It’d be fair to say that Bucharest isn’t the most naturally beautiful European capital city, though I’ve yet to get to Vaduz so I can’t give an authoritative ranking.
But Park Cismigiu is a delight, even if there’s not locals selling horse kebabs and foaming lager for 50p a pint as we’d been led to believe.
And if the buildings are a bit plain, the streets are clean and benefit from a notable absence of dog mess.
And they have hipster coffee shops, like this one, mysteriously called Coffee Store and doing a good Shoreditch High Street impression.
Mrs RM had picked Hotel Trianon, a £50 a night place that was spotless, had good WiFi and all the services a modern traveller needs.
On that theme it took Mrs RM about 7.5 minutes to work out why foreigners came to Bucharest as we worked our way through a mini-Soho in the Old Town.
Mrs RM notices these things; I was more taken with the historic architecture around the Orthodox churches.
Mrs RM led me away from unsavoury sights down a cobbled side street.
“Let’s go in there”
“But it’s not on my list“
“Stuff your list”
It was the right choice. A vaguely east Berlin feel extended to clientele (no obvious tourists), beer range, prices, and inevitable owner in the middle of a fag break.
A handwritten beer blackboard was easy to read, though the absence of ABV was to prove fatal later.
The bar owner tried to hand me the bound menu, but I assured him I was just there for beer. It turned out the menu was just beer, hundreds of them.
“Pint of “Split the Pot” and a pint of “Imperial **** ” please, mate.”
That’s how you order beer in Bucharest.
Again, really terrific local craft. Pleasingly, the half-litres were served about 80% full, in the European tradition.
The toilets had a winning combination of breweriana and modern art. Newbury Tim will be able to identify both.
On my return I could see Mrs RM struggling with her pint of 9% DIPA.
“How strong is this ?”
Wimp. I was happy to help.
You were very brave asking for the beer with the naughty name -am pretty sure Mr Tyke wouldn’t ask !
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Presumably if you’d had the Imperial **** the night before there was little chance of enjoying Morning Glory the next day … ?
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I believe that line was reserved for young Russ.
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For once I wast trying to be semi respectable. 🙂
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Craft Beer is an entirely different way of drinking to low ABV traditional British ales to which us Traditionally biased Brits haven’t quite adapted to yet. You should have taken a few bottles of your favourite Doom Bar with you and handed them out – what’s Rumanian for ‘Seriously, you drink this horses piss all the time in the UK?’
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It’s not on my list… I’ve never known that to be received well. Ditto…there’s one on my list round here somewhere.
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You forgot to say that the name had no influence whatsoever on your choice of beer… ;0
Good job it’s not a work trip – not the kind of receipt that you would want to put through work expenses. 🙂
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Simon would though !
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GH,
But a name can have an influence on your choice of beer.
If a multinational megabrewer gave that name to an unexceptional new session-strength cask beer I expect it would outsell Doom Bar within months.
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Good point – though the Ministry for Outrageously Offensive Beers (Moob) would probably intervene to prevent it.
Doom Bar is a more subtle name – but as its turned out the clue is in the name…
🙂
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From my recent experience east Berlin bar owners have their fag breaks whilst behind the bar and still serving.
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True !
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“It’d be fair to say that Bucharest isn’t the most naturally beautiful European capital city, ”
Here’s me ignoring what’s written on the receipt above. 🙂
“and foaming lager for 50p a pint as we’d been led to believe.”
Sadly minimum pricing has caught up to them.
“What about a hot Chinese takeaway ?”
I’m sure the girls are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. 😉
“On that theme it took Mrs RM about 7.5 minutes to work out why foreigners came to Bucharest as we worked our way through a mini-Soho in the Old Town.”
Back in my day it was Amsterdam, Hamburg, Paris, Barcelona… and Berlin(!) of course. 🙂
“Bordello”
Love the sign above the entrance; “sometimes love is worth paying for”. 🙂
“and inevitable owner in the middle of a fag break.”
Still see a lot of that in France.
“All those beers were named by Russ”
I was merely a consultant.
““Pint of “Split the Pot” and a pint of “Imperial **** ” please, mate.””
I think you’ve learned a third Romanian word. 😉
“Wimp. I was happy to help.”
In her defence it was partly due to jet lag.
Cheers
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“Pleasingly, the half-litres were served about 80% full, in the European tradition.” –I wasn’t aware of this; is there really such a substantial difference in the way beer glasses are filled, UK vs. the rest of Europe?
I expect we Americans are closer to the English approach, though perhaps we aren’t filling the glass all the way up to the very lip, as I’ve sometimes seen done.
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Most places in Belgium have the measurement on the side of the glass so you can tell it’s been filled to the correct amount. (I have at least four different glasses from Belgium and they all have the measurements on the side)
They used to do that in the UK but not sure if that’s still true. From what I understand, in the UK it was to ensure you still got a nice head but weren’t shorted on the full 20oz. 🙂
Cheers
Here’s a link to a shot of one my glasses (just taken):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oGpsbhdo9Q3AMwZ78
Note it has markings for 25cl and 33cl (1/4 and 1/3 litre respectively).
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Thanks for the info and link to the photo, Russ. I know I’ve seen comments among pub fans griping about insufficient pours– not doubt they take this sort of thing very seriously indeed!
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In places like Slovakia and Poland I’ve seen very “short measure” though I doubt they see it like that !
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Had somebody sent out to an oil well just outside of Bucharest, supplies were delivered by mule train. Think the 21st century has only really reached Bucharest itself.
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I think the trains run by mule train.
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