6 Giannou Kranidioti, 22322566, NICOSIA, Mon – Sun 8am – 1αm
I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to visit Options at first, feeling that maybe it wasn’t my cup of tea in the style and vibe sense. Well, after my visit I felt quite comfortable and pleasantly surprised with the menu and the service.
For some reason I had the impression that this was a huge place, but actually it’s very cosy with a vintage character, blending a few modern elements with a romantic vibe. Stylish yet not toο “heavy” on the eye. Generally a nice interior with a cosy terrace in the front.
This is literally an all day restaurant bar, serving breakfast and fresh juices, lunch, cocktails and dinner.
As soon as I entered, I was impressed by the wooden bar on the left and then I turned on my right and I was in full eye contact with the tempting dessert bar. As I visited the place after lunch, I went for coffee and dessert and the options were many. It was a difficult decision since everything looked very fresh and attractive. The establishment is by Periklis Roussounides, one of the best modern chefs in Cyprus with a long history in the first fine confectioneries of the country. The bar was set high even before taste-testing! Between the mango cake, the snickers pie and the masticha dessert, I went for the last one. It was a bit too sweet for me and maybe not too intense in masticha flavour and the chef actually explained why. He said that they do accept feedback from their customers and they had a few comments of the very intense flavour for it, so they adjusted it accordingly. Personally, I would prefer a stronger masticha taste since that’s the main ingredient here.
The savoury – breakfast bar includes options such as the restaurant’s very own homemade quiche, spinach pie, croissants and other selections.
The cuisine could be characterised as fusion with Mediterranean as well as Asian selections and the menu will soon include brunch as well. As for the main courses, the Options Burger and the Line-Caught Sea Bass which is steamed, served with spinach and steamed potatoes and sabayon sauce, a specialty of the chef, are the best-sellers. I will definitely aim for one of the two dishes on my next lunch or dinner visit. They also make their very own cocktail as well, the Options Cocktail with strawberry or peach sparkling wine and forest fruit for flavour.
Go for an afternoon coffee and cake, go for breakfast, go for a light meal in the centre of the city. Periklis Roussounides is afterall one of the best modern chefs of our time (especially for desserts) so not a lot can go wrong. As for the prices, the Options Burger served with French fries and a seasonal salad is €16, the Sea Bass €17, appetizers and bites range from €7.50 to €13 and the chef mentioned that a few selections are good enough to be enjoyed as a main course.
