We can already sense the eyes of our environmentally-conscious readers welling up with tears at the sight of the forest-like amount of wood that forms the core of Romanian restaurant Lacrimi si Sfinti. Dry your eyes though – the venue’s name may translate to Tears and Saints, but there’s no need to cry about the work of the restaurant’s designer Cristian Corvin who has spared both trees and feelings with his responsible wholly-salvaged timber policy. In fact, all the wood used had to pass an age test before it was eligible to become part of the rustic yet sophisticated interior.
Abandoned houses, a village clinic and a few old barns were among the structures picked apart to provide the materials for the Bucharest restaurant, which has a homely feel from the furniture and features, and adds cosy to the description as guests descend into its atmospheric dining rooms. With all the natural qualities to be found here, it is a little odd to find Lego sculptures decorating the walls of Lacrimi si Sfinti, but they do like to do things differently here; students of Romanian cuisine and novices alike will enjoy many traditional dishes that would be on the endangered list of native recipes, if there were such a thing. A commendable restaurant on many levels.
