Before we get into the specifics of the review, let me invite you to take a walk in my proverbial shoes, or sandals, since this is Cyprus. It’s an hour past midday, the sun is beaming down on the island with the menace of a thousand landlords. Limassol city centre is so hot a mature hen could walk across the pavement and become the world’s first sentient fried egg container. My car’s air conditioner has stopped working and I’m off to visit a restaurant when all I want to do is teleport inside a commercial freezer. These are not the most favourable conditions for any restaurant to leave a good impression. And yet…
The Cookhouse, a well-known brunch spot on Limassol’s Gladstonos street, can be somewhat easy to miss, since its road-facing footprint is fairly small. Indeed, aside from a narrow bar the length of a shop window peering outside, the majority of the seating area can be found inside a small arcade.
The arcade has been refurbished over the years, now having a retractable cover on either side, allowing the restaurant to let the sun in during the winter, or generate some much-needed shade during the summer. In addition, there are numerous plants dotted throughout, which soften the effect of the surrounding walls. Moreover, there are several wall-mounted fans (thankfully), as well as heating lamps for the winter.
This place is known for its breakfast and brunch items, and I can attest that it’s one of the best in town in this regard, however, considering the time of day, and the availability of certain off-menu items, we went with more traditional mains. The restaurant offers ‘du jour’ items, and on the day of our visit these were smashed burgers, and we both went with that.
Each dish had two thinly crafted beef patties (smashed, remember?) served on soft, lightly toasted taco-sized tortilla wraps, with a side of green leaf salad and cucumber strips (they told us we could switch to a side of chips if so desired). The burgers were topped with melted cheese, parsley, sliced cherry tomatoes, red onions, pickles and a delightful orange sauce that tasted like smoky paprika and chilli peppers, although it may have contained sriracha, considering the final colour. Whatever it was it worked.
The meal was delicious and was only slightly spicy, although for the average Cypriot, it may count as fiery hot. The two burgers were more than enough for one person and the salad worked great as a side as replacing it with fries would have been too much, especially on a sizzling day. In terms of drinks, while they offer an assortment of smoothies, coffees and the like, we both went with a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, as well as several cold bottles of water.
We ended up splitting a desert, which, again, was a du jour item. It was a slice of apple pie, which also contained almond flakes and blueberries, and was drizzled with a light cream that added to the overall flavour and texture. Again, this was enough to share among two, especially after a healthy lunch.
All in all, a predictably pleasant experience which I would be keen on repeating, albeit with a working air conditioner in my car!
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Breakfast, Brunch
WHERE Gladstonos 112, Limassol
WHEN Monday-Friday 7:30am-4pm, Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday, Monday closed
HOW MUCH €6-9 for breakfast items, €7-9.50 for salads, €9-15 for mains
CONTACT 25 353434
