Data actualizării: 30.09.2019 07:51
Data publicării: 30.09.2019 07:36

Going for a drink on Calea Victoriei

Autor: Flaviu Predescu

Going for a walk on Calea Victoriei is a poem that fits every season

Going for a walk on Calea Victoriei is a poem that fits every season. During that walk, stopping for even a second - as Kipling's verse goes: "Make time, for all of this has a heart, a voice!" - may mean stepping into small sensorial paradises.

And what can be more pleasing than, alongside of what you know, being guided towards what fits the place you are visiting, both as taste, as well as smell? About words and the sweet synesthesia that will carry you on its arms longer than 2 and a half kilometers, of a boulevard in which Bucharest's history was written in every century.

So we started off in Piața Victoriei towards Piața Constituției. This time on foot, without a scooter or a bicycle. On the right side, we found the wine bar Vinexpert. Those who stop by in such a friendly place, usually dominated by young ladies and ladies, can enjoy the experience of sommeliers who can recommend wines depending on their preferences or on the types of food they want to taste. Thus, regularly, tastings are organized and various types of rare wines are presented, visitors being able to acquire collection assortments, in exchange of a cork fee, straight from the shelf, that they can enjoy inside the bar or on its terrace. From across the street, French Bakery Victoriei delivers tempting smells of fresh croissants and a charming breeze of Arabica Coffea.

On foot towards Piața Constituției, without a scooter or a bicycle. In the background „Dragomir Niculescu" brasserie - DC News Archive

Also on the right side, but a bit further, Fellow One, stands out by their way of preparing coffee, which is grounded in front of you. This is done so you can experience its fresh taste and recharge with the energy given by freshness and quality. Not far away, at Starbucks, two young people who smile and share something on a laptop, sit as if they are in a showcase, and from time to time raise their eyes towards the old Mogoșoaia bridge, on which bike and scooter riders pass either happy or concerned, but on the most beautiful track in Bucharest.

Ok, but let's pass a little on to the left side, at Ză Lokal. Here, one can order tagliatelle with "ză_somon" (the salmon) marinated in Drăgășani white wine and aromatic herbs. Oh, but the burgers look magnificent! In the near proximity, Cioccogelateria Venchi offers chocolate of which people say tastes as the one that was made in 1848, but mostly here the tourist can find the famous Bacio ice cream, which in Italian means kiss. What, someone is kissing? Where, at Venchi?

"We are small and full of life... we have 17 seats inside and another 16 on the terrace" shout out the folks from Koketerie, from the door of a very chic urban bistro, found nearby the ones we already listed. On their Insta' page we can find the images of the dishes cooked in an open kitchen, under the coveting eyes of the customers, as for the beef steak ... oh, yummy!

Casa Vernescu Palace Casino - DC News Archive

And we are off again. Casa Vernescu Palace Casino is not to be missed. It is a significant composition of Bucharest's urban personality. It is situated across the street from the Nicolae Iorga park, where we can also find the bust of the Romanian poet who said: "Descend from a rock/ with your young lady step", meaning Nichita Stănescu. The building in which the casino operates is rented, because it belongs to the Writers' Union of Romania, a detail that few are aware of. From the casino's website, probably unique in Europe for its beauty and history, we find out that the wonderful palace was built in 1821, by a Wallachia boyar. We shall not develop onward, but the tourist can bet sure on himself that he made the right choice, by combining fun and good taste architecture.

And since we returned to the right side of the street, we pass by the crossroad with Dacia Boulevard and somewhere, not far from the Music Shop, we run across the Good Beer Factory, which is in fact a bar where one can drink artisanal beer Zăganu. Its story? They tell it themselves on their presentation website. The owners restored a microbrewery, more than 80 years old, situated at 100 kilometers of Bucharest and carries the name of a mountain.

Let's pass again onto the left side of the road, from which we started. One must absolutely go to the „Dragomir Niculescu" brasserie, urban and creative kitchen. It's an 1898 brand that introduces you by photos and decor into the atmosphere of the late XIX^thcentury. At Dragomir Niculescu one can have, for instance according to taste a beef goulash or a freshly fished Corvine from the Black Sea, cooked with sour cauliflower, cauliflower puree and broccoli. And when you look over your shoulder you see a shelf full of wine, each of them more special. Remarkable of this place is also the fact that it spreads on the sidewalk full of Calea Victoria's history, where time has laid one over the other steps of pensive artists or regular people that have wondered on this Boulevard. A Zapaca rum and the check please! A day in which you turn back in time might prove as the best trip. Therefore I will not describe the pearl barley cake with oven-roasted nuts. I will leave the ones who pass by after me to discover it for themselves.

I already passed by the intersection with Elisabeta Boulevard and somewhere on the right side, I heard a peaceful music towards which I walked as if I was carried by the lines of a music scale. This is how I discovered Bread and Butter. Inside someone pensively savored a Prosecco. It is said that some nights, the lucky ones, can actually turn right into the middle of a theme party. Moreover, mornings and lunches you can try the protein pancakes of oatmeal, bananas and yogurt with wild fruits, honey. Where are we getting if we keep going like this?

What is there? To avoid blabbering, I'm going to spell it out: Ga-ne-sha ca-fe - so, Ganesha. You can see it's a splash of color of the Boulevard and, already walking in you can see the atmosphere beginning to catch contour. For this type of coffee you can't miss a Biscomilk, a cookie on top of which lays a delicious biscuit. I turn and whisper to a tourist to confidently ask for a Biscomilk with his coffee, being absolutely sure he will not regret it. Hey, lemonade works to? Oh, but there are so many varieties, you can't know which one to choose. Someone also told me about a Frappe Ice Cream.

Caru cu Bere, (Chariot with Beer) a milestone in the Old Center of the Capital

Next time, I promise! Because I'm already at the crossroad with Lipscani Street and a mere turning to the left will transpose me into another universe, seems like a good spot for those who either meet or pull out of the Old Center, might also be Gold Bar Cafe. Here, the owners claim that they posses "ingenious" cocktail recipes. How so? I ask. They are elaborated with creativity, mastery and skill. Is that so? Because going down the street towards Piața Constituției there was no other synesthetic refuge in sight, I stopped to admire the CEC Palace. Someone asked me: excuse me, how may I find Caru' cu Bere? I get lost in the streets in the Old Center. It's easy, I replayed, from the Caru' cu Bere you can see the CEC Palace and vice-versa.

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