Brunching at Bistrot 55

Eleftherias 55, 25212100, LEMESOS (LIMASSOL)
Wed-Sat lunch & dinner, Weekend brunch (11:00-15:00)
Limassolians, don’t be upset by what I ‘m about to say: I don’t think there are enough brunch places in your city- at least not enough that serve proper brunch. Surely there’s Cookhouse that does breakfast and brunch daily, Milk Bar that offers small selection of all-day breakfast and that’s about it. Until Bistrot 55 came along.
After having visited it for dinner (full review here), I was curious to see what they would have for brunch. Being in the “creative cuisine” category I expected a gourmet brunch (and hoped it included the usual-brunch-suspects). Fortunately, it was somewhere along those lines. It had 4 brunch options with 3 dishes each, more than enough for one person. The freshly baked bread and jams that came first were a fantastic start to our brunch. The papaya with guava was surprisingly good, and so was the orange with pear (all made in-house and available for sale). We shared the “champagne brunch”, which included a mimosa cocktail, eggs (scrambled or poached) with smoked salmon, a quiche and American pancakes. The poached eggs with smoked salmon were delicious. The eggs (which were also organic), went perfectly with the salty salmon, a combo often used in breakfast dishes. The quiche, being something between a pastry and a egg dish, was a generally a great option for breakfast. while the American pancakes with strawberries and a home-made strawberry syrup were, lightly sweet and delicious. The mimosa cocktail (prosecco with orange juice), was a good addition but if you go out the previous night all you want to drink is water and coffee!
We also shared the “tradition meets bistro”. It was a more “Cypriot”-type brunch with grilled “halloumi” cheese, sausage and grilled vegetables as the traditional dish. The more “bistro” dish was a tomato frittata with a runny egg in the middle, a great option for something different. Mr Proud Cypriot suggested it should have a second egg in the fritatta, as one was not enough, not a bad idea. We both agreed that after the tomato frittata, the cherry on the cake was the open “bourekia” (fried pastry) with “anari” cheese and cinnamon. They were served hot and crispy with extra cheese and extra flavour, and they were simply delicious. The picture speaks for itself!The “healthy brunch” option which we did not try, with baked egg in taco, a veggie burrito with quinoa and home-made granola with yogurt, a good option if you are after something light, while the “b55 brunch” with a sweet potato frittata, creamy mustard mushrooms and grilled red grapefruit with orange liquor is the something-different option.
This small and cute restaurant in the old city, away from the crowds I would say is a very good option for a quiet, easy-going, home-made and value-for-money brunch. Do try their sugar-free lemonades and fruit squash if you are up for a non-alcoholic drink.
Each 3-course meal costs from 13.50-14.50 apart from the champagne brunch that costs 16.50 and includes the mimosa cocktail. Sharing is doable (2 meals for 3 people is idea).