Entering the reception area one is aware of ‘The Naked Chef’ and his products; our escort took us past the pasta station: ‘made fresh every day’ we are told. The dining area is vast, a cross between a New York diner and an airport lounge with eclectic furniture; a mix of various chairs and button backed banquettes. We are shown to a table for two alongside a family of four which included two wrestling, squealing, excited siblings that were making extensive use of the banquette we were sharing: the parents seemed uninterested in refereeing. After the third fall and submission, a concerned member of staff offered relocation. Thank you Tomas.
Many of the great and good of the capital were dining, including our friend, the Contessa, who told me she has been waiting 40 minutes for a plate of spaghetti.
There is no shortage of staff. A bright young man provided the menu which is a single sheet with food on one side and drinks on the reverse; couldn’t be easier.
There are five sections to the menu, starting with Bread and Antipasti; Pasta; Mains; Planks – meat and vegetable – Super food – three types of salad, including a Caesar, to which can be added chicken or Feta. Another section offers side dishes including chips and more salads.
Before ordering we chose a carafe of Petritis Kyperounda, and the excellent homemade ginger and lime soda. The antipasti includes some very interesting dishes and we were spoilt for choice: Artisan breads, including ciabatta, focaccia and sourdough, all made on the premises; Ultimate garlic bread; Italian Nachos, Bruschetta, Baked chestnut mushrooms, but while the crab and prawn dishes looked interesting we decided to share a platter of king scallops served in their shells with garlic and caper butter, minty pea and chilli salsa, crispy pancetta and herby breadcrumbs; who could resist it? In addition we had to try the amusingly named ‘Music bread’ served with pecorino and chilli jam.
We gave the main section a miss and drew from the pasta card. This contained nine dishes including Pumpkin ravioli, fresh crab spaghetti, penne carbonara and black truffle risotto but I selected the squid and mussel spaghetti Nero that contains the black pasta. The companion chose the prawn linguine.
The scallops were an excellent choice; they were perfectly cooked, and frankly, delicious. The music bread, quite amusing. Our pasta was well presented, but mine didn’t seem to contain all the ingredients claimed in the menu: there were five small mussels, six very small rings of squid, but try as I may, no evidence of octopus or anchovies, the inclusion of unskinned cherry plum tomatoes added an acidic tone that spoilt the overall flavour. The linguine was first rate.
The bar list, which offers a very well balanced selection of Mediterranean wines at reasonable prices – including half-litre carafes – as well as some attractive cocktails, also contains the sweet menu that will appeal to most of our diners. The almond tart was memorable and the Amalfi lemon meringue cheesecake even better.
While it is disappointing to enter an Italian restaurant that gives no place to Zampone, Ossibuchi, or any veal products in Nicosia, Jaimie’s is catering for a very conservative palate, but interestingly doesn’t suffer from the syndrome that prevails in most foreign establishments when setting up shop in Cyprus: excessive portions.
The restaurant has seating for 250, inside and out; dishes and portions for all tastes; the ambiance is definitely for the more modernly motivated, and the noise level tolerable; just. One is able to purchase ‘a bit of Jaimie’s Italian pots, dishes and books’ according to the leaving card. Service is all one could want, and sometimes a little more attentive than necessary.
All in, a good night for food and people watching. We went on the second night of opening and by nine it was packed. The glitterati will love this place.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Italian cuisine
WHERE Andrea Avraamidi 5, Engomi – behind Alpha Mega, Nicosia
WHEN open 7 days from noon till 11:30pm
CONTACT 22-028939, booking essential
PRICE Reasonable
