As the nights become increasingly cooler and recollections of sweltering summer days retreat into distant memory, the Peacock's House, with its open fire, white-washed stone walls, and cosy wooden interior, is the perfect place to usher in the rapidly approaching autumn.

The winding valley road towards Samokov takes you beyond Vitosha and the drive in itself is a pleasant relief after the streets of Sofia. Arriving at the Peacock's House is literally a breath of fresh air, as you step out of your car only minutes from the city and inhale the cool silence that surrounds this traditionally built mechana.

Outside is a garden with tables and a children's swing, and after entering the building through a heavy wooden door, you encounter the large fireplace where meat is grilled and bread toasted. With the walls tastefully decorated with various dried flowers, icons, and copper pots, and the wood-framed windows hung with neatly drawn curtains, the overall impression is of being in a remote and well-kept cottage somewhere in the mountains. The only flaw in the quaint picture is the muted television, mounted in one corner, and the background music that ranges, acceptably, from folklore to, unacceptably, chalga.

As for the menu, it is, of course, traditional Bulgarian fare, and what better way to begin the meal than with a bowl of tripe soup. Two companions who tried this dish were both quite rapturous. They observed that there was a good amount of tripe which wasn't too greasy or over-boiled, and the soup was served with a thick garlic and vinegar sauce as well as dried red chili powder, which, I was assured, is essential because tripe soup should be eaten hot. Though both agreed it was excellent, one admitted that his grandmother's was better, while the other complained that at 1.50 leva it was almost double the usual price.

For those not so tempted by stewed animal leftovers, the menu offers a broad range of starters, 12 without meat. Battered peppers (paneeram chushka), courgette with yoghurt sauce, battered cheese, and the very traditional and tasty poached egg with yoghurt (yaitsa po panaguirsky) are among them. I tried mish-mash, a basic dish of peppers, tomato, and onion fried in egg, and was satisfied as usual - it's hard to go wrong with this dish. The savoury pancake option, rolled with ham, gherkin, and mayonnaise, was also sampled without complaint.

One companion tried the Kachamak, again very traditional, though apparently originating from Romania. It consists of boiled corn flour served in a pot with white cheese and fried pork. "This is even better than my father's Kachamak," he exclaimed, explaining that there were no lumps in the cornflour and it was not too greasy. The 22 starters range in price from 40 stotinki to three leva.

The menu also offers 17 salads, all Bulgarian traditionals, with the most unusual being a salad of radish and carrot. Several flame-grilled dishes are available, including pork steak, pork fillet, and 'oveyache' - rolled pork steak filled with mustard and ham.

Lamb livers with rice, battered chicken steak or chicken wings, trout, and roast lamb are amongst the main dishes, of which there are no vegetarian possibilities. Kavarma, consisting of meat and vegetables served in a pot, was three leva, and approved by one companion. The most expensive dish on the menu at nine leva was 'svinsky jolan' - pig's leg, or part of a pig's leg, which is boiled and then roasted.

To go with the average range of drinks, covering rakias, spirits, wines and beers, there is a choice of dried meats. 'Sujuk' - dried sausage, 'File Elena' - dried bacon, or 'Pastrama' - dried goat's meat.

Service was swift and efficient throughout the meal, the server immediately replaced an unsatisfactory glass of wine without any quibbles, but traditionally all the dishes arrived at different times leaving some diners still waiting to eat while others were choosing from the limited selection of desserts. There are no menu translations available and no English-speaking servers, so be warned that you'll need to take an interpreter or your Bulgarian dictionary.