The Columbia Steak House, set within the impressive Columbia Plaza, has been the place to be ever since it first opened its doors to the public. Once again, we found ourselves on the road to Limassol to find out exactly what’s going on in Ayiou Andreou.
Set in the impressive Columbia Plaza building, next to the Italian restaurant La Boca, the Columbia Steak House is an ultra-modern venue. Glass and wood are the most dominant features, while the lighting and touches of fuchsia set the mood, and the glass panelling gives you a clear view of the street and the rest of the complex.
Grace Jones’ Libertango can be heard through the speakers, and my mind wanders to Buenos Aires and whether I will ever get to sample a steak and a glass of Malbec there. The crowds slowly bring me back to reality. You get to meet just about anyone at the Columbia Steak House, from worldly Limassolians to Nicosians who want to see what all the fuss is about, to large groups of youngsters, couples and foreign businessmen. I begin to study the menu, trying to choose between the famous U.S.D.A Black Angus and the New Zealand beef, which arrive fresh every week. Finally, I decided on the former which turned out to be a wonderful fillet with a foie gras crust and wild mushrooms as an added twist, though the flavour was slightly more subtle than I had hoped. Our second dish of choice was chicken with an interesting blend of spices: fennel, rosemary and balsamic extract. And if you are a seafood lover, you must definitely sample the Seafood Tower, which features a selection of large Alaskan crabs, Thai prawns and Canadian lobster, all of the highest quality. While the most important factor of a steak house is the quality of the meat – and the Columbia Steak House certainly wins both in terms of selection and cooking techniques – attention to detail is also an important factor. The list of hors d’oeuvres was truly imaginative. We chose prawns wrapped in pancetta, accompanied by delicious crispy spinach and mango chutney. The rucola salad with fennel was a pleasant surprise, and make a note of trying the tuna tartare with roasted peppers – a true gem.
I was also impressed by the updated wine list, and especially by the fact that for wine by the glass, there were two choices for both red and white at very reasonable prices.
What really excited me, however, was the dessert menu. Choosing amongst the chocolate peanut butter fondue, the New York cheesecake and the assortment of ice-cream flavours is a difficult task. I decided to go for a more minimalist approach and shared a mastic panacotta with fruits of the forest, which made it a perfect ending to a wonderful evening.
223 Ayiou Andreou str, Limassol 25 278000
The dish:
For starter, pancetta grilled prawns and Rucola fennel salad. For main dish: Black Angus with foie gras, wild mushroom crust and rosemary scented chicken breast.
For dessert:
Mastic panacotta with fruit of the forest sauce
The conclusion:
It is not by chance that this venue has been named the hottest new entry in Limassol’s gastronomic map
Price:
Dinner for 2 persons with a glass of wine, 92 euro.