Restaurant review: The art of restraint in fusion cooking

It’s a beautiful winter day. The sun is out under a cloudless sky, yet a chilly wind cuts through it all. The season has truly turned. And what better way to mark the change than with a brand-new eatery in the capital?

At the time of writing, Sannae has been open for just over a month, yet in that short span it has already generated noticeable buzz on the island’s culinary scene.

Tucked away in a small courtyard between two buildings, the restaurant isn’t immediately visible from the street.

We’re greeted by a cheery hostess who asks if we have a reservation (we do!) and promptly shows us to our table. Moments later, our server arrives with the menus, which are clean, straightforward and – mercifully – concise. I say “mercifully” not out of snark, but because fusion cuisine, all too frequently, has a tendency to overextend itself. Too many ideas, too many options, too much ambition on a single page.

Regardless, it takes us a while to settle on what we want. The menu offerings all feel new, novel and worth trying.

To start, we order Mamas Latinas Salad: baby spinach, robata shrimp, sweet papaya, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado and a piquant yuzu-sesame dressing.

For mains, we choose the Chicken Asado with Salsa Verde: half a boneless, corn-fed baby chicken, reverse-grilled on the robata (I’m not entirely sure what reverse-grilling is, but perhaps they meant reverse seared – a cooking technique where meat is first cooked slowly at a low temperature, often in the oven, and then finished with a quick sear at high heat to create a crispy crust), served with chimichurri, aji verde, micro coriander, chives and grilled corn.

Alongside it, the Pork Adobo: robata-grilled Iberico pork chops with yuzu-chimichurri, grilled pineapple, shishito peppers, toasted sesame seeds and pickled red onion.

A side of fried rice rounds out the savoury portion. Dessert, we know in advance, will be the apple crumble – but more on that later.

The salad arrives in near-record time and looks like spring made manifest on a plate.

Shades of green, red, pink and yellow come together in a way that immediately whets the appetite. Thankfully, the dish delivers well beyond mere optics.

The shrimp may well be the best I’ve had on the island – perfectly cooked and seasoned. The cherry tomatoes bring acidity, the red onion crunch and sweetness, the papaya its gentle tropical note. Combined with the spinach and avocado, the dish has a certain ‘just one more bite’ quality to it, because no two forkfuls felt the same.

As the salad is cleared, the Chicken Asado makes its entrance – and if it’s true that presentation primes expectation (it is), then this dish was already halfway to victory before we touched it. The vivid green of the aji verde contrasts beautifully with the charred chicken, the deeper gloss of the chimichurri and the bright yellow of the corn.

As the salad before it, the dish delivers in taste what it promised optically. The chicken is seared to perfection, delivering a satisfying crunch on first bite before giving way to tender, juicy meat. Even the corn, clearly meant to play second fiddle to the protein, shines. Buttery, lightly salted and cooked so evenly that each kernel slides cleanly off the cob without resistance.

Next comes the Pork Adobo, once again cooked impeccably and seasoned just right. Here, however, it’s the accompaniments that elevate the dish: the sweetness of the pineapple, the gentle heat and mild bitterness of the shishito peppers and the sharpness of the pickled onion.

A forkful of everything delivers a nuanced, well-balanced mouthful that plays with both texture and flavour.

The fried rice, I feel, is the only misstep of the evening. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but the micro coriander (present throughout a lot of the menu) overpowers here. Each bite is unnecessarily herb-forward, flattening what should have been a more rounded offering.

Finally, dessert arrives: the apple crumble. What reaches the table is a convincing faux apple, its glossy green shell fashioned from, I believe, white chocolate, is theatrically cracked open tableside to reveal an apple crumble hidden within. Alongside it sits miso caramel ice cream and crumbled sable breton (butter cookie). It is, undeniably, performative – but once the spectacle subsides, the dish proves itself on merit.

The crumble is comforting and well balanced, the ice cream adds a subtle savoury edge, and despite the plate itself being a bit of an eyesore, the execution is solid overall. Gimmick or not, it works.

VITAL STATISTICS:

SPECIALTY: Ethnic fusion cuisine

WHERE: Sannae Restaurant, Michalakopoulou 25, Nicosia

WHEN: Monday to Saturday 7pm – 11.30pm, Sunday 12pm – 5pm

CONTACT: 22 255258

HOW MUCH: Starters: €6-€18 Mains: €13-€36.5