In the small tourist town of Bansko, better known as a ski resort, not long ago, namely on November 8 '18, a new restaurant with the ambitious name “Golden Dragon” opened. The establishment offers Chinese cuisine and (so far) has no competition in this area. Until recently, the most popular food in Bansko was simple traditional Bulgarian food (steaks, potatoes, beans, fresh baked vegetables), but with the development of infrastructure and increased competition, Bulgarian restaurateurs began to explore new directions of cuisine.
Interior
The interior decoration of the premises was transferred to the “Golden dragon” from the previous cafe “Feuilleton”, previously located in this building (specializing in European cuisine, but closed due to incredible not caring owner's carelessness). The new restaurateur added Chinese lanterns and prints to the existing, somewhat faded “Bulgarian Provence” style, completing the thematic decoration of the premises. Wooden furniture, which had long since lost its cheerful appearance, was once again painted and put into use again. The set of dishes and cutlery has not been updated, as visitors will be told by the teeth of the forks, bent by the guests of Feuilleton.
Service
Just like in many other establishments in Bulgaria, the level of service in this “restaurant” is low, there is inattention (the order is not written down by the waiter), careless appearance and excessive intrusiveness of the staff, in a word, ordinary unprofessionalism. This behavior, of course, is based on low wages, but this is a question for the restaurateur, who is not ready to pay extra for the comfort of his guests. The waiters and hostesses speak a little English, but do not understand Russian at all. At the moment, you can only pay for your order in cash.
Food
The menu is decorated in dark brown tones, which does not contribute to either easy familiarization with the dishes offered or maintaining the general style of the “restaurant”. One way or another, food stains and fingerprints from visitors will not be as noticeable as on traditional light-colored menu pages. Perhaps, following this rule, guests are offered napkins of the same color. There is a translation of dishes into English, there is no Russian version. There are no images of dishes, which indicates the restaurateur’s limited budget, and also gives the chef unlimited freedom of action, which is not always in the interests of the guests.
The menu has two sections - traditional Bulgarian and Chinese. The range of local cuisine is about the same as everywhere else: Shopska salad, steaks, fried potatoes. The Chinese section offers dishes based on white rice, one type of noodle (thin, but not quite traditional), fried tofu, duck meat and white fish. There is a small vegetarian section. At the end of the menu, guests are offered a choice of additives, perhaps due to the fact that the chef uses ingredients very sparingly (bamboo, black mushrooms, vegetables). There are no traditional spring rolls on the menu.
In addition to main courses, Chinese fried desserts, ice cream scoops and fruits are available. There is a large selection of slightly overpriced coffee drinks, as well as mulled wine (hot wine). There is a small selection of beer and spirits, including traditional cocktails.
Cost
The average bill for one person is 30 levs when ordering a drink, salad and main dish. For Bulgaria this is undoubtedly a high cost, but for a ski resort it is quite acceptable, although in Bansko there are more worthy places with lower prices.
Main courses, depending on the amount of meat, cost between 9 and 20 leva. Rice and noodle dishes from 7 to 10 leva. A liter of water costs 3 leva. A glass of local beer “Kamenitsa” is offered for 4 leva, Leffe – 6 leva, and a Long Island cocktail can be mixed for 9 leva. Cappuccino - for 5 levs.
Cleanliness
The new restaurateur decided to move part of the kitchen on the ground floor into the guest area and this was not the best decision, because now guests will be able to see the process of preparing dishes, as well as equipment, the appearance of which is not customary in Bulgaria. Among other things, be prepared to see the cook's and waiter's fingerprints on the edges of your plate when you receive your order; wiping them, as well as placing food neatly, is not accepted here. The condition of the hood on the second floor directly above one of the tables does not stand up to criticism; the dirt has not been cleaned since the days of Feuilleton. Be careful, because it may fall on your plate.
Delivery
At the moment, the Golden Dragon restaurant does not have a website, facebook page or phone number to accept and place orders.
Conclusion
The main impression from the establishment is that either the owner of the restaurant has never tried delicious Chinese food and has nothing to compare it with, or it’s all about saving on food, which makes most Chinese dishes completely unattractive from a gastronomic point of view. The ski town of Bansko is not a place where people bring evening dresses to restaurants. As a rule, tired after skiing, skiers and snowboarders want to relax in a hotel room or visit a spa treatment. In this regard, offering Chinese food with delivery would be more than appropriate. One way or another, at the moment “Golden Dragon” is the only place in Bansko where Chinese dishes are offered on the menu. We hope that increased competition in this area will affect the level of food and service in this establishment.
In major cities around the world, Chinese food or wok is associated with fast delivery of boxed food, large portions and low cost. "Golden Dragon" has nothing to do with this trend yet.