Май 2023

Seen              

Felt                 

Heard                    

Smelled         

Tasted           

 

Reading time: 5 min

You don’t have 5 min to read? Then try the fast mode, go only through bold and colored text: 3 мин.

You don’t have 3 min to read? See the short movie further below: 3:12 min.

For another year, I traditionally visit a fine dining restaurant on my birthday. This time I chose Kaiamo in Bucharest. I expected Michelin level and I got it.

See Kiamo …

… Modern interior, right from the entrance you feel different and special;

… In the open kitchen, you can see how Chef Radu’s team works and creates miracles, almost by candlelight. They only use strong light for plating.

The special thing about this solution is that the chefs seem to be shrouded in mystery and create magic in the kitchen. Sometimes a pillar of fire was raised – 2 meters high. Only on the pass at the plate was the slightly illuminated face of Chef Radu visible. It is also dark in the hall, but just above the tables and right where the trays of food are served there is enough light to see well the beauty and colors of these creations.

Why light is so important especially in fine dining, you can read in my publication What is fovea and what does it have to do with gourmet?

… Every single dish had an impressive vision – beautiful, like a painting – sometimes minimalistic, other times colorful and bright.

We don’t know if this Chef Radu is also a bright and colorful person, but judging by his biography, how he graduated first in business management abroad and then Cordon Bleu in London, it is clear to me that he loves challenges and follows his dreams.

Feel Kiamo …

I wanted to have the menu written on paper, or download it somehow from a QR code and considering the goal of this blog to recreate my experience as much as possible for the readers to have really good first-hand info about the place, it’s important for me to have it. However, they didn’t provide me one, even they promised to send it by mail. I forgot many of the details about the dishes served.

… There were probably 20-30 guests and 20 staff in the restaurant – many people in the kitchen, enough waiters in the hall – perfectly trained. We were wonderfully taken care of by our waiter Francis, who happened to be of Argentinian descent, a violinist who worked this job as an extra. He was new in the team, he has only been there for a month and he’s been a great host for us. He made us feel comfortable and explained with great knowledge all the details.

… The sommeliers are very well prepared – they tell about the wine, they know which region of Romania each bottle comes from. Yes, the wine was only Romanian and mainly local varieties. It turned out that there is a lot of interesting wine in Romania.

In  my booking request I had written to them that I was celebrating my birthday. On the phone, when they called me for confirmation, they asked me if I wanted a cake. I was surprised and confirmed. I thought it would be a compliment. They explained to me that they were asking me in order not to make a scandal. Then I understood why – I was charged for it. Usually in other places they give me a cake as a compliment, but here I paid for it. It didn’t have to be a whole cake, it could be something small like a compliment to be a gift and not a way to get more money out of the customer. The cake was nice though.

Hear Kiamo …

… Great music – something like a world genre in a modern upbeat style. It fits the concept very well.

Movie watching time: 3:12 min.

Smell Kiamo …

… Wonderful aromas in the food, but also in the wine it was paired with;

Customers have the option to choose wine or cocktails for the food pairing.

… Even with the first compliments – semmel with butter, in which there was sage, we were pleasantly greeted with a nice aroma.

Taste Kiamo …

The food is at a top level, immaculate. However, there is no a la carte option – only 3 types of tasting menu – 9, 15 or 20 courses. 9 are a lot, you overeat, and I can’t even imagine the others.

Behind each dish there is a short story – how the chef was inspired, what message it sends, etc.

Among the compliments were olives, which were not olives, but balls of chocolate with cheese inside. There was an egg that wasn’t an egg but carrot puree surrounded by cauliflower puree.

There were also mushrooms that weren’t mushrooms, rather a dessert. A lot of mimicry as a technique, which is always fun.

There was cuttlefish, octopus and fish, but also pork, venison and veggie.

The pairing was good, but the first white wines did not demonstrate a memorable nose and taste. Gradually we got into more interesting options and finally the red wine impressed us. In general, there was not enough fresh acidity in the wines.

I liked the combination of the rosé with the sea bass the most.

I recommend Kaiamo to all lovers of fine dining. They will enjoy world-class cuisine and craftsmanship. Naturally, the prices are corresponding it. The price per person for a 9-course menu is EUR 100 for the food only, pairing with wine and cocktails is separate and is EUR 78.

How to get to Kaiamo?

Just use the Google map here by clicking on the red pin of its location and then select directions:

A: 30A, Strada Ermil Pangrati Street, București 011884, Romania

T: +40722202204

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 18-23

How to book your stay?

You can book your stay right here. For your convenience, I have added a booking.com box, which refers directly to their site. I guarantee you’re going to use all your genius discounts and privileges they would offer to you and I will get a modest commission. Just enter the dates of your trip, the place, then hit the Search button and voila.

Booking.com

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Do you ever wonder how some places differ so much from others in service, environment, as an overall experience? This means you are also interested like me in the topic of The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore. I constantly add to my collection reviews about those of them, which practice its principles, regardless of intentionally or accidentally. If you are curious to understand which they are, explore category The Experience Economy.