31 Stasikratous, 22665588
NICOSIA, Sun – Thu 9am – 1am, Fri – Sat 9am – 2am
When you hear “Pralina”, “Zorbas bakeries”, “cafe renovation”, “revamped”, a lot of things come to mind. Certainly not what I faced the other day at Pralina Experience dinner. Right where I expected a cafe-like dinner with the usual suspects, we ended up with a 3 course, gourmet dinner by Mr Lefteris Lazarou. A few things need improvement, but it was after all 2 weeks after launch.
The vibe and ambiance is quite elegant and refined. The marble floors and gold finishes, although may sound unattractive, the overall result was quite classy and classic. I can’t say it’s small as it extends around the back, but I didn’t get the feeling I was in a massive space. It’s obvious that attention to detail was not spared at any expense from the art pieces to the marble floors. I would have preferred it to be a bit dimmer with music to create a buzz.
The menu consisted of salads, starters, pasta, fish and meat, quite long for Lefteris Lazarou standards. I went for the more creative dishes (like Kayianas with “bottarga” and Poached egg with eel, but more “easy-going” dishes are also available (“halloumi” with tomato marmalade and Quinoa salad with smoked salmon.
The “
Kayianas” which is essentially
tomato with eggs, blended and served with Mesolongi Bottarga, was quite unique with a great balance of traditional flavours. Possibly my favourite starter.
The
Sea bream ceviche was quite good, as lemony as it should be. On a second visit I did prefer the
Sea bass carpaccio to the ceviche as I thought it was more special.
My favourite dish of all must have been the Veal on potato foam for an extra tender, melt-in-mouth experience.
The “kotsi” was not far behind and although classic, it was cooked to perfection. Out of the starters, apart from “Kayianas”, the Poached egg with smoked eel is worth trying for a taste of “Lazarou”.
My least favourite dish was the Truffle tortelloni, as I thought the truffle was not as strong as I wanted it to be and the salmon cubes were unnecessary.
I wasn’t ecstatic about the desserts as I would have preferred more refined flavours like bitter chocolate or a stronger exotic fruit mousse, although it’s worth mentioning the got a top score in presentation.
I will not comment on the service as I think it’s unfair to judge on the 2nd week of opening, but I will say that I particularly liked the sommelier not only for his recommendations, but for his attitude and approach.
You should expect to pay around €50 with starters and wine.
