress who served us was quite professional though, and together with the quality of the pizza we had, we declared the dinner to be ok.

The last dinner out we had in Bacau was at restaurant Piazzetta, located on the way to the town Roman. The place serves as a restaurant and bed and breakfast. From the street it looks just like a big house, but after making few steps the footpath takes you to the entrance in the restaurant, terrace and parking lots. Here I first made a reservation for the dinner, and we arrived there at 19:30. The staff at a first impression was professional. Once we got at our table we had to wait about 40 minutes for the waitress to get our order; at that moment she said that it will take maximum 30 minutes to receive our dishes. In the end it was 2 hours of waiting for the food, and I am not exaggerating. It is the worst experience I have had. It is a pity for the food and the place which both deserve more.

My holiday in Romania ended with a coffee in Otopeni Airport, at a lounge which name I don’t recall. However, although the prices are high -as it usually happen on airports- the service satisfied me very much. The waiter was welcoming, helpful and prompt.

All in all, after all these experiences I had in Romania, I can say I was very disappointed and I believe all the businesses activating in the service and hospitality sector in Romania have to improve seriously if they want to attract more tourists to them. I was surprised unpleasantly by the lack of training of the staff in the restaurants I visited, the lack of personnel and the lack of quality and creativity when it comes to food, situation I met in most of the places I ate.

Next time I will travel to Romania I plan to try some of the restaurants in Bucharest, and I have already higher expectations; based on the experiences I had in Bucharest before leaving Romania to live abroad, but also on the fact that being a capital city there is a bigger diversity and more people with money willing to spend them on quality stuff, including here food as well; so where there is demand for a product or a service, I expect that there are also companies willing to bring that on market.

As soon as I’ll get to visit any of the restaurants in Bucharest I’ll write about it here!

Dettifoss, Goðafoss and great weather…

Yesterday I arrived in Seyðisfjörður, and after a cozy evening in that charming little town, this morning I continued my journey on the Ring Road towards Akureiry.

As it happened also the last days the weather today was very beautiful, with sun and temperature up to 12-13 degrees Celsius, but in the car the reflection if the sun was more powerful thus I was driving in just a t-shirt.

The segment of road to Egilsstaðir, and even further for some kilometers, was kind of average in offerings, with no very attractive views. However, alter a while I was pleasantly surprised to see an old shelter for sheep; the kind of building built up in the ground. Then we climb up the mountains and drove on top of them for many kilometers through a white carpet set by snow of the just recently gone Icelandic winter. The views were great and the traffic was not busy at all.

The first serious stop of the day was at the Dettifoss waterfall; from the Ring Road one should drive 25 more kilometers on an additional road, on a way that takes you right to the waterfall. However, at the end of the road is not exactly the waterfall; there is one more kilometer to walk through snow…at least at this time of the year there was a lot of snow, and for one like me unprepared for winter it might be a good idea to have an extra pair of shoes with you. The walk through the snow is worth it because the view is amazing, with a reach waterfall falling in a big canyon.

After Dettifoss, the next planned stop was the lagoon from Mytvan. It is not as big as the Blue Lagoon from the South, but apart from the size everything is there: color, smell, warm, pleasure…! For two persons with student cards, the renting of towels, bathrobe and entrance fee rose up to about 9000 ISK.

Although there is possible to eat at the lagoon, we decided to drive further and eat on the way. Not after long time we just saw a farm with a restaurant offering local food and so we stopped. I swear that the food there and the whole experience at the farm was exceptional. Beside the fact that there was possible to pet cows and sheep, the food included raw smoked lamb, artic char, geyser bread and cheese from made at that farm.

Full, we continued driving towards Akueiry. The last stop on the way was another great waterfall…I would say the greatest waterfall I have seen so far in Iceland and generally in the world; it is Goðafoss waterfall. The view of it and the great weather made us feel satisfied with the day so we just kept driving to Akureiry hoping for a good dinner and good rest. At a first impression, even though Akureiry is the second biggest city in Iceland, it has not impressed me yet; there is not much to do or to see.

However, I am really looking forward to tomorrow when I will go in a whale watching tour.

So, if everything goes right tomorrow night I will be able to write about the experience we had with the whales.

The best two places to have a fika in Stockholm!

I have just returned from a two days trip to Stockholm. Unexpectedly I found Stockholm as being a very attractive city with many offerings, especially for the tourists. Among these one of them is on the lips of almost everyone travelling to this particular city, and generally in Sweden: FIKA!!!

Fika seems to be a social thing meant to bring people together; at least this is my understanding of it. However, according to one of my school teachers, fika refers to the moment when at least two people meet together for a coffee and a kanelbulle (cinnamon cookie); more than this, for such a moment to be called a fika, it requires that the ones meeting together socialize as much as possible. Moreover, according to one of the receptionists from Radisson Blu Viking Hotel (the hotel I stayed in Stockholm) -answering to a question of mine referring to this subject- fika can be served at any time during the day (not just in the morning as I had thought it happens).

Now, like I said, I didn’t know much about the city, but as a tourist I knew and I wanted to try fika; and I wanted to try it not just to thick it on my list, but I wanted to try the best places for fika, not to brag about it (although it is also a very big temptation) but also to get the best out of this experience.

Since I stayed there only two days, I tried fika only two times (once every day) not being able to drink more coffee. Yet, I am sure I had tried fika in two very cool places in Stockholm, which are ready to offer the best experience to anyone visiting them; therefore I want to share them here with you, hoping that this hints will give you some inspiration.

The first place I visited was Vete-Katten. It was only the first day of my stay in Stockholm, and after a thorough research on internet about the best places to have fika, I chose to follow as inspiration Stockholm’s DMO (Destination Management Organization) guidance. There in a select group of only five places best to have fika, Vete-Katten was one that caught my eyes. I can’t say exactly for what reason; maybe only because it was the closest one to my hotel…which means it is very close to the Stockholm’s Central Station and to the shopping street. However, if one doesn’t know about it, it may be easy to pass by it without noticing it, and so missing a great experience.

I had such a great time there, and I liked so much this coffee-shop that I cannot find the right words to convey the right feeling and the richness of the one hour time I spent there. First of all I must mention that even though I discovered it on internet, I didn’t read more about; the address was the only thig I read. So, when I arrived at the destination I was pleasantly surprised to see that Vete-Katten has a super nice patio in-between the buildings, offering a green and quiet environment, just perfect for a coffee and a relaxing chat in a late Saturday morning.

Then, I crossed the patio to go inside the coffee-shop and order my coffee and my cinnamon cookie. Inside another nice surprise: the design is very beautiful, making me feel like I was visiting an art house or a royal palace.

Yet, the counter or at least a stuff member was kind of difficult to find, so I kindly ask another customer about where she had got her coffee from; just then I understood that the place is actually bigger, and I have to keep going turning right and then left and just then I will find the counter. I did so and I ended up in front of a beautiful and appealing area with a lot of super cakes, cookies and sandwiches. Since I knew I want the fika, I asked what exactly fits with the concept and I got a coffee with a cinnamon cookie. Happy to have reached my goal, and with my hands busy with the yummy coffee and cookie, I went outside and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere, having a nice chat with my girlfriend. This is the story of the first place I visited for fika.

The second one I had discovered also on internet, and it is Cafe Pascal; a cafe which I found out it won the award of the best coffee shop in Stockholm, in 2015. So, fika in the best coffee shop in Stockholm!!! What else could be more appealing to me?! Cafe Pascal was neither very close to my hotel, but nor too far away. I had to take the metro (the green line) for three stops from the Central Station in order to arrive to it. So I got off at Odenplan Station, and walked for circa two minutes to be there.

I don’t know Stockholm, but it location seemed to be a bit outside of the touristic areas of the city, and so created in my mind an image of a coffee-shop with an authentic Swedish feeling; and I liked that feeling. However, from outside the coffee shop looks like many other coffee-shops in the city: clean environment and a couple of tables with people gathered around them.

Then I went inside, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover a very large room, designed with style, with an aired feeling, clean and with smiling baristas ready to welcome each of their customers. I couldn’t resist the temptation and before everything else I took some pictures, as if I was afraid that I am in a dream and I risk to wake up at any moment and lose all that nice sight.

Just when I decided I took enough pictures I decided to go to the bar to see what they have and to order. But it was not so easy because at the bar I discovered a lot of very appealing pastries and sandwiches, so it suddenly became very hard decide what I order. Because the menu didn’t help me either (it was all in Swedish) I decided to ask a barista for some recommendation. The barista was very relaxed and confident, but of course it stated asking me questions about what I usually like so he can make a recommendation; but this strategy doesn’t work too well for me, because I like so many things that is very difficult to make a decision. In the end, I decided to go for an appealing sandwich (the traditional cinnamon cookie I had it in the previous day, so I considered it was time for a change) and –suggested by the barista- I had an espresso tonic (i had never had one, or heard of something like that). Then I went to the table I considered good enough to add value to the pictures I will take with my kind of fika. Once I manage to do this, you can already figure out what came after: picture, picture, picture again, eat, drink and talk (again with my girlfriend). I didn’t want to leave the place, this is how much I like it! I girlfriend walked put the coffee-shop but I was still inside, taking pictures, feeling like I want to take as many memories as possible with this superb place!

In the end fika is nothing new or different than having a good coffee out together with someone else, at least this is my view. Yet, it turned in a exciting asset for Sweden to sell itself better to tourists; but no matter of any of these, if you want to have a fika or a great coffee in Stockholm than this two places are a must. I haven’t been to many other places in Stockholm, but based on my experience I consider these places as very good, and even though there might be other good places in Stockholm I am sure that they are no better than Vete-Katten and Café Pascal.

Go try them and then you will understand my excitement.

Home at one of the Queen(s) of the Sky: Jumbo Stay Stockholm!

You know those stories about the forbidden fruit and the obsession that one day, at least one day, you will manage to get it? Well, this is my story. I don’t love so many things in my life, but I don’t know for what reasons I love flying and I am fascinated about planes; even more, or maybe I sould say, worst, I like reading/researching airplane crashes. But enough with my obsession for planes, because I am sure now you can link the subject of this post with me!

So here’s my story:

About one year ago I read about a hotel built up in a plane. It is the project implemented in Sweden’s main airport, Arlanda, where a Swede came up with the creative business idea of turning a huge aircraft as a Boeing 747 which was retired from duty, and make out of it a famous attraction, namely Jumbo Stay Hostel, in Stockholm.

The Queen of the Sky as this type of plane is known as well, has become since then the Queen of the Ground, with many travelers going to stay there by curiosity and interest in experiences otherwise forbidden in normal conditions (fx. Sleep in cockpit), the same way tourists visit royal palaces to experience and admire the way royal families live.

To have the chance to sleep in a plane -more or less like those affording and willing to pay for a first class sleep, when hundred other struggle to sleep while almost standing- that was a big temptation. Moreover, there was the possibility to explore the plane in almost all its compartments, as close as one cannot dream to do in an airport or other environment, due to regulations.

However for me the excitement was high, and since I had first read about this hostel, I was looking forward to the first occasion I travel to Stockholm to book a night there.

According to the standards of a night in a hostel, and to the prices in hostels around the world, a night at Jumbo Stay Hostel can be considered costly. I paid 1194 SEK for one night in a private room for two (including breakfast), where I stayed together with my girlfriend. Yet, even though the price is a bit high, one loving planes or new experiences won’t run away seeing the price list; so didn’t I.

So, all packed for a sunny and nice city break in Stockholm, I arrived in Stockholm’s Airport, somewhere around 20:12. From there are shuttles going to the Jumbo Stay Hostel, of which I knew from home; but I also knew the hostel is only 15 minute walk away from the same airport. Willing to arrive as soon as possible I chose the shuttle, but it proved to be an uninspired idea because although the shuttles should run four times per hour, every 15 minutes, mine skipped the 20:15 time, and so I was waiting for more than those 15 minutes needed to reach the hostel on foot. However, I arrived at Jumbo Stay Hostel, and the way to it cannot be missed because it can be seen already from the bus stop. Push by the excitement I drop my baggage, and I started shooting photos like a soldier shots enemies. The view was nice, but because of my Samsung S3 and even iPad cameras, the pictures are not of high quality. From the shuttle stop to the entrance in the hostel…I mean, to the plane there is a short distance, so soon I was at the door. There an unexpected request welcomed me, and made me smile feeling well-entertained: all the guest are required to take off their shoes before they enter the hostel…like I said, it is an experience similar to those when visiting a queen; wherefrom my link: Queen of the sky – Royal queen. I took off my shoes, and although I could have left them next to the door in a space specially designed for shoes, I chose to take them with me in my room.

At the reception, which is very small and very close to the door, the receptionist welcomed us and gave me and my girlfriend some details about the place; however, my attention was disrupted by the restaurant, which is placed on the left side of the entrance, at the actually head of the plane. I found it very cozy and warm, with those orange chairs, small tables, TV and the customers talking with a low tone.

Like I said I booked a private room for two, with two single beds, on up and the other down. To get to it I had to walk down a hall which is almost identic with those in hotels. The room was small, but not that small not to have place to arrange my stuff for a night. Of course there is no place to dance, but there is plenty of place for the baggage, especially due to the spaces designed similar to the baggage spaces in planes, above the head.

Although it was said there are two single beds, we needed it only the one down, which is big enough for two persons. The room price covers the linens, pillows and blanket as well. One important thing, the mattress is very comfortable, so we enjoyed a lot the sleep. There is a TV as well, but who cared when I was in an ecstatic state just for being there. Still the Wi-Fi high speed connection was more appreciated and welcomed by the internet addict inside me.

This category of rooms comes with the breakfast included in the price; the other meals are not; and because we are talking about food, of course I wanted to try out whatever they had to eat; and what a better moment than the evening of our arrival when we were hungry after all the travelling time. However, when we asked about what we can eat there at that time -around 21:00- we were sent to pick up whatever we wanted from the two fridges they have there. But what could we choose? There were only few very small –on board plane-like sandwiches-, ice cream and some snacks, and of course drinks. However we bought a tiny sandwich and some nuts.

Following the natural way of doing things, after eating we needed to visit the facilities; in this way we discovered them as well. There are nice little spaces, and they come with a message just below the mirror, urging everyone to clean the sinks with their own towels, in order to show respect to the other customers. I found it funny and wise, apart for the part with “own towel”, because then who will how respect to my face and hands?

Beside the fact that I had one of my best ever sleep, I would add that once the sun raised up I was up as well, ready to go out, explore the place and take pictures…as many pictures as possible. Once out I noticed that beside the pictures with the hostel-plane there is a great spot for plane spotting, because just meters away the tail of Jumbo Stay there is a fence separating the airport area –and one of its runway- from the hostel area. In this way I got the chance to take pictures with aircrafts of KLM, Air France and Norwegian Airlines.

There is also possible to walk on the wing of the Boeing 747 hostel, but for this you have to pay, which I didn’t do it, although walking on the wing is a very tempting thing since there is forbidden, or better said almost impossible to do that on a plane.

I bet this hostel, Jumbo Stay, is an attraction of Stockholm in itself, and it worth booking a night there, especially if you arrive late or leave early, when anyhow you plan to find accommodation in airports’ hotels.

So, enjoy it!