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T I M E O F F I N …
BUCHAREST
See
Many epochs, cultures and religions
have left their mark on Bucharest, which
means there’s a surprise lurking on
every corner, be it an elegant Boyar
house, an art nouveau facade, a
synagogue, a lively market, an Orthodox
church or a modern theatre.
Bucharest’s earliest building is the OLD
PRINCELY COURT, a red and
white-striped palace chapel, decorated
with original frescoes. Romania’s most
famous celebrity, Count Dracula, or
Prince Vlad Tepes III as he was really
known, constructed the building in
1459. Tepes later became the model for
Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire. He was
buried in the cloister on nearby Snagov
Island, although his coffin is now empty.
A stone’s throw away is the city’s main
boulevard, the 2.8km-long CALEA
VICTORI E I, which is lined with
various palaces. Number 141 is
the eclectic PALAI S
CANTACUZ INO , which is now a
museum dedicated to musician George
Enescu. The world’s second-largest
administrative building is situated
nearby on Arsenal Hill. The parliament
building was built under dictator Nicolas
Ceausescu. Construction began in
1984, during which 20,000 construction
workers and hundreds of architects built
on 330,000m² of land, demolishing
large parts of the Old Town in the
process. The palace’s new glass wing
contains the National Museum of
Contemporary Art.
Drink
There’s no shortage of nightlife in
Bucharest. The city is teeming with
clubs, bars and cafés, although many
are only open at the weekend. There’s
something for everyone around the city
centre. The HANUL LUI MANUC
► Franceza 62-64, +40 (0)21 313
1415◄ is located in the Old Town’s
recently renovated caravanserai , a
courtyard full of restaurants and bars
surrounded by balconies sporting
beautiful carved wooden pillars.
The hotel was built in 1806 by Manuc
Bey, an Armenian who fled to Romania
to escape various political and
romantic scandals.
Not far off is the MACCA-
VI LACROSSE , an historic arcade,
which houses various pubs and shisha
bars. You don’t have to be a jazz fan to
enjoy the atmosphere at the GREEN
HOURS 22 JAZZ CLUB ► Calea
Victoriei 120, +40 (0)788 509 689 ◄ .
It’s a great place to sip a cocktail and
watch a live jazz concert, or take in
some fresh air in the romantic
Biergarten. Serious clubbers should
head to Budapest’s most famous club,
CLUB A ► Str Blanari 14, +40 (0)21
315 6853 ◄ . There’s different music
every night, and it’s a great place to
dance into the wee hours.
Sleep
It’s not difficult to find stylish rooms in
Bucharest, and pretty much all tastes
are catered to, with hotels ranging from
the ultra-modern to 1930s chic to the
truly historic.
In keeping with its five-star status, the
HOWARD JOHNSON GRAND
PLAZA ► Calea Dorobantilor 5-7,
+40 (0)21 201 5000, www.hojoplaza.
ro ◄ is located near the Piata Romana,
home to the famous sculpture of the
Roman she-wolf, the emblem of several
Romanian towns. The 18-storey hotel
offers great views of the city, and its
smart interior has been furnished by
luxury French brand Ligne Roset. Further
design is by German lighting specialist
Ingo Mauerer and Philippe Starck,
known for his spectacular, modern style.
The hotel also boasts two first-class
restaurants. The Benihana, which
serves authentic Japanese Teppanyaki
cuisine and sushi, and the Avalon, which
specialises in creative international
dishes. The latter also offers an
excellent Asian fusion brunch on
Sundays. Reservations recommended.
The French diplomat Paul Morand once
referred to the CASA CAPSA ►
Calea Victoriei 36, +40 (0)21 313
4038, www.capsa.ro ◄, as
“Bucharest’s eardrum”. The hotel’s café
was once a popular high-society haunt
and the restaurant still attractswell-heeled
hotel guests and non-residents alike.
Fans of smart but cosy interiors will feel
at home in the boutique HOTEL
REMBRANDT► Str Smardan 11,
+40 (0)21 313 9315 ◄ . The building
housing this pretty three-star dates
from 1925 and lies in the former
commercial quarter in the centre of
the Old Town.
Eat
The Romanian capital is a lively place,
full of contradictions and contrasts. The
gastronomic scene is equally diverse:
in Bucharest, you can dine out on
everything from Italian to Japanese
food. But don’t forget to try the local
cuisine, which uses regional ingredients
and boasts exceptionally tasty flavours.
Romania’s national dish is mici, a
delectable-smelling pork, lamb and beef
mince, which is finely seasoned and
cooked on a charcoal grill. You’ll find the
best in town at LA COCOSATU ► Str
Neagoe Voda 52A, +40 (0)21 232
8796, www.lacocosatu.ro ◄. If you
don’t mind sitting on wooden benches
and couldn’t care less about Feng Shui,
you’ll feel at home here.
A more sophisticated option is the
CARU’ CU BERE ► Str
Stavropoleos 5, +40 (0)21 313 7560,
www.carucubere.ro ◄, an elegant
beer hall that does nothing to damage
the city’s reputation as “the Paris of the
East”. It’s located in the part of the Old
Town that was lucky enough to survive
Ceausescu’s bulldozers. The stunning
interior boasts elaborately painted
ceilings, pillars, delicate wood carvings,
and stylish furniture. Try a cool draught
beer with Bucovina roast pork and
mamaliga , a kind of polenta, or the
sarmale traditional cabbage rolls.
THE LOCANTA JARI STEA ► Str
Georgescu 50-52, +40 (0)21 335 3338,
www.jaristea.ro ◄ is as legendary as
its former proprietor, the “lady with the
big hat”. The restaurant’s aristocratic
flair provides the perfect backdrop for
the equally refined Romanian cuisine.
The house speciality is suckling pig and
there’s live music in the evenings.
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