The pub/restaurant is a staple of British culinary life, but not too well established in Nicosia, although they are legion on the coastline with their ever present ‘full English’; God help us. There are a number of them in the capital that can stand scrutiny and one of the most popular is Finbarr’s. The atmosphere is faux Irish, but the beer is genuine, and the food interesting.
We arrived on a quiet Tuesday evening with the clientele divided between the outside smoking decking and the well-spaced solid tables inside. It was cooler inside and the air fresher, well that’s what my granddaughter said. On this occasion, apart from my accustomed companion, I was accompanied by two granddaughters; the jazz singer and the one from Somerset, who has spent most of her young life in pubs, as a customer, waitress and chef. In her part of the world pub/restaurants proliferate on every corner and have to deliver the goods if they are to succeed. Some of the best pub-meals I have experienced have been in rural Somerset where local game and fish feature daily on the menu.
However, I did not expect to find smoked eel, partridge or venison at Finbarr’s and nor should I, but what we were offered was just as appetizing and wholesome. We had reserved a table and were settled in by Rosalia the Romanian and given the menus written in Greek and English. Then it all went quiet. Where is everybody? It appears that not only was Rosalia looking after the tables but serving at the bar as well. So if the drinks won’t come to you, then go and get them yourself.
Drinks dealt with, tackle the menu. There are a number of pub/fare starters: chicken wings, more chicken wings, potato skins, spring rolls etc. masses of salads: Caesar, roast mushroom, Thai beef, avocado and so on. Pastas, fish and the Finbarr’s specialties, which is what most customers come for. These consist of home-made beef and stout pies, Irish stew, chicken and mushroom, salmon and shrimp pie, basil chicken boxty and a vegetable bake.
The companion wants meat, so does Somerset and they settle for a strip grilled fillet and a medium rare fillet steak; jazz wants grilled salmon. All dishes are served with a variety of vegetables, chips, wedges, rice and various roots and brassicas. My choice is the seafood tagliatelli, although the advertised lamb curry was tempting, it was apparently no longer on offer, as Cypriots don’t eat hot food in September, I am told. Not wishing to overload the kitchen we ordered a side-dish of caramelised onions to start with, but as these were off, Rosalia brought a platter of Nachos with a couple of dips to get on with.
The granddaughters proved to be fussy about the accompanying sauces, but the cook was obliging, and came up with a mushroom and cream for one, and a garlic butter for the other. The dishes are on the heroic side, and each one could feed four. Nevertheless we ploughed on and duty was done all round; it’s amazing what young women can put away.
General verdict all round: pretty good. Will come again? Certainly.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Grills, roasts and pies
WHERE 52b, Makarios Avenue, Nicosia
CONTACT 22 376625
PRICE Reasonable
