RESTAURANT REVIEW BY MATTHEW STOWELL
Several years ago, Gatienne Thibaut was on her way from France to Lebanon when, due to a visa glitch, she was forced to land in Paphos. She spent two weeks in Cyprus and fell in love with the country, the people and the more relaxed, less restrictive, way of life. She returned to visit Aphrodite’s island many times and eventually decided to move here with her husband and children, whom she felt would enjoy a richer, safer lifestyle. She also saw Cyprus as a good place to start a business. Surely it would be much easier than in France with its famous penchant for bureaucracy, petty regulations and kilometres of red-tape?
But opening a business in Cyprus has its own set of difficulties, which Gatienne soon found out. In 2004, she wanted to open a small Brasserie, calling it Au Bon Plaisir, and being a stickler for fresh high quality ingredients, wanted to source most of her food locally.
“I’ll never forget the first time I went looking for fresh beans here. I was a bit uncomfortable being the only woman at the wholesalers, and when I asked about the beans, they demanded to know why I needed so many. I told them I was opening a restaurant and they dragged me around to load up my cart with everything they claimed I would need. But I didn’t want any of those things. I knew exactly what I wanted, yet their narrow way of thinking about what constituted the proper menu for a restaurant wouldn’t allow them to accept my requests.”
That was just the beginning. French brasseries succeed or fail based on the quality of their meat. Gatienne found that most Cypriot butchers didn’t know about the ageing or the proper treatment, or even carving of meat. She was about to give up when she lucked onto a butcher who understood what she wanted. She opened for business and customers raved about the meat. A few weeks later, the butcher got lazy or greedy or both, and the good meat stopped. As did the customers. It took some time and a lot of work to bring them back.
Since then Gatienne has moved to a new spot off Kennedy Avenue and her business is thriving. Her meat is imported from France, as are most of her wines (she’s also a distributor) and you won’t find an unhappy customer or a negative review. The place is still small—there are only a few tables downstairs, perhaps six in the more private upstairs, and another half a dozen outside. But Au Bon Plaisir’s ambitions and wide-ranging menu are formidable. Although Gatienne is not a chef herself—an imported French kitchen crew works the stoves—she is passionate about food. And she has managed to so convincingly create the atmosphere of France, that you forget you are in the middle of Nicosia. Her winning and sophisticated charm, and the background music of wonderful light cabaret (Piaf, Brel, among them) go far in producing a total-immersion Gallic effect.
On a recent visit we began with six Fin de Claire (N3) oysters fresh off the plane from Brittany and a pot of mussels (€10.50 for 250 grams), steamed in the traditional Mariniere (butter, garlic, shallots, white wine) and accompanied by thin-cut, French fries made with grade-A Cypriot potatoes. I haven’t enjoyed such good mussels since I last visited Cape Cod, America’s shellfish capital. Those at Au Bon Plaisir were French and the meat much smaller, but they were so tasty I considered asking for another pot. At the adjacent table, I overheard Gatienne explaining to some hungry Russians, “You can have the extra large portion, 750 grams, then we can serve you another 250 grams if you like, then another 250, etcetera, until you say, H’okay. I give up. I cannot go on …” It was a Thursday, when the seafood arrives from Larnaca airport, and most customers that night wanted mussels, which can be cooked Mariniere or in Blue Cheese, Garlic or Curry sauces.
We drank rosé all evening (an exceptionally fine one, Gaillac Rosé from Labastide de Levis €19) as we intended to try dishes (small portions) from both surf and turf, and it proved a wise decision. There are 24 different wines on the carte, all of them French except for 3 from Cypriot vineyards. Also featured are several varieties of the malty, Belgian-style beer CH’TI from northern France.
After sopping up the mussel juices with homemade bread, we indulged in some truly excellent, foie gras, delicate in a double-refined Madeira glaze with red fruit jam on the side. Between bites, we alternated with slivers from a terrine of Pâté de Campagne (from a family recipe and done with shallots and Cognac, €5) over artisanal rye with salted French butter. A wonderful and distinctly French combination.
Then there was a savoury Charollais Sirloin Steak from Burgundy (€16 for 200g) cooked precisely to our specifications, rosemary scented Baby Lamb Chops with mashed potatoes (€16) and, the pièce de résistance—Wild Boar (€19.20), marinated and cooked slowly in red wine and spices (she won’t say which ones). This is a dish for which I would drive at least 80 kilometres in the wrong direction.
To finish we had a couple of spoonfuls of Profiteroles filled with vanilla ice-cream and topped with warm dark chocolate sauce. The dessert list also includes, Vanilla Crème Brulee, Crepes Suzette, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Fruit Bowl and various French ice cream concoctions. The chocolate, of course, is from France.
Au Bon Plaisir is open seven days a week. The full menu can be seen on their website: www.frenchbistrocyprus.info
Au Bon Plaisir 15 E Alasias Street, Nicosia (phone for directions) Tel: 96 755 111. Monday – Saturday, 12 pm to 3 pm; 6:30 pm to midnight; Sunday, 6:30 pm to midnight. Email: aubonplaisir@primehome.com
Meal for two with wine from €40 to €100 – VFM: 9/10
Parking on the street. Wheelchair accessible at outside tables.
