L’etranger in Sofia is the oldest French restaurant in town, so I just had to see and experience it.

http://www.bistrotletranger.com/

Typical French cuisine with a bit of new techniques and a fun and challenging menu.

 

What did I eat?

Aspergus with Normandy sauce (base of calvados) – Tournedos with different vegetable structures and potato cream – black pepper strawberries with olive oil ice cream

 

Good / Bad points:

+ Real refreshing to have this type of restaurant in Bulgaria !

+ Good service

+ classic kitchen with a twist and a good suggestion menu

+ great wines by half bottle, perfect for single guests

– I was all alone, not a great feeling to be alone in a restaurant

– Was not that easy to find

 

Points:

food: 7.7 – Overall a good score, I loved the sauce Normandy, real light good touch of Calvados and a remarkable foodpairing with green asparagus. Also the dessert was “magnifique”, olive oil ice cream with sweet and peppered strawberries is a fun combo. Bad points for the unneeded carrots at the starter, also for the strange potato foam which was a mixture between puree, foam and sauce….. and I hated the structure of the meat, strange sponge feeling like coming right out of the freezer before being baked…

coziness: 8.5 – French Bistro look and feel, nicely done.

staff: 8.5 – very helpful and understanding speaking fluent English, French and Bulgarian. Maybe just a bit chatty, but that could have been me as well 😉

price: 7.9 – honest price, maybe high for Bulgaria but normal for this quality of food.

 

Overall a score of 8 out of 10