Seiko
Classy and unpretentious Japanese food
I’ll be honest: I was quite reluctant to visit a restaurant this week, having been plagued for the past month by stomach troubles. Nothing like the thought of acid indigestion to put a crimp on indulgence – and how can you review a restaurant fairly unless you indulge, trying as much as possible? It’s even more awkward when the restaurant is new, and boasts an extensive menu with 132 different dishes.
Fortunately Seiko is a Japanese restaurant, so indulgence doesn’t come with the usual price-tag. You’d have to try a lot of the 132 dishes to start feeling bloated, so dainty are the helpings – the table next to us half-jokingly complained to the waiter about the small portions! – and so light the food. The myth about Japanese food being nothing but raw fish is (of course) a myth, but sashimi and sushi feature prominently on the Seiko menu – strips of raw fish and bite-sized dollops of fish with rice, respectively.
The sea-bass sashimi, or ‘Suzuki’, was the highlight of our meal, a small mound of fish-slivers (five pieces, according to the menu) for £3.70, served with pickled ginger and wasabi mustard. The ginger was fresh and perky, the mustard made your nose explode the way it’s supposed to, and they both combined well with the slightly chewy fish. There’s 20 kinds of sashimi on the menu, ours being one of the cheapest; others include swordfish, tuna belly, eel and sea-urchin (the most expensive at £8.50). You can also try the Sushi Bar option, with 20-30 pieces of mixed sushi, sashimi or maki at around £1 a piece.
The reason I keep mentioning prices is because Japanese food has a reputation as a budget-buster – but Seiko is more in the mould of Akahiko, the other Nicosia restaurant offering fishy delicacies at affordable prices. Despite its location, perched on trendy Stasikratous Street on a site previously occupied by XO Emotions – the first and (so far) last attempt at genuine haute cuisine in Nicosia – it costs about as much as any upscale fish taverna. Indeed, I almost wonder if it has enough snob-value to tempt the local trendies.
Then there’s the awkward question of ‘authenticity’. After all, Japanese food is expensive because it (theoretically) offers the freshest possible fish, prepared and filleted by sushi chefs who train for years before they master their craft. Akahiko, however, is an Austrian franchise, while the waiting staff at Seiko – despite their kimonos – are Filipinos. ‘Is it “real” Japanese food?’ frets the gourmet culture-vulture.
Hard to say; but does it really matter, when Seiko offers such a fine dining experience? The staff are lovely, and head chef Norberto Flores lingered at our table sharing tales of his cooking exploits and photos of his four children. I don’t know if the food is ‘authentic’, but it came promptly and was mostly memorable. Tuna ‘nigiri sushi’ was undistinguished, but the so-called ‘Caterpillar Roll’ – a soft-and-crispy combo of avocado and deep-fried prawns tempura – made for tasty nibbling, and our starter of ‘Kaiso salad’ was delectable. This is seaweed served in vinegary Sunomono sauce, tasting a bit like raw spinach and a bit like fish, with a texture both slippery and crunchy. It’s just a shame there wasn’t any sake to wash it down with (we made do with a bottle of Ayios Andronicos).
There’s a lot of design at Seiko, as you might expect from a new restaurant on Stasikratous. The menu comes in the shape of a fan which you unfold to read, feeling rather like a Japanese geisha. The room has minimalist d?cor and low, cosy lighting, its four walls defined by the sushi bar at one end, the kitchen at the other, a window with a view of the street and a fish-tank with some dazed-looking tropical fish. It looks classy yet not pretentious, with food to match. Best of all, from my point of view, it didn’t upset my fragile stomach.
The only minor quibble is the name, bringing to mind waterproof watches – but in fact, as explained in the menu, ‘seiko’ in Japanese means ‘successful’. We welcome Seiko, and hope they’ll be very … um, seiko.
SPECIALITY Sushi, sashimi
SEATING 60-70
WHERE 26-28 Stasikratous Str., Nicosia
CONTACT 7777-7375
BOOKING Advisable
PRICE Around £40 for two, with wine
