Back in Bucharest: Where to eat?
The new university year has already started meaning that I am back in Bucharest for finishing my studies. Since I live in the uni’s dormitory, I don’t have a great kitchen or enough time to cook for myself as I usually do, so I have to go out from time to time to have a nice meal to eat and also meet with some old good friends.
This time I don’t have to make a lot of effort and steps to find a nice and decent place to eat because I am going with my roommate to restaurant where we have been before and which is located on the street we live. Yes, I know, so convenient.
How is called the restaurant and where is situated?
The restaurant we are going to is named Pengyou and is situated on Occidentului 11. If the name of the street doesn’t tell you anything, another clue to find the place is Piața Buzești. As you may notice from its name, the restaurant serves chinese food.
Why we chose this restaurant?
First of all the place is very close to where we live and we have been here before and enjoy thefood and the atmosphere.
What we eat?
Pengyou is a restaurant with chinese specific foods, so all the menu includes such dishes. It is kind of hard to pick up something from what they prepare because there are so many options in it starting with soups, appetizers, rice or noodles cooked in various ways, vegetables, stir fries, all kinds of meats, weird foods with strange names and desserts.
The menu offers vegan and vegetarian friendly food options which I consider a plus because being vegan I have from where to chose.
Finally, I order fried rice noodles with vegetables, a dish that I have been eating here before and I know that I like it and is pretty good. My friend orders a vegetable soup.
Is the serving fast? How are the employees?
We get our wanted foods quite fast and don’t have to wait a lot for it maybe because of the that hour in the afternoon there were not so many people eating in here. The waiter serves as in a polite manner all the time we encounter him.
How are my fried rice noodles?
My meal is served and it looks so good and tasty. The noodles are soft and warm, a bit to warm. The flavour is given by the soya sauce and the fried vegetables and of the other spices too. I dig into my noodles very happy and satisfied of the taste and feeling they have. My friend is also happy with the soup that she get, but says to me that is too hot. Well, I think that’s a good sign.
How are the prices?
For my fried rice noodles with vegetables I pay 17 lei meaning approximately 4 euros. The price is reasonable taking in consideration the quality of the food. My friend pays 12 lei for her soup - 2.5 euros.
How is the atmosphere and the decor?
The restaurant has an outside terrace looking like a backyard where people can sit and also an inside place place for those who prefer to stay in the interior.
The chinese atmosphere is given by the decor consisting in a traditional large gate positioned at the entrance of the terrace and by other small specific decorations and artworks. I don’t know why, but this time there was no chinese music playing in the background because usually it is and contributes to the feeling of being in Asia.
Recommended or not?
Overall I recommend this restaurant to people or students who want to eat something chinese in Bucharest because, by far, I’ve been having good eating experience in Pengyou. and for sure my friends and I will continue to eat here from time to time especially when we run out of food and are to lazy to move far away from our dormitory.
