The Wild East
The civilized west comes home at a new Nicosia restaurant
EVERYONE of a certain age has a vague idea about the Wild West, even though nobody watches cowboy movies or reads pulp novels any more. But I bet nobody has ever heard of the ‘wild east’, either because it never existed or, if it did, because Hollywood never made any films about it.
But there is a ‘wild east’. It has surfaced in the old part of Nicosia, close to Famagusta Gate, and it is nothing more threatening than a new restaurant – Agria Anatoli sto Aegeon (Wild East at the Aegon). It is the brand new eatery set up by the Ftochopoulos brothers, Vasos and chef Giorgos, owners of The Aegeon, one of the best traditional taverns of the capital, going since 1982.
Agria Anatoli is at the same premises, on Ektoros Street, housed in the recently refurbished space above the tavern, to which it bears no resemblance. The interior is starkly minimalist, consisting of a long dining area. Dark wooden floors contrast sharply with the white, bare walls, which, combined with the high ceiling, give a welcome sense of abundant space. Tables well distanced from each other – not very helpful if you like to listen in on other conversations – also contribute to this sense.
With the old-fashioned, leather chairs and crisp white linen table-cloths, the ambience and setting is much more ‘civilised west’ than ‘wild east’, but the intention was not to re-create a Byzantine-theme saloon bar. The ‘wild’ in the name is a reference to the type of food that will be on offer. There is game (when it is legally in season, Vasos hastens to add) village poultry (free-range), organic vegetables (when available), traditional Cyprus greens and items that grow in the wild such as mushrooms, asparagus and herbs.
As the plan is to have only the freshest and best seasonal produce the menu will be changing from week to week and sometimes from day to day (you can call and find out what is available). One item that is always available is the excellent home-made bread, which is baked with olives, halloumi or wild greens.
For the first course, we opted for soup. I had a fetta and leek soup that combined the contrasting mild tanginess and light sweetness of the ingredients to perfection. The flavour of the fetta was not overpowering, perhaps because most of it remained intact, rather than melting in the stock. My partner had a wholesome lentil and bacon soup, which also received top rating.
For main course, I had hare (entirely legal as this was the hunting season) cooked in wine and onions, served with potatoes and wild greens that were a trifle too bitter for this dish. However the hare was perfectly cooked, the chef using wine – which gave the rich, succulent meat a subtle sweetness – instead of vinegar which is traditionally used for hare. My partner, being the squeamish sort, ate a less exciting dish of beef cooked in tomato sauce accompanied by potatoes, an aubergine puree and vegetables. The restaurant does not cater only for carnivores. Vegetarian dishes are always available.
We skipped the dessert but had a glass of wonderful dessert wine that was not as ass-kickingly rich as port, but better for it. Speaking of the vino, Agria Anatoli’s wine cellar (or should we say catacomb) boasts wines from Greece’s leading wineries including Tselepos, Papaioannou, Merkouris, Averof, Antonopoulos and Lazarides.
Agria Anatoli is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; available for private parties on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Friday and Saturday there is live music, but it is anything but wild, just a singer accompanied by acoustic guitar.
SPECIALITY Clay oven roast and game when in season
SEATING About 40
WHERE 40 Ektoros St, Old Nicosia
CONTACT 22 347522; 22 433297
BOOKING Essential
PRICE Dinner with good wine £20-25 p.p.
