Entering Avalon, which opened recently, I could not help but feeling impressed.

Within the restaurant, which is in the section of Neofit Rilski Street between Vitosha Boulevard and Angel Kunchev Street, there are lights built into the floor, suits of armour, all kinds of swords and sabres and furniture made of iron, a true hail to the Middle Ages. Or so it seemed. Because, as soon as we sat down, I felt disturbed by the off white and gold embroidered plastic place mats, who would better suite a French fun fair. As the menu (also available in English) came, where the people from Avalon have used their creativity with dishes called 'The chicken that flew from Thrace' and 'Rainbow Salad', it took me a long time to decide what I would have. Salads were well-represented, as were pizzas and pastas, and typical Bulgarian dishes. Right here I would like to place a comment on the fact that there was an overdose of chicken. Hence, we all had chicken. I opted for a Caesar Salad at 3.05 leva as a starter, as my table partners ordered a Rainbow Salad at 3.35 leva and a Shopska Salad at 2.75 leva together with bread from the oven with olive oil and yellow cheese. Our chicken meals included Devils Chicken which costs 6.25 leva, 'The chicken that flew from Thrace' for 5.95 leva and chicken livers at 3.35 leva, which sadly enough didn't have a fancy name. My salad was sad as well. There were no croutons to be found, the bacon was raw, the Parmesan was anything but fresh and I have no clue why but someone threw an enormous bulk of pesto on top of it. After a few bites I had enough and I decided to steal some salad from my friends. Although the Rain-bow Salad was nice, it was hard to detect what it consisted of because the mayonnaise disguised all hints of colour. My guess however was that there was ham, cheese and a probability of potato. There were no comments on the Shopska salad. It was exactly how it should be. The main course arrived. First the Devils Chicken and 'The chicken that flew from Thrace'. At first we were very suspicious, as the sauce of both of them looked alike, red, with dots of chicken fillet and vegetables. After some tasting and comparing we had to come to the conclusion that they weren't. The Devils Chicken was a little spicy, the Thracian chicken was not. My chicken livers arrived with the waitress who was serving us, and who spoke only when absolutely unavoidable. The dish contained onion, chicken liver and bacon, served in a clay oven plate. There was nothing wrong about it, but there was also nothing great about it. The music went from techno, via experimental jazz to pop. This gave the whole atmosphere of the place a very confusing flavour. My friends rated their food as a five out of 10. I couldn't agree more with their verdict. It was neither bad nor good, it was floating around not being one thing or the other. This is why we decided not to order any dessert, only some coffee. Avalon looks at first quite nice, clean and new. However, its interior, the menu and the music have absolutely nothing in common with each other. Our total bill for three people was 35.35 leva. And therefore I am sure it's not a bad place to have a quick pizza when in a hurry. Nice dining, however, should be done elsewhere.



Address: 44 Neofit Rilski St

Telephone: 986 14 28