Eating Around the World in Bulgaria – 2. Indian

It’s easy to miss the V1 Curry House in Vinitsa unless you know where to look. It’s situated on the first floor of a building which (at first glance) could be taken as an office building. Fortunately there is quite a large sign saying “V1” in front of the car parking area – that’s how we managed to find it.

Vinitsa is a large village that sits on the hillside just north of the Trakata villa zone of Varna city. Vinitsa is just off the road from Varna to Rogachevo, (near Albena), which is the site of an increasing number of holiday and residential complexes. The area is very popular with British investors, which is presumably why Sid decided to open an Indian restaurant there.

The décor is very modern and stylish. There is a central bar with bar stools, and to either side of the bar are dining tables. The tables are beautifully set, with tablecloths, gold-coloured table-runners and gleaming wine glasses. The napkins (or “serviettes” as my parents used to say) are folded very artistically on the dining plates.

There is a new menu at the Curry House and new Indian drawings hanging on the walls. The ownership and management have not changed, but there is a new chef.

The food at the V1 was excellent. I had a Chicken Murgh Mughali and a delicious mix of rice, chicken and nuts (which was a nice change from standard Pilau Rice). Andy and Gaz both went for the old favourite – Chicken Tikka Massala with Pilau Rice. We also had poppadoms with chutneys and pickles. One thing that let the restaurant down was that they had no plain nan bread, even though it was on the menu.

With two drinks each, the bill for the three of us came to just over 80 Bulgarian Leva – expensive for Bulgaria but still less than you would pay in an Indian restaurant in the UK.

Eating Around the World in Bulgaria - 1. Australian

You can't really go to Varna now without visiting at least one of the shopping malls. The chances are that you will take a look around the Varna Mall. Whether you like the style of the building or not, you have to be impressed by the size and the glamour.

Most of the eating places are located near the top of the building, so that you can look out over the city whilst you eat. The Australian restaurant “Fancy” is no exception. The restaurant looks classy and expensive but, although the food isn’t cheap, the prices are very reasonable for a high-class restaurant in such a prime location.

The décor is stylish and chique although (strangely) there are no pictures of the Sydney Opera House, no Didgery-Dos or anything that one might expect to find in restaurant selling Australian cuisine. There are oddly-shaped sofas with interesting patterns. I was unsure whether they were supposed to look like zebras or tree bark. (I know that zebras don’t come from Australia, but maybe the owners think they do.)

There is an extensive menu, offering both standard “international cuisine” and special Australian dishes. The Australian menu included crocodile and kangaroo steaks. Andy and I had chicken with plums and sweet chilli. It was served with rice and was very nicely presented and absolutely delicious – surprisingly spicy. Gaz decided to go Italian instead and had lasagna. This too was very tasty and, although he wasn’t too keen on the Lutenitza (Bulgarian tomato sauce) that was served with it.

Meals for the three of us, with two or three drinks each, came to 48 Bulgarian Leva.

Kaliakra Rock Fest 2008 by Gazz

Well, the 2008 Kaliakra Festival (also known as the Kavarna Festival) was my first ever rock festival. Now, I've been a fan on heavy metal and similar music for years, but even I went in expecting the stereotypical syringe lying beside a drunk and bloodied, hairy guy. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. There were no fights or aggressive behavior of any kind. The camp site was packed, but that's to be expected really. However, once again, it wasn't violent. Everything was very calm, collected and orderly.

The stage was at the far end of the sports arena. For those who decided to sit on the seats that surrounded the area, they could watch the festival in the same calm and collected manner. For those of us who wanted something a bit more "primal", then the grass area directly in front of the stage was perfect. Now don't get me wrong, there were no violet acts or "mosh pits", just a lot of fans grouped together jumping, screaming and head banging. Therefore, the stage area cattered to both types of people.

For those who wanted something between these two extremes, behind the group jumping up and down was a further, huge area of grass where they could go and decide just how close they wanted to get.

As for the actual shows; they were incredible! I had never heard of Holyhell or Sixth Sense before, but both of them were amazing. Holyhell have now become one of my favourite bands. Of course, Alice Cooper didn't disappoint! Seeing him hang himself on stage, only to come back a few minutes later after a killer solo was unbelievable for someone who had never seen him live before.

Perhaps the biggest news was Manowar's 6 hour playing spree. We had left by then due to being to tired, but it would turn out that they were attempting to break the record for the long gig ever played in the Guinness Book of Records, and I am pretty sure they succeeded. All in all, it was a great 3 night festival, topped of by finding a burger stall selling gorgeous, English style burgers. I would recommend the Kaliakra Festival to anyone who enjoys rock and heavy metal!

Below are some links to videos of the different performances at the festival:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xippnU_Fw9s - Come Clarity by In Flames

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBWFtPQYGp8 - Dream On by Holyhell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-Yxnxj298 - Alice Cooper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM4PrT7-vRM - Manowar

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