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Nicosia, Restaurant Review: India India, Reviews

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At last, decent Indian food in Nicosia

Why do the minor towns of Cyprus have a better selection of ethnic restaurants than the capital? After all, we are more intelligent, better educated, smarter dressed, drive more expensive cars and have better looking wives. Travel anywhere along our benighted coastal strips and the waft of the orient will overwhelm you, but not here, well not too often. Of course when I refer to ethnicity, I don’t mean Italian or South African, whose nationals will open a new establishment every five minutes anywhere on earth, but something slightly more mysterious, like Yma Sumac.

A couple of years ago, the wise word was, try India India, and a number of friends did, Phil the cashier and Peter the diplomat, not bad they said, but why don’t they open a restaurant instead of just a take away: two weeks ago they did.

We arrive at 8pm on a Thursday night to a location on the town end of Nikis Street where we can park outside. There is a raised veranda, where a small group are devouring the contents of a dozen plates and we pass through to the small bright interior, minimally furnished with black linen and black and white chairs, with probably enough room between the furniture for another 12 covers. No flock wall-paper, no strangled sitars, in fact, no music of any kind, just Virginia the Lithuanian waitress.

The menu is clearly a reflection of the take away past: gaudy in fading pink and black, written in English and Greek. There are set meals for two and four, that look like good value and these are followed by sections containing Starters, Tandoori; separate entries devoted to Chicken, Lamb and Prawns and more for vegetarians, rice and bread.

The companion, a delicate person, is not much into vindaloo, and doesn’t even like to witness me eating it, but she does like Chicken Tikka and Tandoori, and has a weakness for naan bread. The place is slowly filling and one would have to state that they appear to be visitors to our city from exotic places, probably UN and diplomatic corp and appear to know how to navigate the menu and are welcomed and recognised by the proprietor who seems slightly familiar and is now advancing on my table with outstretched hand; ‘welcome, welcome’ he enthuses. Damn, recognised. But no, it is Jacque, formerly of the great Abu Faysal, who was our regular waiter there, and clearly is unaware of the reason for our visit.

I like the set meal for two which offers a starter, two main courses, a vegetable dish, pulao rice and the choice of  two naans, because it saves a great deal of time and usually contains the food you would choose anyway. We go for the Lamb Madras, Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Aloo Gobhi (Potato and Cauliflower), Tandoori Paratha and Garlic Naan with Prawns Pakora to start: damn good choice. A bottle of water for the companion and two Cobras for me and all’s well with the world.

The prawn dish is cooked in chick pea flour which I recommend to any that have a gluten problem, and they are delicious, six fat perfectly cooked crustaceans. The main courses are served on mini woks but sit on a bed of chopped fresh salad; not a good idea - hot meat on cold salad. The chicken is tender, succulent and just right, as is my Madras, which generates an acceptable level of perspiration. The naans are brilliant, quite often an area that is taken for granted, and over-cooked. 

As they state on their menu ‘Is so nice, we named it twice’.

Once they have made the transition from take-away to restaurant, this place will really take off. It’s about time someone recognised that Nicosia deserved a good Indian and now we’ve got one. India India open sevens day a week but only serves lunch on Sundays. It would be a good idea to book ahead as there are only about 80 covers inside and out.

Vital Statistics

SPECIALTY Indian Cuisine (all Indian chefs)

WHERE 5, Nikis Avenue, Nicosia

CONTACT 22 490440 (also take-away and caters for private parties)

PRICE Very reasonable