Traditional with a twist

A miscommunication between friends meant that we had ended up at a restaurant with no reservation and they had no space to squeeze us in. Being all dressed up with nowhere to go, we refused to go home and started frantically looking on our phones for somewhere that a) looked like it would be something we’d like to try and b) wasn’t fully booked on a Saturday night! We were close to giving up when we remembered a quaint looking pasta and pizza place that we had been meaning to try.

Capodecina is right in the centre of town, in a small side street, just off the main shopping street. It is fairly unassuming and it would be easy to walk right past it. We turned up around dinner time to find it fairly empty. I was quietly thinking that this might not be a good sign but I didn’t want the pessimist in me to stop us from trying somewhere new.

It all looked fairly new, modern and minimalist. I don’t mind minimalist but the problem was that the walls are quite high and we were left in vacant, uninspiring surroundings. There were a few token decorations on the wall but no feeling of an authentic Italian restaurant.

For a place with only two starting points, Capodecina really has a very good variety on the menu, and if nothing suits you can make your own. I struggled to decide what I wanted. Once again, my partner was fairly quick and chose the Carbonara Originalle. Seeing Carbonara and Carbonara Originalle on the menu was a good sign; too many places advertise a Carbonara and make it with fresh cream which isn’t a carbonara. It felt like the menu was saying ‘we have original carbonara and this other one that isn’t a real carbonara but we’ll make you one like this if this is how you prefer it’. I really liked that!

Tempted by a white sauce, I chose Traditional with a Twist. It is basically their Bolognese, tomato sauce and pork-beef mince but with the addition of a creamy béchamel sauce and parmesan. My partner chose spaghetti for her pasta and I strayed from my usual choice of tagliatelle to opt for rigatoni. It turns out that our eyes were bigger than our stomachs because we ordered a prosciutto pizza as well!

At Capodecina, they use natural packaging to serve the food so it kind of feels like you’re eating a take away at the restaurant but, it’s a casual place and wasn’t really a problem.

My dish was so much better than I had hoped for. Bursting with flavour and the creamy béchamel with parmesan, it was exactly what I wanted. I’m usually a fast eater but this was so good, I slowed down so I could appreciate it. Now, seeing the size of the portion that was placed before us, we had second thoughts about the pizza that was making its way over to our table. The pizza looked good and there’s no way I wasn’t going to try some of it when it had come straight from the pizza oven we could see from our table.

The dough was really good. Fluffy and light. I wouldn’t say it was the best pizza I’ve ever had but I had zero complaints. There was a generous amount of toppings – the bitterness of the rocket was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, and both complemented that saltiness of the parmesan and prosciutto. Needless to say though, there was pizza left over, which went home with us.

I would absolutely go back to Capodecina. I’m so glad I didn’t let my inside voice put me off dining there and look forward to trying one of the many other dishes they have on offer.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Pasta and pizza

WHERE Capodecina, Vasileos Evagorou 20, Larnaca

WHEN Monday to Friday 11:30am-10pm. Saturday 12-9pm

CONTACT 24 663300

HOW MUCH Carbonara Originalle €11.50, Traditional with a Twist €10.50, Prosciutto pizza €13.50