Fresh, glistening and full of promise
Fish at Kavouri
It’s Sunday lunchtime in Nicosia and you have with you a nonagenarian who doesn’t like souvla or travelling too far. Neither fast food nor a hotel sounds in the least bit appealing. Where do you go? The answer is the Kavouri fish restaurant in Strovolos Avenue.
I can’t think why I haven’t been there before. For a start, you avoid the exodus to the mountains or coast, which always results in the torments of coagulating traffic routes, arguments and hypertension on the return journey.
We arrived at 12.30 and were shown to a simple linen-clad table with wooden chairs in a genuine non-smoking area. On entering you will be greeted by the jovial maitre-d’ Barry, who is the personification of the welcoming host and fluent in Greek and English. This is essential as there is no menu, only Barry.
He will then invite you to visit the fish counter to select your lunch. My companions knew exactly what they wanted and didn’t leave the table. I was curious and wanted to examine the fare, which was fresh, glistening, and full of promise.
The proprietors, Andros and Androula, know their fish. There wasn’t a dull eye or a hint of odour about the place. My mother-in-law selected tsippoura, my companion ordered the giant prawns, and I was persuaded to have two small seasonal black fish, which proved to be an excellent choice.
Sitting atop the crushed ice was a bowl of tiny white-bait, which looked so tempting I asked the bold Barry to serve them up as a starter to accompany the salad, taramasalata, tahini, garlic mash and warm bread which precedes the main course. The white-bait were terrific.
In my opinion, the natural companion to any fish dish in Cyprus is the home-grown Vasilikon from Kathikas. At Kavouri it sells for £6.50, the cheapest I’ve so far encountered in any Nicosia establishment. I know third-rate restaurants asking £12 for it.
The companion’s giant prawns resembled small lobsters and were done to perfection; far too many chefs think these have to be cooked to extinction. The tsippoura was boned and filled the whole plate, and my choice could have fed four men. All of these were served on separate platters which were convenient receptacles for the detritus. To accompany the fish, we were served with a plate of hand cut chips and a bowl of spinach dressed with olive oil and lemon. Nothing was left.
We were the first arrivals, but were shortly joined by what in most circumstances can prove an instant deterrent to eating out – a family containing seven children under the age of ten. Perhaps it’s something about Barry, but I have rarely seen such well-behaved siblings anywhere in Cyprus, and they weren’t the only ones. The whole of the non-smoking area soon filled with parents and children, all following the example of the earlier arrivals.
To follow the main course we were offered sweets and fruit. The latter can sometimes be a disappointment, not at Kavouri. Instead of the oft-encountered under-ripe offerings, we were served sliced guavas and kiwis together with fresh dates, figs, bananas, apples and oranges, all presented with a tray of baklava. Coffees to finish and the companion drove home.
Kavouri, which translates as ‘the crab’, only serves lunch on a Sunday, but is open every other evening of the week. When we left, the place was packed with couples, groups and families. Why I haven’t visited before beats me, but I shall certainly return. Every aspect pleased.
Kavouri is just past the traffic lights after the Strovolus theatre if you are coming from the English School roundabout.
All fish is sold by weight .
VITAL STATISTICS.
Speciality: Fish.
Where: 125, Strovolos Avenue, Nicosia.
Contact: 22 425153.
Price: About 12 pound per head with drinks.
