How I Was Deceived by Adi Hadean and Casa Latina!!!

It’s not been long since our friend Adi Hadean was making the big announcement on Facebook that he will come all the way from his native Transylvania to present a culinary show in Bucharest at Casa Latina Restaurant.

For those of you who don’t know any details about Adi’s CV yet you can find below a few of them:
- at 7 years old he made his first stew;
- at 9 he missed setting a fire (he put flan candies on the cooker while he went out to play, of course);
- at 19 he learned to make pizza at Oaza Italiana in Baia Mare;
- at 20 he was selling his first pizza recipes;
- at 25 he had his first culinary TV show, live, on a local TV station in Baia Mare (for at least 2.5 years, one hour a day, from Monday to Friday);
- at 26 he published his 1st book, “Salt and Pepper”, a series of gourmet stories;
- at 27 he shared a restaurant with a person who he met accidentally (his advice: don’t do that);
- at 30 he became brand manager for the sauces/mustard/dressings brand of a well-known producer in the food industry;
- at 32 uncompleted, he left the suit and tie for the chef’s coat and he is been happy ever since! He cooks in Cluj Napoca at Irish&Music Pub, two hours a day with only a few exceptions. He still shoots culinary TV shows for TVR3 and he cooks for special events, companies, friends and family.


As far as I had understood, the culinary show will have a Transylvanian menu on Wednesday, with palinca, bread, ham and veal & pork goulash, all brought from their native Transylvania, and an Italian menu on Thursday. Each of them for 49.9 lei per person. We immediately made an ONLINE BOOKING for the Transylvanian evening, at 8.00 pm, for 2 persons. We chose to book online at EatOut.ro because it is handy, and if you do this 6 times, the 7th time you eat for free! :D

Blonda de la Marketing made all these arrangement. Thanks, Blondy! ;)


So that, we showed up down there at 8.00 pm sharp, 2 greedy little monsters craving for the Transylvanian goodies. When we first entered Casa Latina, we were a bit disoriented because nobody paid attention to us, the staff being already busy with the other tables. After about 2 minutes, when we were already in the middle of the main room, an affable waiter elegantly took us over and he also let us know, at out inquiries, that Hadean’s show will take place, indeed, but after one week, on Wednesday 16th December and not on 9th December as I thought, absent-minded as I am. But well, what to do, geniuses are like this, a bit distracted… :P




Our enthusiasm faded away when we heard this, so we didn’t know if we should stay or not. And we stayed! And we ordered a palinca, as we already had in mind when we came (it was sooooo cold outside), to send away our disappointment. ;)


And as we were sipping our palinca (11 lei per 50 ml) which was warming up our bones, hearts and brains, we studied the thick menu card.

My feast mate took a portion of stuffed cabbage (sarmale – 11 lei) with cream on the side (2 lei) and a fresh chilly pepper (1 leu), and I craved for a portion of Brazilian chicken livers (16 lei) and a backed potatoe with bacon and cedar cheese (7 lei).


They didn’t have house wine, so I ordered a Peroni draught beer (6 lei), and the lady who was with me ordered a freshly squized lemonade (10 lei).


Before describing the food we enjoyed on a nice background music that perfectly allowed a conversation very pleasantly, I want to tell you that I met here a 7 star staff which I hadn't found even in one of the best rated restaurants in Romania (Casa Capsa – 5 stars). The waiters were floating, you didn’t hear them coming to ask you if you would like anything with a calm voice like a psychologist’s, to clear the table of a used napkin or a useless knife.














I only met such a nice behaviour and attitude at the big hotel chains abroad who permanently train their staff in order to get such results. Congratulations to this people who created an incredible confort for us in a Bucharest which became very complicated in the times we are living now. Therefore, we dedicate the song and dance (pur latin) posted in the end of this article to the staff and the manager, Mr. Sanda Jambu.

But let’s get back to our stuffed cabbage. :P As in, to the goodies in our plates.






The stuffed cabbage was spiced to perfection and cooked just the same. I also pinched a bit which reminded me of Christmas days…


The chicken livers were mixed with juicy bacon and delicious mushrooms, plus a bit of garlic, just enough to turn everything even more yammi.




The fresh lemonade and Peroni pint went grately after those mentioned above.




And since we couldn’t end the night without a special dessert, we completed our dinner with a portion of baked apples with walnuts, honey and cinnamon (to share between us). Guaranteed WOW effect! :D




As a conclusion, what can I say – we will always come back to these wonderful people at Casa Latina (maybe even for the New Year’s Eve, when the menu is 99 EUR for a person and includes free bar and delicacies such as sucking pig, turkey, fish, prawns etc.)


and we will keep on booking ONLINE because it is more convenient and we will have a free dinner! :D



PS – the phase of the day is that the last cover of the menu card read that Casa Latina Restaurant reserved the right to charge plug, 15 lei for a bottle of wine and 100 lei for a bottle of spirit (whisky, cognac, vodka, gin, palinca etc.);


They explained us that this means you can come there with some friends and with a bottle of alcohol from home (to get away of your wife), and they bring you glasses, ice, music and a very clean toilet and not the least, an wonderful staff – it is worth paying them than wasting this money at the shrink… :P