Restaurant review: The finest in the land?

Heritage, 19 Polona Street, Tel 021 210 8850

After five years of making mistakes along with constant changes of management, chefs and directors, it appears that Heritage has finally got it right!

Michael Barclay

Their biggest mistake when they opened was to labor under the illusion that if they were good enough (and they probably were) they would be awarded the ultimate culinary prize – a Michelin Star. But beyond belief, they missed the fundamental point that Michelin publish their awards in a country guide. They send their secret investigators to hundreds and hundreds of top restaurants in each country. They will not publish a Romanian book with one award to Heritage followed by empty pages.

So the House got smart and reversed the procedure. This month they brought the mountain to Mohammed by importing a Michelin-starred chef. That was clever. So step forward Juan Amador, a Spanish-Catalan who owns two restaurants in Germany – both of which have been awarded Michelin stars. An incredible achievement, and he is bringing this talent to Bucharest.

For those of you who do not know Heritage, it is in a fabulous location between B-dul Dacia and Parcul Icoanei. The building is utterly spectacular, and I will say no more on that topic, other than to urge you to see for yourselves. For those of you who know the restaurant, it has had a makeover with new pastel shades and the removal of the old bar along with those ghastly crystal chandeliers. OK, let’s eat.

The menu is fixed (rather than a long, tedious, rambling a la carte which so many restaurants choose here) with three variations: ‘Classic’, ‘Evolution’, and ‘Vegetarian’. And in a catalogue of surprises you will see that for the first time, Heritage is affordable.

Gone are the crazy prices of the past, and as proof there is the entry level of one main course at EUR 59. That includes a complimentary but small tapas of quail egg topped by a slice of crystallized fresh truffle on a hazelnut base, a slice of ‘Cecina de Leon’ (Spanish air-cured beef based on a 900-year-old recipe), a foie gras terrine wrapped in a mango blanket, a generous helping of spiced bread, and sliced pork belly with cucumber. Yes, you get all of it. nd when you finish your meal (even if you have only one main), you are treated to an amusing four sticks, including passion fruit candy floss and chocolate lollipops.

Now let’s look at the mains. There was a lobster ‘Gazpacho’ (a cold vegetable soup originating from Andalucia) but with the vegetables being substituted by strawberries. Yes, it’s a chilled strawberry soup!

Then there is a ‘Black Cod with Red Pepper, flavored with Pimenton (Spanish powdered pepper) and salad. Black cod is not black, it’s the name of the species. But at this point I have a problem in describing the dishes. Because Chef Amador is from the ‘Molecular’ school of cooking, so when he ‘plates up’ you can hardly recognize the contents of the menu when the dish is in front of you. Each is a work of art.

Off to a ‘Cinnamon Veal’ which is recognizable, and as you would expect it was tender and well flavored with a garlic infusion. We had a ‘Norwegian Lobster, Green apple and Veal Tongue’ which predictably looked like nothing listed. The apple was a beautiful, concentrated, dripped sauce, the veal was a puree and the lobster had been ‘treated’ by Amador so it appeared to be raw. This is one for sushi lovers who will be in heaven with this.

The set menu choices are also priced at EUR 96 for three courses, which is really not expensive (remember the complimentary tapas and chocos) if you have more than one person at your table. Think about it. Thus far we had only eaten from the ‘Classic’ menu. The ‘Evolution’ menu had more surprises in store. But we missed their ‘John Dory’ (a rare, beautiful sea fish which I have never seen in Bucharest before this) accompanied by chestnut, truffle and hazelnut. I don’t know how Chef will plate this up, but I do know you will not see any nuts on your plate!

There was ‘Scallops, Sweetbread and Vanilla.’ I can only speculate as to how Amador can twist this combination around with all the variations of a Rubik’s Cube, and then come up with something that defies the description on the menu. I’m going to munch it to death on my next visit.

Likewise with his ‘Lamb Loin, Goat’s Milk, Green Beans and Mustard’. I anticipate the only recognizable quantity will be the lamb loin. But will it be so?

But his crowning glory, which must qualify as his ‘signature dish’, was the dessert of ‘Catalan Cream Legere with Pineapple’. Oh, what an understated description this is! He makes his Catalan Cream with cream, a vanilla pod, sugar and egg yokes and Apricot brandy. Does that sound good? But it is only the half of it. For underneath this treat is a bed of chopped fresh pineapple soaked in rum and gently flavored with saffron. This must be chilled for hours and is both time consuming and labor intensive for the House. But so what! Let’s enjoy it.

So to summarize the ‘new’ Heritage thus:

A new fixed price menu – good.

A change of décor – good.

A new Spanish and German kitchen crew – good.

Affordable prices – good.

Overall, I say it is good. What do you think?

mab.media@dnt.ro

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