By Alexander McCowan
As my companion often reflects, it is not incumbent on the restaurant reviewer to enjoy his task, but merely to report the facts. We arrived at To Elliniko early on a Wednesday to find the establishment already half full and buzzing with infantile energy; selfishly we chose a table some distance from this source. The restaurant is the latest venture of the Louis Group and is attached to the Hilton Park Hotel alongside their Japanese outlet Akakiko.
The interior is amazingly white; white everywhere; tables, chairs, furnishings, and divided into three sections: large open plan space, an outside corridor and an enclosed raised area. The staff are alert and very attentive. We are greeted by Chrystalla, who provided the English language menu and gave us a few minutes to peruse the contents and select our drinks.
The management have tried to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional Greek ‘ouzomezedopolion’ but without the politics and knives. On entering, the customer is faced by the deli counter which contains many of the delights featured in the menu, some home grown, others from the Greek isles and mainland, such as smoked and cured meats and many cheeses that can be served pan fried or grilled. The walls are shelved and contain hundreds of items for sale. The wine list is a mix of Cypriot and Greek and I chose a Greek rosé instead of the Kyperounda, my regular choice, which was a mistake that seemed to frame the rest of the evening’s activity.
Our wine was delivered with a small basket of freshly sliced bread and a dish of smoked meats on a bed of rather tired rocket. The ethos of such a venue is to offer dozens of small appetising dishes with the alcohol – the reason there is so little drunkeness on our streets – and this is reflected in the card which is divided into Appetisers; tzatziki, taramas, fasolia and the like; twelve different salads; Delicatessan cheeses and cured and smoked meats; salted and marinated fish, such as anchovies, sardines, mackerel and pickled tuna; eighteen hot appetisers including pastourmali, fried zucchini patties, onions stuffed with minced meat, pine nuts, and cheese. The main dishes are a carnivore’s delight containing acres of souvlaki, chops, fillets, chickens, sausages and much more. The seafood section offers everything from calamari skewers, stuffed sardines, all manner of shellfish to the inevitable sea bream served in parchment paper with onions and spinach.
To start I ordered the smoked herring spread, which I assumed would come in the form of a pate, the companion chose the Grandfather’s salad, which contained a seaside herb: samphire? perhaps. These to be followed by a pan of smoked pork from Crete; the stuffed onions, and that dish rarely seen in Cyprus: calves’ liver.
The waitress assured me that everything would be delivered slowly and as required.
First to arrive was a plate containing a mound mainly of rocket, shreds of cheese and half a dozen purslane leaves that had seen better days. My herring spread looked strangely vegetable, which on investigation proved to be smoked aubergine with peppers.
Appealing to the staff for the promised herring I was then served with a plate of what appeared to be bean curd, but with the aroma of kippers; this was not enjoyable. The tables for two are very small and struggle to contain more than two dishes which is why service must be staggered, however the kitchen decided that we needed sustenance and delivered all of our order within a few minutes, causing one to hurry through the plates to ensure they remained hot.
But alas, digestion was no match for the kitchen, and the main dishes rapidly cooled. Before ordering the veal I queried the source of the meat and was assured it came from Cyprus, which surprised me, but nevertheless, one must trust the chef. However, that which appeared on my plate, accompanied by a sliced raw onion and more rocket, tasted and resembled an older beast. The stuffed onions, a classic Italian dish, of blessed childhood memory, were a disappointment.
The restaurant was packing out by the time we left, many customers coming from the hotel with a good mix of local patrons, and although it has only been open for two months, it is so well located in an area with little competition, and offering ease of parking, it should thrive. Perhaps we caught it on a bad day.
Vital Statistics
SPECIALTY Hellenic cuisine.
WHERE Achaion 1, Engomi, Nicosia (Hilton Park Hotel)
CONTACT 77778300
PRICE Reasonable
