Restaurant recommendation

A friend has opened a restaurant near our place. It's easy to find - right across the street from the famous Baku Roasting Company. It's called Fincan. Food is great! So far I have tried kələm dolması, yarpaq dolması, tikə kabab və fri kartof. Çox dadlı ıdı!

So, take a look at their signs.

Banquet reservations

Birthday, Anniversary

Henna Party (before weddings)

Gifts:

Hall decoration

National dancing

Cake




You can call ahead to tell them what you would like.

This is the ad for the month of Ramazan.


Iftar meal

Soups:

Chicken soup, Lentil, Dushbara

Cooked meals:

Cutlet with garnishes

Chicken with garnishes

Dolma

All for 7 manat!

The outside

Inside the restaurant

Eyeglasses in Baku

Recommendation number two - Vegas Optics on B. Sardarov Kücəsi (just up from Akhundov Meydani).

Don't be put off by the name or the posh look of the place. Sure, there are some very expensive glasses here, but there are also reasonably priced frames as well. What really impressed me was the service. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. I spoke Azerbaijani, but the servators were anxious to use their English. The doctor spoke excellent English (and great Azerbaijani to her assistant!) The doctor is very competent and has the latest in hi-tech equipment. I had my reading glasses in well under an hour (their promise for regular glasses). My husband had to get progressive lenses, so they had to be shipped from Germany - a two week process. The technician explained everything about the glasses in a very careful and thorough manner. We had a nice cup of tea as well. If your glasses are over 150 manat, the 20 manat doctor's fee is waived. You can get good prescription glasses in Baku!

Internet in Baku

Yes, I'm finally back online after many Internet woes. Following two miserable failures with IP services, I finally have found a reliable one in Sazz. And with that I am starting a new series of posts - Highly Recommended. Whenever I am impressed with services in Baku, I'll write about it here. (When I not so impressed, I just keep my mouth shut, but never darken their door again!) Of course, one of the important criteria is how they react to a foreigner speaking Azerbaijani... So, thank-you Sazz, you passed the Ms. Colleen test with flying colors. You get my first recommendation.

They are located all around Baku. See their website for details - www.sazz.az (predictably enough). Their English pages are clear if not completely idiomatic. I notice that they offer online sales and free delivery as well. Another plus. I dropped in to the shop in my neighborhood - İstiqlaliyyət Kücəsi. The young servators were helpful and polite speaking in Azerbaijani. They were soon joined by a colleague who spoke good English. Bring your passport and/or work visa to sign up for IP services.