The Scene Bar is the grandstand and the stage is Sofia, Bulgaria
The Scene rating by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com: 4 out of 5.
September 2020
Cover photo: “Marbella in the Summer” cocktail
Reading time: 5 min
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You don’t have 4 min.? See the short movie further below: 3 min.
The Scene is the rooftop bar of the newly opened Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sofia.
There is a wonderful view of the roofs of the buildings in Sofia, Stara Planina, and the domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral look as close as if you can touch them.
Another such bar, which also opened recently and has a similar view, is Ozone Sky Bar and Lounge, also in a newly opened, Grand Hotel Millennium in Sofia, but Ozone has a 360-degree view from the 29th floor. Read about it in Eagle’s Eye View from Ozone Skybar and Lounge in Sofia.
See ….
…. My first visual impression of The Scene and more precisely of the view of the terrace was great and I could already imagine what nice pictures I would take of their cocktails and food against the backdrop of sunset over Vitosha. However, the staff informed me that they could not find two places in the large sector with the best view, to the cathedral “St. Alexander Nevsky ”, because they had reservations, and the time was only 17:30, on a business day. I think they could ask me how long I would stay and look for a solution. I made it clear that I was there for no more than an hour, but that didn’t help and I refused to insist. It is a pity that they did not look for a way to make a unique first impression on a brand new customer, in off-peak hours. All my expectations and hopes for wonderful photo shots and a perfect review from the first visit evaporated;
…. The food plating is flawless, as is the presentation of the cocktails.
…. The menus design is very interesting, especially the cocktails’ one. In addition to writing what the ingredients are, the glasses and the method of preparation are described. The mixology offers were remarkable and enticing. One of them represents the Bulgarian oil rose. The drink is called Rose Valley, based on gin, containing rose liqueur and yogurt, topped finely with pink flowers and petals. Very beautiful thing! See it in the video below.
…. Nice looking, stylish interior and exterior- modern, but not so much for clubbing then for relaxation, because inside, as well as on the terrace, there was upholstered furniture, on a par with the bar stools;
…. Apparently the terrace is the party part, I even noticed a round booth, in the middle of which there was something like an open hearth with coals;.
Feel ….
…. The staff are polite but still a little confused. They didn’t manage well with our welcome, they could come up with something to satisfy my desire to sit on the other side of the terrace. They forgot things I had asked them to bring me, even though they themselves invited me to say what I needed. I guess they still need alignment. Here the 5D Sensograph takes 2 hearts, but I hope to return them on future visits, because I believe that things will be corrected.
Hear ….
…. Party club music – very nice.
Movie watching time: 3:00 min.
Smell ….
…. The aromas in the cocktails are great – rose in Rose Valley, Pineapple in Marbella in the Summer, oriental spices in Souk Daiquiri, which is served with a bubble on top, just like Ozone cocktail in same name bar, mentioned above. See what its making technology is in the movie here.
The concept of the Rose Valley cocktail is to present Bulgaria and the oil-bearing rose, from which the famous highest quality Bulgarian rose oil is produced. It is used for durability in perfumes and also in cosmetics and gastronomy. You can learn more about the production of this oil at the Rose Museum in Kazanlak. Read more in Weekend vacation in SPA hotel Calista in Stara Zagora Mineral Baths, Bulgaria and Part 2.
Taste ….
…. The meals are finger food and tapa types. Small portions, rather with the idea of accompanying the drinks, not so much to dine abundantly;
…. A very nice and different detail is the compliment they bring you immediately after ordering – popcorn sprinkled with Moroccan spice. I recognized turmeric and ginger, very nice and spicy, but a little softer and tough than ideal;
…. In general, there are various things in cooking that need to be adjusted. The skewers had a nice aroma from the various marinades, but were absolutely salt-free. The Arabic breads on which they lay were not warmed or toasted, but taken out of the package. The bigger problem was that under one of them I found a piece of that same package. When I showed it to the staff, they got out of the situation relatively quickly – they apologized immediately and then compensated us by not including the ordered dessert, “Sweet Sin”, in the bill. Of course, the apology was accepted, but definitely the first impression of the bar was already compromised, and desserts could not make up for it enough.
According to Joseph Pines and James Gilmore’s theory about the Experience Economy, clients want to return to a place and use its services if they keep fond and unforgettable memories of it. In this case, the opposite happened, I kept an unforgettable memory of how something did not turn out according to my expectations as a client on the first visit.
…. The best thing was the “Sweet Sin” dessert mentioned above, which is a combination of all the desserts on the menu. You can see it in the movie.
…. The cocktails are also worth it – in addition to having a great look, they are also very tasty.
Unfortunately in this category the 5D Sensograph takes 3 hearts – 2 because of the finding, which had no place in the food and 1 because of the tasteless skewers.
How to get there?
Don’t worry about getting to bar The Scene in Sofia. Just use the Google map here by clicking on the red pin of its location and then select directions:
Vasil Levski Square, 1504 Doctor's Garden, София, България
A: Vasil Levski sq, Hyatt Regency Sofia
T: +359 2 447 6724
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11:00-24:00
If you need to rent a car , you can book it here in the box of the largest booking platform.
How to book your stay in Sofia?
If you are planning a trip to Sofia and you wish to stay at Hyatt Regency, I recommend that you 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. Just enter the dates of your trip, then hit the Search button and voila. In addition, booking.com are doing their best to make sure that your expectations as a customer are fulfilled. I’ve described an example about the latter in my story about our stay in Shangri-La hotel in Singapore .
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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 Pine and 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 are they, explore category The Experience Economy.