Once upon a time there were very few oriental establishments in the capital, in fact, hardly any, and given the conservative culinary nature of our residents, it is surprising that a Chinese restaurant could have survived for as long as Changs. Located on a high point above Engomi, and dependant on the good will of the local foreign residents, it slowly evolved into obscurity and finally faded away. Enter the Pagoda group. I wonder how long they had viewed the possibility of acquiring this site because it certainly fits very well into their portfolio. It comes as no surprise that the very successful Pagoda group, that has been serving the capital and its satellites for years, should grasp the opportunity of resurrecting a once iconic centre of Chinese cuisine.
The companion and I arrived on a Tuesday night, when I knew that most of the populace would be watching the scabrous soccer offerings, and therefore expecting very few challenges for space, we entered what can only be described as a palace of delights; the interior design is remarkable; every aspect pleases, nothing jars. Designed by the celebrated Elienor Antoniou, and built by Cyfast Ltd, the colours are extraordinary, and the views over the northern end of the city, beguiling.
All the tables are circular, whether to accommodate two or ten. Beautifully furnished with layers of crisp, white linen and generously spaced, we sat in the centre of the restaurant with a clear view of the next table containing a handbag and three small children who were reasonably well behaved considering that the eldest couldn’t have been more than five. I thought the handbag was a bit unnecessary, but my companion informed that if you could afford one you needed to give it a position of prominence.
Enter the staff: very attractive, very discreet, very efficient and Greek. No rush, no pressure and no un-requested water. Ever since I discovered Chinese food I have had a weakness for their soups, I love them all, but most of all I have a weakness for crabmeat and corn, wanton and hot sour. I don’t know whether it is the MSG, but I can’t get enough. In this instance I selected the hot sour; delicious. To keep the companion happy we chose the salt and pepper ribs, which is the clean way of eating ribs if you don’t want to be covered in sauce, and that well-tried standby, the sesame prawn toast. We really didn’t do justice to the starter menu, because it is so extensive, but next time I shall try the steamed dumplings; there are 18 offerings in all.
For the regular habitués of Pagoda there are a number of new offerings on the main menu, which contains 24 items, all the extra spicy dishes have a little garlic symbol, but the companion chose the sweet and sour prawns and I went for the special fish shanghai. To accompany this I selected the spicy noodles, which was a mistake, it was too dry, and while satisfying to the companion, did not suit me.
Did I mention that we had an ouzo and a vodka as an aperitif? If you follow this route be prepared for generous helpings. While the establishment offers a very extensive wine list, in my opinion there is only one beverage to accompany Chinese food and that is jasmine tea; the Pagoda will constantly refill.
I couldn’t manage a sweet, but the companion was interested. We have many happy memories of toffee apples in China town, but she chose fried apple with honey. The extremely efficient staff delivered the sweet with a large bowl of ice cream which came with compliments of the management; very nice.
The views from the smokers’ veranda are something that few residents will ever see and add a bonus to the evening.
Surprisingly for such a sophisticated operation they offer a take-away service and are open nearly all day. There are over 160 covers inside and many more on the balconies. I didn’t mention that they offer a Japanese menu which offers sashimi, suchi and maki, but I was there for the Chinese and nothing else. The food was very good, the service excellent, and the ambience all one could hope for.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Chinese
WHERE 1 Acropoleos, Engomi, Nicosia
CONTACT 22 444740
PRICE €70 for two, including drinks
