Captain Cook — Restaurant in Sofia City

If I’d had time to return for dinner here during my visit to the city I certainly would have done. It isn’t the cheapest restaurant in the area but both the service and food left us really impressed! If you don’t like seafood then you might be best looking elsewhere, because that’s this restaurant’s speciality, although the limited meat dishes they do offer are equally as nice.

We didn’t have a reservation but early on a Saturday evening managed to secure the last table in the window, which is a brilliant spot given the views over the square and cathedral. The table was large, spotlessly clean and laid out well with nice glasses and cutlery. There was a large TV screen in the corner showing a rather random mix of content but the decor throughout was really nice, giving plenty to admire and maintaining a high end feel. There’s some really pleasant acoustic music in the background giving a wonderful atmosphere.

Drinks orders were taken quickly and the really friendly waiter quickly sorted the glasses once we decided we weren’t having wine. Throughout the meal the staff were attentive to when glasses were getting low and were professional at serving the top-ups. The food menu takes some time to read, particularly for the seafood since it’s a case of ordering individual items and constructing your own dish. But equally this is the joy, enabling you to get exactly what you want in a dish! There’s a fresh fish counter for those wanting to personally select the items and the whole set up was explained really well by the staff.

Throughout the meal the waiting staff serving us kept changing between three individuals, all of whom were lovely, but it was a little annoying each wasn’t aware of what the previous had answered with us or recommendations made. All of the staff could speak decent enough English to be able to converse properly with them. It was nice being asked what speed we wanted the dishes to be brought out at, ensuring that the meal could be as relaxed as we wanted and it made us feel welcome and not rushed.

The octopus carpaccio starter was large and really well presented. The same was true for the prawns in a garlic oil - they were large and really tasty. We were offered a Bulgarian lamb dish for the main (can’t remember what it was called) which was a great portion size and also really tasty. Side dishes with the seafood items were of the same good quality and deserts were presented very well too. Overall every dish was was tasty and offered great value for money.

On a separate occasion we sat outside for some afternoon drinks. There’s loads of seating complete with umbrellas and heaters, making sure the large area can be used all year round. Again staff were friendly and attentive, even going as far as offering up use of the outdoor electric sockets when they spotted us charging photos with battery packs.

It was this incredible level of service and friendliness (yet also professionalism) which made this place amazing. The food was brilliant as well as good value for the quality, but the way in which the evening was delivered made it memorable, and I would happily continue to return....

First dinner with steak was good (4 stars), but two days later the fish dinner turned into a catastrophe: we had a beautiful large turbot for two (200 euros for the fish only); this became a massacre of such a delicate fish. It was deep-fried, cut the wrong way, with the bones, like a really bad fish and chips. We asked to speak to the chef: this gut was really vexed that somebody could criticize his way of preparing the fish and repeated constantly: this is how we do it in Bulgaria. We repeated that we are in the fish business and know very well how to prepare it; but our suggestions were rejected. Then the restaurant manager came and treated us as liars, as turbot should only exist in the Black Sea. Never heard of such a stupidity: it exists mainly on the eastern Atlantic coast and in the northern part of the Mediterranean sea. This aggressive discussion with the manager and the chef totally spoiled the evening; my wife was so furious, she needed the whole night to calm down: "I have never been treated to be a liar in a restaurant" Conclusion: the fish counter looks really beautiful, but most fish is not fresh and frozen. The chef doesn't know how to prepare fish: we saw that on other tables. So, if you are a fish lover, avoid this restaurant. The photos enclosed are from a fresh turbot, caught on the coast of Portugal, in the morning, and grilled at noon: the manager claims that we are liars, as turbots exist exclusively in the Black Sea. Should such an ignorant stay a restaurant claiming to be famous for fish? When he has no knowledge about fish, and when he defends a stubborn and incompetent chef? Well: the guests are always right? Not here :( If you are vegetarian: avoid: they massacre vegetables too: overcooked, no taste There are other good (Japanese) and excellent (Italian) restaurants in Hotel Marinela. This one is a shame...

Good ambiance, seems to have replaced the former Sasa establishment. Staff was generally polite, the waiter that took our order was really honest and even advised against normal fries in favor of the barbecued potato slices. The rest of the staff looked somewhat bored though, and weren't very observant. The "fish and beef" predicate is somewhat misleading tho, since about 80% of the menu consists of fish.

I ordered a 25 euro black angus steak with pepper sauce. Also ordered a side dish of barbecued peppers. My girlfriend had a tuna steak with truffle puree, shrimp with chilli mayonnaise, and we shared a side dish of roasted vegetables.

The peppers never came, and neither did my pepper sauce. The meat was closer to well done than rare, and was of mediocre quality. Seasoning wasn't present on the table, but the beef slices came with a lot of salt. Everything was a bit salty come to think of it, and a piece of tuna was too rare to eat.

I wanted to try a local beer, but they only offered "mainstream" beers or draft beer so I opted for a Heineken. The second time I ordered a beer I had to re-use the same glass.

All in all we spent about 200 let (approx. 100 euro) for something we would be happy to pay about € 60 for, but that's about it. Unless the service improves, I won't be...