Bars & Pubs

Coming outta Shepherds Bush in London, Chris with over 30 years experience and catering in his blood, followed his father's footsteps and in 2012 he finally sealed the deal to buy the old Banana Cabaret Bar in Kissonerga, better known for its sauciness than its sauces ;)  He named it 'Sonny's, after his son, so I suppose it was inevitable Sonny would join his dad sooner or later, together they make an unbeatable team! ... And tbh, you'll probably need to book to make sure you find a table!

I was delighted to be invited to catch Bill and Ems, aka Dejavu, playing live at Lithos Bar & Grill in Larnaca.  On that night they were joined by Andreas, their drummer, and as a trio, they go by the name 'Strings Attached'  I really loved this gig so much, especially their covers of Fever, and Hotel California, so I grabbed the chance to ask Bill if we could get together for a chat.

There's 8 different Cocktail Mixing Competitions that will be held over the two days, with big cash prizes to be won.  At the exhibition will be around 20 Booths, where members of The Cyprus Bartenders Association can present their services and local products, anything from glasses, and bar tools to craft beers and award-winning wines and spirits ...

Over a delicious coffee, Chris said, ''we just came on holiday, decided to move, and pretty much bought the pub straight away", ha! I've heard that story so many times! ... but tbh, these guys have just blended in like they've been here forever ... I expect it's got something to do with the traditional Cypriot Hospitality with a South African Twist, that oozes from the family and crew.

Times have changed as far as the fascia goes, but for the past 28 years, the service is still exemplary and the cuisine is as traditional as it gets.  It's a family-run restaurant, from Luigi's warm welcome to the homemade Cypriot specialties using mum's secret recipes and the lovely touch of complimentary seasonal fruit, grown in dad's orchard, that they'll bring to your table for afters.

I asked why their beers are so good;  Taras explained, "The biggest difference of Craft Beer is it has more flavour and taste, mainly because it's not filtered or pasteurised, making it a much richer flavour.  Craft Beer is like a finger print because we never brew our beer in a bad mood, that's how we are here at Octo and we hope you are just like us" …

My initial interest was to find out about their gins, Aris explained, "it's what originally brought us back to Cyprus, 'to create a quality craft gin'.  Our initial inspiration was the aroma of The Troodos Mountains after a long dry summer when it first rains and we wanted to capture exactly that and put it in a bottle and we called it Aoratas Dry Gin which in fact last year won a gold medal. 

This is as traditional an English pub as you'll find in Cyprus ... It's on a corner for starters !!!

This is as traditional an English pub as you’ll find in Cyprus.  It’s on a corner for starters, with wooden decking and comfy seating outside on the shaded, decked, beer terrace, inside its cosy, with lots of dark wooden beams, bar stools, pictures and railway memorabilia and a gorgeous open fire for the winter, to warm your brandy on … with regular eat-in clients and a successful entertainment programme ...

... we have created a menu, traditional but not, it’s totally unique, partly influenced by her yiayia, a fusion of Greek, Cypriot and Spanish cuisine, but she assured me none of the dishes you’ll find anywhere else, because they are the creation of their imagination, using always fresh produce, everything is cooked to order, nothing is prepared and always around her flavours and essences of Cyprus, that she uses to compliment every dish … oh, and if she had her way, she would change the menu every day” … So do look out for their daily specials and make sure you leave room for dessert!