Boutique hotel, homey feeling, bygone era comfort, someone’s house, a past that overwhelms the guest upon his walking over the threshold: that is the Scala. A place that comes somewhat unexpectedly just off the main, busy North - South thoroughfare making the junction between Unirea and Victoria squares. A great location equally for the business and leisure traveler, with easy access to the Old Town, various academic centres (such as the Foreign Language Faculty, the main headquarters of the Bucharest University or the Academy of Economic Studies) and various government offices. And then, a few minutes’ stroll takes one to a fine residential district: the Icoanei.
But first, the house. It was built for Ion Moscu, the personal doctor of the Romanian Patriarch and of the Royal Family. Architect Gheorghe Simotta (which also reconfigured the Patriarchal Palace in 1932-1935 and Dărvari Convent in 1933-1934) drew the plans for the property in his approach of the Neo-Brâncoveanu style which emphasized its Byzantine feature. The result was somewhat atypical for the main line of this architectural style, especially as far as the Rosetti Street facade is concerned. Yet, as soon as one approaches the small, nicely organized yard, it is impossible to miss the first floor loggia featuring the typical Brâncoveanu carved stone columns, even though the typical floral balcony railings are missing, being replaced with simpler, lighter hexagonal patterns. The latter betrays Simotta’s other interest, towards Art Deco, which he often used - like here - in symbiosis with Brâncoveanu elements and patterns. When all is said and done, the result is pleasant, homey, posh without being opulent or outstanding. For the Scala - despite its name - remains that: someone’s house welcoming the guest for the night and dinner.
Then, the hotel. There are 10 rooms and an apartment, all of them furnished in a blend of 19th century elegance and interwar simplicity. Contradictory? It might look like it. Yet that is far from bothering the visitor, this is actually the main charm of the place: the way the owner arranged it all and the very fact that, wherever one might find himself at the Scala, it feels like a private house, with old books spread on a desk or a painting on an easel. As for details, every other corner hides more, whether it is about the beautiful terra cotta stove, the carved wood stairway or the geometric pattern hardwood floorings.
Tous à table, s'il vous plaît... The restaurant on premises, Repertorium Gourmet, features a Mediterranean cuisine with fusion touches. White walls, light colours, enchanting, flowery both table cloths and porcelain dishes, a piano and the comfort that does not need either glitz or trumpets. Alas, I would throw away those plasma TVs though, they could not fit less this glorious place. Not cheap and definitely not an every day place, but hence its glory. As for those afternoon breaks when the heat of the Wallachian summer or the blizzard of February engulf the city, the Intermezzo, a comfy living room-cum-cigar bar, is there with the right cognac or single malt, a glass of Segarcea red or a cuppa of Ceylon black.
Does it sound like a commercial? Here’s the reverse: it is not cheap and the street it is located on can be noisy. But then, life is never smooth or perfect. Hence its beauty.
19 C. A. Rosetti, http://www.hotelscalabucuresti.ro/ (the hotel) and http://www.repertoriumgourmet.ro/ (the restaurant)
