We rarely review a restaurant on a Saturday but this was one of those occasions. China Spice has withstood the vagaries of fashion, and has been in situ and expanded over the last few years; they opened an outlet in Ledra Street to exploit the lunch-time and tourist market that seems very successful as it is nearly always full. Chinese cuisine in Cyprus can be something of a disappointment if one is reflecting on meals past in far-away places. When we lived in Richmond, the town was served by two establishments that could compete with any restaurant in Gerard Street, indeed the famous Willy Yeung, a friend of ours, went on from Richmond to found the award winning Dumpling Inns in Soho. I remember the ‘Sesh Shuan Ku’ in Windmill Street, an eating factory, set out on four stories, that served eight different eel dishes, whole spider crabs, genuine bird’s nest, and was staffed by the rudest waiters in London, who would stand over the customers and urge them to eat more quickly as there were people waiting to occupy their seats.
Back to China Spice, alas; we arrived at 8pm and were seated outside among very neat and well furnished tables that quickly filled with regulars that seemed to know their way around the menu, because they didn’t bother to consult it before ordering. The wine list was proffered by a very friendly waiter, one Leonidos, a face from the past, and we ordered an ouzo and a martini, which was interestingly served in a tumbler. The list contained a fair number of local wines at prices lower than any I have encountered in Nicosia, for instance, Vassilikon at €12.90. However, our policy is always to drink jasmine tea with the meal to ensure the subtleties of flavour are not overwhelmed.
Having a weakness for MSG, I ordered the Hot Sour soup from a list of six soups that contained the usual suspects, including Shark’s Fin. The companion agreed to share the Selection for Two, which consisted of Spring-rolls, Chicken Satay, Seaweed, Spare Ribs and Sesame Prawns on Toast; the latter were very good. The starter menu contains 19 dishes ranging from the Crispy Aromatic Duck to Green-shell Mussels and includes Prawns, Squid, Dim Sum and various Chicken and Pork offerings.
The menu thoughtfully contains symbols to indicate whether the meal is spicy or very spicy, although I failed to discover any evidence of it. By 10pm the joint was jumping, and the management were turning away those foolish enough not to book a table; surely an indication of the establishment’s popularity with the Nicosians. We turned our attention to the extensive main course menus and the companion settled for Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onions and I selected the Fish Fillet in Spicy Hunan Sauce; the menu proudly declares that all prawn dishes contain eight prawns. When the orders arrived I was struck by the bright colouring; my companion, an authority on matters artistic, declared her dish to be vermillion and mine covered in what she amusingly described as ‘Crushed Cardinal’. Both dishes were supported by a bowl of Spicy Noodles that had the consistency of sand-paper.
The last time I ate Spicy Fish Fillet was in a tiny Chinese restaurant on the edge of Pervoilia, which I am rapidly coming to the conclusion is one of the best establishments on the island, but the dish in front of me was so deeply buried in batter and sauce that I wearied trying to penetrate it. The companion claimed that her chicken was tasteless and had the texture of marshmallow. Both dishes were left and we passed to the sweet menu that was much more interesting. The companion chose Toffee Bananas and Apples that were served with ice-cream; she declared it to be excellent.
China Spice is one of the most popular restaurants in the capital, evidenced by the horde of satisfied customers busily troughing away on the night I attended, so perhaps my experience was unfortunate, for surely the other 170 odd diners can’t be wrong. Perhaps it wasn’t my night. We should have gone for the Spicy Duck.
The management and service are very attentive and friendly, there is a Chinese chef, and multi-national staff. The whole atmosphere is redolent of happy contented customers enjoying a regular Saturday night at their favourite Chinese restaurant. Hey-Ho.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Chinese food
WHERE 26, Pindarou Street, Nicosia
CONTACT 22-875875. Booking necessary
COST Reasonable
