Restaurant review: Sumosan, Landmark Hotel, Nicosia

There are certain advantages to reviewing restaurants. Occasionally, somebody even invites you to one.

And so, for once, there was no reservation to make, no bill to anticipate and, rather more unfortunately, no faithful dining companion sitting by my side.

In her place were dozens of journalists, influencers, food writers and assorted media contemporaries – types who photograph their dinner considerably better than I do – all gathered at Sumosan, inside the newly renovated Landmark Nicosia hotel.

Considerable care has clearly gone into the décor: earthy tones, natural materials and strategic lighting create a setting that feels expensive without shouting about it. There is plenty going on visually, but it never crosses into kitsch.

Perhaps more importantly for a dinner of this duration, the chairs are extremely comfortable.

Dinner began with boiled edamame beans seasoned with salt. Mild, subtly sweet and properly salted. The baby leaf salad followed, with French beans, roasted pine nuts and sesame dressing. The dressing was the star, lending an otherwise straightforward salad a warm, nutty depth.

Rich flavours take centre stage

Next came the tuna sashimi taquitos with spicy mayo, chives, jalapeno and kizami wasabi. The tuna was tender and smooth, but never overwhelmed by the spicy mayo, jalapeno or wasabi. Everything worked in harmony, producing a beautifully balanced little mouthful.

For our next starter, we were served seared Wagyu beef tataki. Briefly seared outside and rare within, the wafer-thin Wagyu was beautifully marbled, rich and buttery. Little was done to distract from the quality of the beef, and little needed to be.

They can’t all be winners, which brings us to the yellowtail tiradito with truffle yuzu vinaigrette and black truffle shavings. Truffle is not known for its restraint, and here it completely overwhelmed the yellowtail. The delicate fish and yuzu vinaigrette never stood a chance.

Next came bone marrow beef tartare: beef tenderloin, umeboshi – Japanese pickled ume fruit – and sesame oil. Visually, it took some getting used to, with the tartare served along the length of a split marrow bone, but the taste was incredible.

The marrow was rich, delicately creamy and buttery; the tartare tender, well-seasoned and deeply savoury. Spread together over the accompanying brioche, they made for one of the highlights of the starters.

Signature dishes and sushi

With the starters seen to and cleared, it was time for the mains.

First out of the kitchen was one of Sumosan’s signature dishes, grilled black cod with miso sauce. Its naturally buttery flesh takes beautifully to the grill, developing a smoky char outside while remaining impossibly tender and moist within.

So smooth and buttery was the final result that it felt as though, if you stared at it long enough, it might simply melt away.

Another Sumosan signature followed: prawns drizzled with wasabi mayo over mango and passion fruit salsa. The prawns retained a lovely bite, while the freshness, acidity and sweetness of the fruit cut beautifully through the heat and richness of the wasabi mayo. The plate returned to the kitchen empty.

Next came the Wagyu katsu sando in home-baked milk bread. Premium Wagyu, cooked rare and glazed with a tangy, spicy and sweet katsu sauce, made this about as luxurious a sandwich as one can reasonably construct. It was mildly marred only by the accompanying fries, which were drizzled in truffle sauce.

Sometimes even luxury benefits from restraint.

The table was also served a chef-selected assortment of nigiri, sashimi and maki rolls. Sumosan takes considerable pride in its sushi offering and, from what I sampled, has every right to.

A sweet finish

Finally, dessert.

First came a chocolate fondant with a molten white chocolate centre, vanilla ice cream and an elaborate sugar cage. Breaking into the fondant produced the expected lava flow, predominantly sweet but with just enough chocolate bitterness lurking underneath to prevent it becoming cloying. The vanilla ice cream provided a welcome cool counterpoint.

Last came the warm chocolate cookie with salted caramel ice cream. ‘Warm’ proved something of an understatement. Both cookie and skillet arrived piping hot. The cookie was rich and buttery, the salted caramel cutting through its sweetness and bringing a lengthy dinner to a satisfying close.

Sumosan describes itself as contemporary Japanese, and after a meal this extensive, the ‘contemporary’ part is certainly beyond dispute. There is Wagyu and truffle, bone marrow and brioche. Occasionally, the urge to embellish gets the better of it. The yellowtail did not need to fight truffle for attention, nor did a Wagyu sandwich particularly need truffled fries alongside it.

But those moments were exceptions. Sumosan was at its best when it showed restraint: immaculate fish over warm rice, Wagyu barely interfered with, black cod allowed to become almost impossibly buttery, and prawns whose improbable collection of flavours somehow found equilibrium.

For all the luxury surrounding it – the Landmark setting, the beautiful room, the premium ingredients – the best thing I can say about Sumosan is surprisingly simple.

The food justifies the fuss.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY: Contemporary Japanese

WHERE: Sumosan Cyprus, Landmark Hotel, Makarios Ave 98, Nicosia

WHEN: Tuesday to Sunday 630pm – 11.30pm

CONTACT: 22 653500

HOW MUCH: Starters: €6.5 – €38, Mains: €5.5 – €97