Bake-a-Mania: Food Event/ Cyprus Food Festival at Eros Hotel managed by Hilton

Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of Cyprus, closely related to Greek Cuisine and like it, including influences from Italian, Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisines. If you are a true-blue foodie and are keen to learn more about Cypriot Food make sure to check out the Cyprus Food Festival running at Eros Hotel managed by Hilton at Nehru Place till the 24th of February.

Last week our Bloggers table was invited to the launch of the ongoing Cyprus Food festival. Held on the plush lawns of the hotels all-day dining restaurant, Blooms, it was an evening well spent, both with great friends and good food for company.

The evening started with a welcome address by the High Commissioner of Republic of Cyprus, H.E Maria Michael. I totally agreed with her when she said that how the cuisine of a country helps to give you a great insight about the place and that it can also easily help to bring two totally different cultures closer. How true!! For her, even before she visited India, she was totally familiar with the "Masala" cuisine of our country. (That's how impressionable our Indian cuisine is!!)

Moreover, to give you a taste of authentic Cypriot cuisine, Chef George Katastrofas and Chef Soteris Lordanou, chefs from Hilton Park, Nicosia Cyprus, have been especially flown in to ensure that the diners get a taste of the typical traditional fare. To add to the attraction, you also get a chance to win 2 tickets to Cyprus from Royal Jordanian Airlines and a stay at the luxurious 5 star hotel Anassa.

We began our evening with some delightful starters, served by the wait staff dressed in traditional Cypriot attire. I especially loved the Tomato and Feta Mousse on Multigrain bread, Sliced Hiromeri with fruit on white bread, Grilled Halloumi on pita bread and the Filled Chicken breast Roulade with poppy seed bread. Though the toppings were really delicious, the bread was too soft for my liking . I wish it would have been a bit crisper. From there, we moved on to have our main course which was an extensively well laid out buffet.

What immediately drew me to the table was the attractive display of salads. Lountza (dried and smoked pork tenderloin), Hiromeri (smoked pork leg matured in wine), Pickled Octopus and Marinated Black Olives. Both the Lountza and the Hiromeri were delicious and ended up paying a second visit on my plate. I was really excited about the Pickled Octopus, especially as I was tasting it for the first time, but surprisingly it was quite bland. But needless of the taste, if you haven't tried Octopus before, do try it for the sheer experience alone.

Some more treat for the salad lovers, also on showcase was the Smoked Chicken with Black Eyed Beans, the Talatouri (cucumber and yogurt dip with mint), Rocca salad with pastilash, Beetroot salad, Tomato and Onion salad with Oregano and a Potato salad, all of which were absolutely fresh and appetizing. What disappointed all of unanimously on the table was the Grilled Tomato and Halloumi with mint. Not too familiar with the taste of Halloumi Cheese, which incidentally is an important component of Cypriot culture, I found it too hard and chewy. I don't know if it is supposed to be that way but it was really difficult to eat, a opinion shared by many of us.

There was also a live counter for the Keftedes (freshly fried meat koftas) and the Souvlas (grilled Prawns, Meat, Chicken and mixed vegetables),a Greek styled barbecue on a charcoal grill, exclusive to the island of Cyprus. If by this time you are feeling constrained for space, I suggest skip the Keftedes and gorge on the latter. The Souvlas, tender and smoky and grilled to perfection are outstanding. Definitely not to miss!!

Also worth a mention on the main course were the Pork Afelia(Pork braised in red wine with crushed coriander seeds), Lamb Giouvetsi(Baked lamb and Cypriot pasta), Kathisto (Octopus and onion stew with white wine and olive) and Kotopoulo Me Fasolati (chicken cooked with green beans and tomatoes).

Next, we moved inside to indulge our cravings for something sweet. There was a huge table with beautiful centerpiece (which I suspect was totally edible) laid out with what looked like an almost endless display of delectable desserts.

They all looked mouth-wateringly delicious and were beautifully presented.

Amongst the tiresome display of desserts, those worth a try were the Fresh fruit tarts, White Chocolate Concorde Dome, Daktyla (pastry fingers filled with almond and cinnamon in sugar cyrup), Pourekia (fried pastry filled with Cottage Cheese, Galaktobourekko (semolina crusted encased in phyllo) and Honey and Walnut Pie.