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For justice, we must go to Don Corleone. For lunch, we went to Doncafe.

Debbie Stowe

I’m fairly sure this place has no mafia connections. There were no horses’ heads, nobody sleeping with the fishes and nobody left a gun but took the cannoli (though the desserts here are so delectable they would certainly be preferable as takeaway to a firearm). The Don nomenclature must come from somewhere else.

The café’s classy interior attracts a more legitimate upmarket business custom. It’s located at a junction where two roads branch out from Piata Dorobanti, so has an unusual triangle shape. It’s all rich, dark wood and sumptuous seating, making this a comfortable and relaxing spot for a long sit-down. The only downside is the absence of both a non-smoking section and a terrace, which may deter the nicotine-averse and families.

Standing out among all the deep browns were two fluorescent colored Buddha statues. The other unexpected feature inside was a large tree, which must have preceded the building and been worked around so it sprouted out of the roof. Hats off to Doncafe for environmental friendliness.

There was also friendliness aplenty from our main waitress, whose pleasant demeanor contrasted with the can’t-be-bothered brigade employed at many Bucharest eateries. Only one drink order was forgotten throughout the afternoon and on the sole occasion when no member of waiting staff immediately noticed our meerkat-style attempts to attraction attention, the manager (I assume) spotted us and swiftly and politely resolved the request. A good fella.

We were there for a late lunch (6pm is still lunch when you’re a freelancer) but Doncafe caters for all times and all meals. There’s a breakfast menu, with croissants (RON 6) and a few dishes named for London (a fry-up), Paris (croissants and beverage) and New York (toastie and eggs), that go from RON 21-26. We were too late to sample any but they have a good rep.

For lunch there are the Three S’s: soups, sandwiches and salads. Soup of the day was cream of tomato (RON 18), fully blended to a smooth consistency with a deep flavor. A compact and agreeable ciabatta Caprese (RON 17) yielded tomato and browned mozzarella, oozed pesto and had a lick of olive oil.

Cream of the crop aesthetically was an artistically heaped Asian chicken salad (RON 35) with carrot, celery and cabbage, the chicken marinated in a peanutty sauce and the whole thing doused in a garlicky, yogurt and white wine dressing. It was generous and composed with thought, making each bite interesting.

Being a brasserie, Doncafe also does a decent range of main courses. As well as a plat du jour on weekdays (RON 36-46) – an international rotation that includes a burger, Moroccan couscous and chicken tikka masala – there’s a selection of Italian and other European mains, including pork osso bucco (RON 36) with 1,001 aromas (we didn’t count), several meat and fish dishes, and some typical pasta choices (with the pasta said to be homemade).

We tried paella marinera (RON 34), a light, fragrantly fishy concoction that swam with generous amounts of mini mussels, squid, the odd prawn and white fish, with peas and tomato providing the vegetable presence (yes, I know the tomato is technically a fruit but it has the soul of a vegetable).

But top of the pile, the Godfather of everything we sampled, was the Belgian chocolate soufflé (RON 23), which my discerning dining companion accurately described as “molten deliciousness”. Satisfying compensation for the cheesecake (our first choice) being off the menu, it was rich, dreamy and decadent. Truly an offer we couldn’t refuse.

debbie.stowe@business-review.ro

Doncafe Brasserie

7 Strada Ankara

0746 222 444

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