Restaurant review: Henry’s, Nicosia

Unlike most of my restaurant visits, this one was spur of the moment. I was out for a walk, luckily accompanied by my faithful dining companion, and we both realised that dinner time was approaching. We’re always hungry so more than ready to try out something new.

Nicosia’s Makarios Avenue and the streets surrounding it are not short of choices, but over the years restaurants in the area have come and gone. Of all the newer places, Henry’s, has a special allure.

It could be the stylish restaurant’s sign, very 30s New York, the tasteful decor, with a touch of much-needed understatement in the dining out scene, the uniformed staff, a tad anachronistic, but the nostalgic in me was sold.

Once again, Henry’s is probably better suited for warmer times, perhaps not mid-August when Nicosia disappears, but you get the idea.

But onto the dishes. We started with a Burrata salad, featuring multicoloured cherry tomatoes, avocado purée, basil pesto, a variety of herbs and an honestly less-than-generous burrata on top, which was also colder than anticipated. I take my burrata very seriously and I think the best way to enjoy it is at perfect room temperature. Cold does not do it justice. The canary yellow and lush red cherry tomatoes, though, were superb, clearly not your usual ones.

We also shared a Vitello Tonnato, a northern Italian staple dish made of veal loin slices, accompanied by tuna sauce, capers and anchovies. This one also featured an artichoke and parmesan shavings. Well-executed, but if you divert from the original, you might as well dare a bit more, as the twists did little to enrich the dish.

Onto the mains. Among the many more elaborate choices, we chose simplicity. A burger for me and a pasta carbonara for my companion.

The burger was outstanding. Sometimes simplicity does work…no convoluted sauces, no complex ingredients – a tired must for many burgers nowadays – bar the creamy camembert. The meat was also prime quality, as it came from the fine connoisseurs at Columbia in Limassol.

The carbonara was, for a lack of better words, basic. There was nothing really wrong with it, the crispy guanciale and the pecorino, parmigiano mixture were there, but for a restaurant that is not typically Italian and plays on revisiting traditional entries, I expected a twist that didn’t arrive.

Perhaps this is what is lacking at Henry’s, a clear direction, one that would give the place a real purpose and a definite pathway.

Granted, I didn’t try the drinks, which, according to the word on the street, are the real forte of the establishment. And next time, I will probably follow up my dinner with the Mojito New York cheesecake that I saw arriving at another table. No space left for it, but at least it will make me come back.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Modern international

WHERE Henry’s, Makarios Ave 30b, Nicosia

WHEN Monday to Friday 8:30am-12am, Saturday and Sunday 8am-12am

CONTACT 22 351111

HOW MUCH Salads €10-15, starters €16-24, mains €16-30, desserts €9-18