GastroLab (Bucharest, Romania): Off the Beaten Path, with Zoltan Szabo

After a memorable day of food and wine experiences, I was fully convinced that "Off the Beaten Path" (with Zoltan) was the way to go in Bucharest. But now it was Day 2 and my schedule would only allow lunch before I had to turn to my real reason for being in Bucharest: the #Winelovers' 14th Anniversary Celebration.

I met Zoltan and Daniel in the lobby and we were all kind of subdued, a combination, I think, of the effects of the prior day's excess and the sense that a good thing was coming to an end. Once in the car, Daniel sliced through the traffic effortlessly and we were soon looking for parking in the shadow of what he identified as a Romanian government building. We got out of the car and walked onto a plaza into an open courtyard which adjoined a glass-plated interior. The sign in the ceiling identified the establishment as GastroLab.

Zoltan is a high-energy guy but, as we stepped through those doors, his energy went to another level. He seemed to know everyone and there was a lot of hugging and backslapping. He took me on tours of various nooks and crannies and, as we toured through the cellars, it was revealed that he had a history with the place.

There are two instances of GastroLab: One at the Balvanyos Resort in Székely Land and the other in Bucharest at Aviatorilor Boulevard No. 8. The Owner and Wine Curator of the establishment is Lóránd Szarvadi, a childhood friend of Zoltan's. When Zoltan came back to Romania, he worked at the original GastroLab at Balvanyos Resort helping out his "old" friend. When Lóránd decided to open a branch of the restaurant in Bucharest, Zoltan commuted between Székely Land and Bucharest to help set up the wine program at the latter. The Bucharest GastroLab was launched in 2018 and Zoltan stayed on for 5 years during which time the restaurant gained the Wine Spectator's 2 Glass designation.

What exactly is GastroLab and what is its philosophy? The tag line on the company's logo refers to a Wine and Food experience. Beginning with the food aspect, Chef Costel Horga:

We made this menu using old recipes from Moldova, Transylvania and the Szeklerland. We tried to bring a little bit of cuisine from these lands ... where mangalita pork, ... hold the supremacy of authentic taste. Since modern cuisine has no borders, we did not shy away from proposing classic ingredients from all over the world ... We present all these dishes to you, in a way that befits an urban and innovative restaurant.

In re the wine experience, Lóránd describes the program as containing "carefully selected wines that perfectly match our menus, enhancing your culinary experience ... if the wine is correctly paired with the dish, the two will be much tastier than tasted individually. The GastroLab team's dedication is to guide you towards a gastronomic experience by transposing aromas and sensory textures."

After I had fully digested the sights, sounds, and stories of the place, we took our seats. Zoltan was positively glowing and took on the task of ordering our initial drinks.He ordered Csikisor, a Székley Land IPA-style beer and a Székley Land plum brandy Pǎlincǎ.

Then my two companions began a discussion as to what we should eat. They settled on a starter which included "a variety of Transylvanian salamis (including deer and Carpathian Brown Bear); Eggplant; Eggs; amazing butters, lard, and cracklings; fried Mangalica pig's brain; and home-made bread."

Pic courtesy Zoltan

Zoltan's picture showed that we had the 2024 Davino Blanc as our wine with the meal. I am unable to find a description of this wine on the Davino website. They do have a white called Ceptura Blanc, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Feteasca Alba, and Riesling Italico, but it is not clear that this is the same wine.

This starter was quickly followed by Eggplant, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, and mountain trout filets.

The team

Another phenomenal experience. My first time tasting Carpathian Bear. It was brawny. My first time tasting Pig's brain; I held onto the table. Wonderful atmosphere. Wonderful service. Wonderful company. And the food and wine paired admirably.

Well, the time had come to say goodbye to Zoltan and Daniel. And it was difficult. These guys had become like brothers over the past two days: Daniel, the sane, level-headed one; Zoltan ... well who knows. I kid. He is a lot of fun. Thank you guys. Until we meet again.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Off the Beaten Path with Zoltan Szabo in Bucharest (Romania): Restaurant Casa Doina

We were all extremely pleased at the conclusion of the Romanian Wine Tasting at Wine With Me. The tasting had been insightful, impactful, entertaining, and educational and revealed the high-quality embodied in specific Romanian wines. 

But we were on an off-the-beaten-path quest so Zoltan, Daniel, and I took leave of our fellow tasters and headed off into the wild unknown. Zoltan was keeping the itinerary close to his vest so I generally found out where we were going when we got there. That schema was working so far so I was not concerned. We finally pulled up at Restaurant Casa Doina.

The structure housing the restaurant was originally the Romanian Pavilion at Paris' Universal Art Gallery of 1889. The design is a mashup of a Romanian aristocratic house of the period combined with Seville and Alhambran architectural elements. The architect, Ian Mincu, is considered to be one of the founders of the Romanian architectural style.

At the conclusion of the Paris show, the structure was recreated in Bucharest and named Bufetul de la Sosea (The Street Tavern) in 1892. The building is classified as an Architectural Monument. Restaurant Casa Doina has called it home since 2003.

Casa Doina combines traditional Romanian cuisine with robust international offerings in a beautiful garden setting in order to provide customers "the opportunity to enjoy exquisite meals" in a "picturesque outdoor environment." 

The setting was absolutely stunning as I wended my way through the gardens to our seat location. My head was on a swivel as my eyes feasted on the ambience.

After a quick perusal of the menu, we decided to go full Romanian. I folded up my menu and placed myself squarely in the hands of my tablemates. We began with a Starter Medley which, when it arrived, had me questioning my decision. It was huge. And it was only the starter. I was unsure as to whether I would be able to negotiate this dish and a main course as well. After a lot of bobbing and weaving, I was able to exit the starter phase with my dignity -- and a portion of my appetite -- intact. 

Zoltan described the main course thusly on his Facebook page:"My friend and I having tachiturǎ moldoveneascǎ with murǎturi and other tasty old school Romanian classics for lunch at the nicest and oldest, architecturally stunning Restaurant Casa Doina ..." If you know, you know. This dish was weighty.

According to Wikipedia, "Tochitura is a traditional Romanian and Moldovan dish made from pork cut into small cubes and cooked over a low fire in their own fat and juices, generally in a cast-iron pot. It is traditionally served with over-easy eggs and mǎmǎlugǎ (polenta) with or without tomato sauce and can also be made from beef, lamb or chicken. The traditional Romanian dish contains not only meat; it includes parts of the internal organs of the animal ... tied together. It is served with polenta and a salty sheep's cheese." Below is my example as served.

Tochiturǎ Moldoveneascǎ 

Murǎturi (Pickled vegetables)

During the course of the meal I was constantly regaled with stories of the history and geography of the foods that were in front of us, the wines that we were drinking, the country broadly speaking, the occupation period, etc. These guys were loads of fun.

Daniel, the Author, and Zoltan at Casa Doina

So Zoltan had promised me unique, off-the-beaten-track experiences. And he was delivering. But not only were these things/places off the beaten track, they were damn good. And we had just gotten started.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme