Pizza Express
My wife is due with our second baby in 2 weeks and has been hard to please in these last weeks of her pregnancy, very picky and not liking anything. I wanted to take her out to dinner for the last time before our new baby arrived. I knew Italian would be a good choice since it's always her favorite; I called a friend for advice since he has lived here for six years and loves Italian. His recommendation was "Pizza Express" as soon as I mentioned Italian. I was a little hesitant with a name like that, not the usual name for a good Italian restaurant, not even a good name for a sit down Pizza place. We discussed other places but he kept going back to Pizza Express, so after a little persuasion and some coordinating with my in-laws to watch our 21 month old we were on our way there.
My wife is due with our second baby in 2 weeks and has been hard to please in these last weeks of her pregnancy, very picky and not liking anything. So, I wanted to take her out to dinner for probably the last time before our new baby arrived. I figured Italian would be a good choice since it's always her favorite; I called a friend for advice since he has lived here for six years and loves Italian. His recommendation was "Pizza Express" as soon as I mentioned Italian. I was a little hesitant with a name like that, not the usual name for a good Italian restaurant, not even a good name for a sit down Pizza place. We discussed other places but he kept going back to Pizza Express, so after a little persuasion and some coordinating with my in-laws to watch our 21 month old we were on our way there. The restaurant is tucked in the back of a courtyard on the main strip in Paphos directly across from the Sea and close to the harbor. After parking and enjoying a short stroll through the crowds of tourist we were second in line for a table and that was shortest the line was for the rest of our night. We were greeted by a smiling host and shown to a nice table just outside of the restaurant. The waitress was pleasant, competent and very busy so she got our drinks and the rest of the order in reasonable time. The atmosphere was very good, the place was nicely decorated, not fussy or overdone nor old fashioned. The staff were all bustling around and seemed to work well together, so then it was all in the Chef’s hands. We got our drinks in good time and a few minutes later our appetizers – Bruschetta, a large Caprese Salad and small bread rolls with pesto dipping sauce, garlic and a tomato paste dip. The Bruschetta was smaller than expected and not loaded with tomatoes how we like it to be but flavorful enough. I will probably skip it next time though. The freshly baked bite size bread rolls were hot, just the right texture and the dips were perfect with them. Next the salad arrived – the large Caprese Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, argula, goat cheese and red peppers. We have not found a salad like it in Cyprus which is nice change from the traditional Greek Salad. We loved this salad, fresh and with our own touch of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and the fresh crushed pepper that is always offered by the waitress it was delicious. My wife has been craving it ever since. Our main course was the American Pizza (we just had to try it being from the US) and Chicken Fettuccine with mushrooms and a touch of tomato sauce. The pizza although good was not an “American Pizza” – it was thin crust with pepperoni and sausage. In the US they tend to make the crust thicker and with more cheese and sauce but it was good – lighter than expected but that was a good thing. The pasta was very good, just creamy enough and the chicken was tender and fresh not pre-cooked hours or days before – having spent years in the restaurant business I can always tell. Last but not least, the dessert which my wife could not refuse even though we were both full. There was a great selection and many desserts that went past our table looked fabulous, but we decided on the chocolate fudge cake with chocolate fudge syrup and vanilla ice cream. The cake was hot, super fresh and super moist. I would go back just for the salad and cake! Overall, this was a very nice experience and despite the name the restaurant exceeded our expectations. We would definitely go back. We were however charged for 2 beers when I only had one, but we believe that was an honest mistake since they were so busy. We also hear there is live music there every so often which would be nice but I expect even busier. Despite how busy it was though, the service was efficient and pleasant so I would go back. |