Tonight’s dinner provided another opportunity to explore Bucharest; our hosts with the help of Iulia from the Traveling Tulip arranged a three stop progressive dinner, or what they called a gastronomic tour. We grabbed umbrellas and raincoats as we walked to our first location, the famous Hanu lui Manuc in Old Town across from the Old Court, Curtea Veche, we had visited on our scavenger hunt the prior day. Manuc’s Inn is the oldest operating hotel building in Romania and houses a popular restaurant. Built by a wealthy Armenian businessman, Manucbei, in 1808, the establishment became an important commercial hub in the early 19th century housing wholesalers, retailers, hotel rooms, offices and a pub.
We were seated at long tables in the cellar. During the Communist occupation, Hanu lui Manuc was nationalized and the area where we were dining was a military fortification. Today it is a lovely bricked cellar that gives the impression of sitting in a tunnel. We started with a toast and a shot of visinata, a flavorful and sweet alcoholic beverage made with sour cherries. Visinata is traditionally brewed by Romanian families at home, so there is no official recipe, but it is typically made by filling a container with half cherries, half sugar and adding vodka to start the fermentation process. The mixture is stored in a dark place for 100 days, frequently stirred and then strained. Although sweet for some people’s tastes, I found it delicious!
Heaping platters of appetizers arrived next – humus, ground lamb rolls, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, assorted cheeses and meats accompanied by baskets of thick, warm bread and several bottles of local white and red wine. We would definitely need to pace ourselves to get through two more courses. After enjoying our starters, wine and conversation, we prepared to walk to our next location.
A ten minute walk brought us to our second dining spot, Caru cu Bere. This restaurant also has a storied past. Started 130 years ago by two brothers from Transylvania as a brew pub, it expanded over the years and grew to be one of Bucharest’s most notable restaurants. We cut through the courtyard to the main entrance; despite the forecast for rain, there were some people dining and drinking on the patio.
The restaurant foyer was reminiscent of a church. There are large stained glass windows, wood paneling, arched doorways and dangling chandeliers.
Once again, given our party size, we were seated in the basement, this time in a lovely room with high vaulted ceilings and painted murals.
Waiting for our next course, we heard music upstairs and were treated to a Romanian folkloric dance performance.
After the performance, the mountains of food began arriving – platters with chicken, pork, polenta, potatoes and vegetables; once again accompanied by bread and wine. We ate well but still left several platters of food untouched on the table. We enjoyed the musical entertainment and conversation, digesting our food for a bit before heading to our final destination for dessert and coffee.
It was pouring as we left; thankfully, we had rain gear and the walk to our final destination was short. A lovely dessert spread provided by Lulu’s Cakes greeted us as we entered the cafe; a few samples of sweets, a cup of coffee, one more glass of wine, conversation and photos against the colorful murals adoring the walls and we were ready to head back to the hotel. What an amazing night and a great way to sample the food and culture of Bucharest!
