The Spicy Spatula

As you all know, I don’t make my way to Bucharest often but sometimes it is a necessary evil and when I need to be there, I take the time to stop for a delicious, professionally prepared vegan meal.

My favorite vegan restaurant in Bucharest–so far–is Vyro Raw & Vegan Bistro. They have a delicious assortment of raw vegan dishes as well as modern vegan updates on traditional vegan dishes. One of my favorite dishes is their mushroom version or ciorba de burta, and it is fantastic with a creamy vinegar-y broth. There are certain dishes I always get like raw spring rolls with cashew cream dipping sauce but I’m determined to try new things when I make there and today’s visit was no exception.

This place is located in the heart of Bucharest and it’s a cute little bistro with limited seating as well as sidewalk seating which is great now that construction on the block is complete. Despite the current heatwave sweeping through Europe, most of the outdoor tables were occupied and it was barely past noon.

It was an impromptu stop but we got a quick bite and it was as delicious as I remember, so lets reminisce together, shall we?

Because we didn’t want to end up sitting in city traffic for hours, we made a quick meal out of it, getting in and out, and yeah we brought a few old favorites home because we still had regular Monday errands to run on top of the trip to the city.

What I Ordered

It was hot and I wasn’t incredibly hungry so I opted for something light and refreshing, which was grilled pleurotus (oyster) mushrooms, salad and celery root fries. It really was light and refreshing, and surprisingly calorie friendly.

I have to admit that this was the first restaurant salad I’ve had in Romania that was actually seasoned and well dressed. There was a vinegar based dressing that I was delicious and not too heavy. The garlic dipping sauce for the celery root fries was fantastic and you know I’ve added this to my list of vegan recipes to try at home.

It was a quick and tasty vegan meal and my favorite part–by far–was the mushrooms. I mean really, is there anything better than grilled oyster mushrooms?

What He Ordered

He ordered the mushroom cream (based on ciorba de burta) soup that was even better this time than the first time. I’ve made this recipe at home a couple of times and still, the chef’s broth far surpassed my own. I shared a few bites/slurps and yeah, it was amazing.

For his main course he ordered raw sarmale wraps. For those of you who don’t know, Sarmale is a traditional Romanian dish made of fermented cabbage wraps with vegetables, mushrooms, herbs and spices. And, of course, sometimes meat. This was raw with a cashew cream dipping sauce and let me tell you that this sauce is SO GOOD that I swiped my finger through it and licked it…in public.

We shared both dishes, as we always do and yeah it was delicious. Don’t tell my mother-in-law or any of the generous Romanian women I’ve met during my stay here, but it was my favorite version of sarmale and that dipping sauce was a major reason why.

We took home raw vegan spring rolls and two slices of vegan cheesecake, one was mango and the other was with carob, both were incredible even thought sweets aren’t really my jam.

It was another fun trip to Bucharest, at least the food part was and now I’m kind of looking forward to my next trip.

Do you have a go-to place when you have to go someplace far from home?