Emessa
Decent Arabic food again in Nicosia
Since the demise of the much lamented Abu Faysal, one has dwelt in something of an oriental culinary wilderness, never quite sure that the newest arrival on the Arabian scene would reach the standards set by Ghazi and his team, and therefore apprehensive about trying somewhere new. However, a chance encounter with a Lebanese friend resulted in the suggestion that I try the Emessa Syrian restaurant in Engomi.
The entrance to this establishment is completely at odds with the interior; one passes through the portals of Halicarnasus into what is quite an average seating area, albeit extremely clean and tidy.
One of the problems facing a diner at most Arab restaurants is that there is such a bewildering choice of starters but a very limited list of main courses, which results in either selecting too few of the former or too many of the latter, and thereby not really giving the restaurant an opportunity to perform to its advantage. This problem was overcome on the Monday night we attended by the arrival of two charming friends who joined us, thus enabling us to give the menu our full attention.
Our artistic friends are world travelers and have dwelt in exotic places where the appearance of moutabbal, baba ghannouj and sabanekh on the menu hold no mysteries for them. Moutabbal is a dish of grilled aubergines with tahini and yoghurt; baba is made from finely chopped grilled aubergines with tomatoes, peppers and parsley; sabanekh comprises steamed fresh spinach dressed with olive oil and lemon; see how easy it is when you have the right companions?
The menu at Emessa is very simple and easy to follow; there are 15 dishes on the starter menu with the most expensive priced at £1.76 but the majority at a very reasonable £1.17; there are six items on the extra meze card ranging from kebbi maklya, which is three pieces of bulgar wheat stuffed with minced lamb and pine nuts at £1.76, to sodat dajaj, a hot dish of delicious fried chicken livers in a pomegranate jus at £3.51.
Between the four of us, we selected mouhamarah; a dip made from red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses; maghmour; aubergines, onions and tomatos baked together in the oven; fatoush, the traditional Arabic salad; the chicken livers and shukaf, grilled pieces of lamb and quite a number of dishes from the starter menu. To accompany this, we selected a very reasonably priced Aghiorghitico Papaioannou from Greece, it being the only red wine on offer that wasn’t chilled; why do proprietors do this? Incidentally, they sell Cypriot wines at the cheapest prices I have encountered in Nicosia.
Every dish was a pleasure, they all displayed the light touch so often missing in similar establishments, and the service was attentive yet slightly formal.
One or two slightly interesting points: this is the first restaurant I have visited in the last year where the obligatory and unasked for mineral water was not served, and the chef didn’t have any potatoes; I know this, because I couldn’t get any chips, and the only sweet on offer was the awful malhalabi; no thank you.
The whole affair was settled with zivania and coffee. The total bill for four, which included pre-drinks and post-drinks came to less than I have paid for two in any of the most recent reviews.
This is an exceptionally good little restaurant serving pleasing food at very reasonable prices, and for those of you that have a taste for Arab cuisine, I suggest you give it a try. The ambience, for a Monday night in Nicosia, was surprising.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALITY Syrian cuisine
WHERE 32, Elia Papakyriacou, Engomi, Nicosia
CONTACT 22 444544
PRICE starters from £1.17, main courses from £4.68
