1/5 J K. 1 year ago on Google
In
the
land
of
the
blind,
the
one-eyed
man
is
king.
Same
with
the
pretentously
named
restaurant
Casablanca.
In
the
sprawling
ghetto,
where
the
standard
of
service
is
set
by
the
cashiers
at
low-end
supermarkets,
it’s
somehow
understandable
that
locals
call
this
eatery
“the
best
restaurant
in
Pernik.”
A
garden
reclaimed
from
a
space
that
looks
like
a
landfill,
and
a
heavy,
kitschy
interior
doesn’t
amount
to
a
good
dining
experience
though.
A
good
dining
experience
includes
at
least
acceptable
service
and
cuisine.
You
can’t
find
either
here.
On
entering
no
one
greets
you.
While
our
party
of
four
was
trying
to
find
a
table,
the
two
waiters
in
the
restaurant
barely
acknowleged
our
presence
by
looking
through
us
with
obviously
disinterested
expressions.
Basic
manners,
smiles,
and
eye
contact
are
still
poorly
understood
in
the
hospitality
industry
in
Bulgaria,
and
“the
best
restaurant
in
Pernik”
is
no
exception.
Without
even
asking,
the
curt
waiter
brought
us
only
the
lunch
menu
and
we
had
to
request
the
regular
one.
Pointless,
because
even
the
regular
menu
offered
no
hint
of
culinary
excitement—standard
fare
of
pizza,
pasta,
grilled
meats,
fish
that
you
can
find
anywhere
in
Bulgaria
prepared
in
the
same
way,
with
the
same
quality.
Half
of
our
party
went
for
the
meatball
with
mashed
potatoes
option
in
the
lunch
menu,
and
the
other
half
for
a
simple
chicken
steak
with
fries.
When
I
had
my
first
bite
of
the
meatball,
I
thought
the
cook
accidentally
dropped
the
salt
supply
of
the
restaurant
in
the
minced
meat.
When
I
tasted
the
mashed
potatos,
I
realized
that
that
was
no
accident—everything
was
equally
oversalted.
Same
with
the
chicken
steak.
Final
impressions:
a
classic
dessert
like
creme
brulee
is
not
served
with
a
truckload
of
jam
on
top;
food
is
served
to
all
guests
at
the
same
time;
you
don’t
charge
for
the
bread
that
never
came.
A
tip
to
other
potential
customers—if
you
are
simply
hungry
and
not
after
the
elusive
Pernik
dining
experience,
just
across
the
street,
there’s
a
supermarket.
You
can
fill
yourselves
with
the
same
stuff,
half
the
price,
zero
the
annoyance.
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