We had the pleasure to visit the restaurant “Ahora”, in Sofia. The address has been launched by the Chef Sevda Dimitrova, winner of the second season of MasterChef Bulgaria. In this new article, we want to share our impression about the food, the place and the people.
Located in Lozonetz, the international district of Sofia, the restaurant “Ahora” is both chic and relaxed. This address will delight local and international gourmets.
Firstly, the name of the restaurant « Ahora » means “Now’’ (in Spanish). The idea is that in restaurant « Ahora » the Chef and her team are making memories here and now. The food presents signature cuisine, as the whole menu is created by the Chef Sevda Dimitrova.
It was a cold Sunday night of the Christmas week when we passed the entrance door. We were quickly and warmly welcomed by the waiter of restaurant « Ahora » at the entrance. The place is warm, cozy and very well decorated. We met with the marketing manager and she nicely told us about the meal we were going to have the chance to savor.
We opted for the 5 courses degustation menu.
Before telling you about the experience of the food, we just would like to enlighten the fact that from the moment we entered the restaurant until the moment we left, we felt like in any gastronomic restaurant in one of those big capital cities like Paris or London.
« Home Salad »
The menu we tried was absolutely delicious. We started with « Home ». The dish includes roasted red peppers, katak of buffalo cheese, stuffed Padron peppers, parsley snow, Habanero chilli and pippara peppers dressing, fenugreek and samardala crecker, Nobleza del Sur Day extra virgin olive oil.
We enjoyed a lot the « aerial » aspect and savor of the dish. All the products cooked and served at Ahora are local and seasonal products whenever possible. Also, most of the time, they are coming from the organic agriculture. Sevda, the Chef, makes a point of cooking high quality product.
Frog Legs
Then, we move to the second dish “Frog Legs”, sautéed with fresh herbs, poached egg, chives puree and garlic mayonnaise. The frog legs were just amazing. We, even as French people, don’t use to eat frog legs very often. Those were cooked in a way that you could feel all the flavor of the meat which blended perfectly with the fresh herbs and the chives puree.
Who Said « Shrimps »
The third dish was Who Said « Shrimps », pan-fried shrimps and zucchini with passion fruit sauce and basil and parsley pesto.
Sevda, who is the winner of Master Chef Bulgaria in 2016, and her team created entirely the menu. Most of the inspiration comes from the changes of nature over different seasons. Also, it comes from people she meets and the experience she gets. Despite, she traveled a lot, Spain is according to Sevda the country which inspires the most her cuisine.
Duck Fillet
We then had the opportunity to taste “Duck Fillet”. The dish is served with quince gel, wine poached pears, cream of roasted peanuts, sautéed spinach and red Porto sauce.
This is a very special dish coming under the bell. When removed, let you smell a nice odor of Jack Daniels whiskey vapor. The reason is due to the fact the meal is « smoked » on that vapor.
The Cheesecake
Last but not least, we ended with a very special desert, “The Cheesecake” with a form of cheese. Absolutely unctuous and delicious! We can see just in that desert all the creativity of the Chef Sevda Dimitrova which calls for customers who like to experiment new things. What a nice way to conclude this menu!
The menu we had the chance to taste will be served until April 2020. But, from February there will be some slight changes. So if you want to experiment a moment of pure pleasure, we can only advise you to book a table at Restaurant « Ahora » soon.
There is no doubt that the restaurant « Ahora » is one of the top ones we have been visiting in Sofia for the last few years. The cuisine and the atmosphere is sophisticated and obviously do not mean to address everyone. To be able to really enjoy this cuisine, you need to be detail oriented and a fine connoisseur.
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Website / 6-course menu : 69 BGN / Dish prices: 13 – 30 BGN / Menu / bul. « Nikola Y. Vaptsarov » 25A, 1407 Hladilnika, Sofia, Bulgaria
Here, you will find what to do in Sofia during your next trip.
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