A charming bistro has recently opened, focusing on fresh and healthy dining, in a darling stylish setting. Clearly viewed from the outside, due to its all-glass façade, Salt & Sweet Cookery attracts passers-by with its mini patio, and interior design, adorned in a white, black and wood theme.

Once inside, you notice personalised details, an appealing mezzanine, painted-on silhouettes of a bowler hat and umbrella at the coat hangers, a wall of exposed brick and shelves with a tasteful display, or wooden planters with white river stones, encompassing both a minimalist and cosy feeling. Upstairs, the mezzanine, more casual than below, offers diners a sofa, and seating at a low bar overlooking the ground floor and outside, although anyone above 170cm should watch out, as the roof beams upstairs are very low.

The tiny, yet clean, bathroom is here, too.
Salt & Sweet Cookery’s lunch menu differs every day, depending on the whim of the chef, and the freshest available produce. Usually there is a soup, for instance spinach or chicken, and two or three main items, generally leaning towards Bulgarian cuisine, with modern twists. Although, one can always order from their "Salt & Sweet" menu, a double-sided card with about 10 items on each side. The "Salt" items include three thin-crust pizzas (cheese, fish or bacon), all good choices; a quiche, and a few varieties of homemade banitsa pastries are also available.

For an evening meal, diners are presented with a menu offering a good selection of wholesome dishes. The salads are a speciality, with an assortment of nutritious sprouts included in most of the 11 on offer. There is even one only with sprouts, and a dressing of olive oil and lemon (5.90 leva), giving you a sample of just how different each germinated seed tastes, some spicy, some citrusy, some nutty.

Another tangy option is the Camcho Salad (5.70 leva), made with salad greens, sprouts, citrus fruit, marinated fish and sprinkled with nuts, a great option for fish lovers; another classic is the tabbouleh. Among the 14 starters is hummus, which I never managed to try, as it was unavailable four times; a good replacement is the generously portioned, creamy tapenade (4.40 leva) of olives, anchovies and capers, served with crispy pesto bruschetti. This is an appetiser for three.

The main courses, priced at about nine leva, are limited, with three pork items, two chicken dishes, two vegetarian offerings and a fish of the day, but the diverse pre-main snacks make up for this scarcity. A vegetarian friend of mine enjoyed the main course potato roll, filled with vegetables and cheese, seasoned with rosemary, thyme and honey, though I found it a bit dry, perhaps the chickpea "meatballs" are better.

An order of chicken breast, filled with spinach, porcini mushrooms, olives, capers, and doused with gravy (according to the menu), arrived stuffed only with cheese and gherkins. While the meat itself was succulently seared, its filling was plain sour and crunchy. This makeshift content were explained by a friendly waitress, as policy of using the freshest ingredients, and cooked only when ordered - basically there were no mushrooms or spinach in the kitchen, so the freshest items on hand had gone through a heat process, then jarred for a year, and perhaps in another country. This is not the first time I’ve encountered a gherkin switch job in Bulgaria.

To accompany one’s meal is a small selection of wine, but not by the glass, only by the bottle. Other beverage options are the regular café fare, as well as quality loose teas, and a number of juices to mix and match, made to order in a juicer at the bar counter. Apple, carrot and beetroot are some of the options.

From the "Sweet" menu, to supplement an afternoon coffee, or to conclude a meal, one can enjoy homemade baklava, or, everyone’s favourite, chocolate brownie (4.40 leva), made with generous, real ingredients, and decadently rich, with its smooth sauce, and served with a ball of ice cream. Another option is the lava cake, which is similarly good.

Salt & Sweet Cookery is an enchanting bistro, and its decor and ambiance pull me to return again and again, though the food is inconsistent, items steadily being unavailable. Still the food is tasty, and I can assume that their shopping list will improve as the restaurant matures. At present, it is a fine choice for nourishing lunches, light afternoon bites and informal dinners.


Info

Address: 8 Sheinovo Str

Tel: 02/ 480 37 55

Open: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 11pm

Credit cards: yes