8 COMMENT
FINANCIAL MIRROR May 9 - 15 , 2012
weekly Editor: Matthew Stowell
Gourmet Food at Fast Food Prices By Matthew Stowell Two fairly new food outlets I have visited lately in Limassol deserve special attention and praise. Both are quality-driven venues offering freshly made, healthy, simple food at prices that won’t put a substantial dent in one’s already diminished entertainment budget. As we all know, money’s too tight to mention in Cyprus, but these two places provide us with the opportunity to dine out in modest but pleasant style. FresGo FresGo (a play on the Greek word for fresh) is the brainchild of a couple who have already enjoyed many years of successful restaurant businesses in Cyprus. Their motto is Eat right, Live well!, and the concept is about providing wholesome, healthy and light food that is affordable for all. They chose a location on Makarios Avenue that would be close to other popular shopping destinations and offer easy access for nearby business office workers. They also decided to keep it casual in terms of furniture, décor and ambience, going for the clean, natural, organic-aspossible look (tree branch table legs!), similar to what you would find at any number of California natural food bistros or their facsimiles in ‘green’ or New Age enclaves in Britain. After living in the US and Canada for most of my life, where the morning meal is important and there is much competition among restaurants and diners over who serves the best breakfast, I’ve felt somewhat deprived in Cyprus (where the traditional breakfast is one black coffee and half a packet of cigarettes). Many days, after rising at 6 and working for three or four hours, I’m very hungry but don’t want to be bothered preparing food and then cleaning up, which takes ten times as long. Where can I go for a satisfying, nutritious breakfast that will provide fuel for several more hours of work? The fast food places are open, of course, but I want healthy food, not sodiumloaded stodge. FresGo opens at 8 a.m. and offers the best breakfasts I have found in Cyprus outside the four- and five-star hotels. They make and bake their own granola from scratch and it is served with fresh fruit, top-class yoghurt and artisanal honey. There are also bagels (plain or topped), croissants, homemade muffins, quiches,
oatmeal (porridge) and, for all you diehard beans-on-toasters, the traditional English breakfast. But the real stars of the morning menu are the Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine and Salmon Eggs Benedict. The first two are certainly excellent, every ingredient is fresh and the hollandaise is homemade, but the Salmon Eggs Benedict is simply divine. This inspired combination of poached eggs, smoked salmon, black caviar and hollandaise on an English muffin will give a deeply gratifying, vitamin-and-mineral-packed jump start to any mortal’s day. The rest of the menu is jammed with freshly built sandwiches made with whole grain breads, baguettes, ciabatta or tortillas (wraps). Wonderfully constructed salads feature gourmet ingredients such as homemade pesto, mozzarella, goat cheese, fig, pomegranate, ridiculously tender duck, prosciutto, artichokes, chicken and mango (not all in one salad!). There are several hearty soups—borscht being the big winner, myriad juices and smoothies, afternoon tea and high quality desserts. Occasion Platters for parties, business lunches and corporate events come in all sizes and usually combine sandwiches, wraps, and baguettes with various cheeses, meats, salmon and fruits. Also worthy of mention is FresGo’s use of homegrown herbs, which can be purchased separately on site, and their practice of donating all end-of-day leftovers to local charities. One caveat: other food writers have mentioned the fact that service was a bit slow and forgetful even though it’s still early days at FresGo. We’ve been reassured that great efforts have been made to speed up and improve service. FresGo, 115 Makarios Ave., Limassol 25 773 100, Mon-Sat 8:00 – 18:00 Tram 44 A much smaller but certainly mighty and courageous venture is Tram 44, formerly on Makarios but now relocated to the sea road between Uptown Square and the Amathus/Mediterranean/ Four Seasons area. Consisting of a replica tram—custom built in England—and limited outdoor seating, this is the creation of student of philosophy and free-thinking entrepreneur Adonis Karmiotis. A man with a heightened sense of business ethics, Andonis decided after several unsatisfactory restaurant collaborations and partnerships to simplify things and concentrate
on presenting tasty food (without expensive ingredients) that is good value for money in the smallest most modest venue he could think of—a roadside food trailer. However, with its bright red and gold colour scheme, handcrafted lettering and high-style aspect, Tram 44 is just another food trailer like Natalie Portman is just another attractive actress. “For a long time, I was making all the sandwiches for Starbucks in Cyprus and they were selling very well, but I wanted to be on my own,” says Andonis. “The idea at Tram 44 is to offer good simple sandwiches, burgers and salads, done in a classy way and using my own recipes, for people who want something quickly and without a lot of fuss. They can pull off the road here (there’s plenty of room to park), order something and be back on their way in five or ten minutes, depending on what they order.” The sandwich menu (€3.80 to €5.50) includes a savoury breakfast entree (grilled halloumi, bacon, egg, lettuce, tomatoes and honey mustard), two Italian-style, three chicken, two vegetarian and fantastic roast pork choices on brown multi-grain, baguette or bun. There are two salads, the Special features marinated chicken, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted vegetables and tarragon dressing; and a very tasty Caesar salad. The five different burgers (€4.50 to €5.50) are juicy and toothsome—Andonis mixes his own grind of beef and pork—with the barbecue sauced Rocky Balboa being the most popular. Paola Papacosta of the lively food blog, Cypriot and Proud, calls Tram 44 the best sandwich place in Limassol. I don’t know if we’d go that far (after all, we have Dino Art Café, Chesters, Bavarian Delicatessen and Stretto) but it’s certainly one of the most interesting, especially if you get into a philosophical discussion with the dynamic Andonis. But brush up on your Thoreau first. Tram 44, Amathus Ave., Limassol 99 718 444, open Sun-Thurs 10 am – 10 pm; Fri-Sat 10 am – 4 pm
WeeklyTaste
Le Caprice de Clementine 2011, Côtes de Provence, La Londe-Les-Maures, France, 13% vol., €13.25 at La Maison du Vin, Limassol and Nicosia
It’s the ethereal pink colour that makes the first positive impression with this special rosé from Côtes de Provence. It is a simple terrace wine, easily accessible, effortlessly drinkable. But don’t let its transparent appearance fool you. It is a high quality blend (50/50) of two traditional Provence grapes, Cinsault and Grenache, with the Cinsault adding subtle elegance and airiness to the strength and warmth of the Grenache. It also can boast of a perfectly balanced acidity, which means that this rosé is a great summer thirst quencher and will compliment almost any dish from the Mediterranean kitchen. Chill to only 8° to 10°C to allow its best qualities to triumph. Chateau Les Valentines uses organic methods of farming certified by Ecocert.
Nelion Xinisteri Medium Sweet 2011, Pretori, Paphos, 12.5% vol., €7 sold only on site and in selected restaurants
In general, drinking sweet wine (unless it’s a dessert wine) is against my religion. But this Medium Sweet Xinisteri from Nelion is enough to convert me to a new belief system. It’s made entirely from Xinisteri grapes but as you slowly sip and happily enjoy it, you keep trying to detect distinguishing traits from another grape, but they aren’t there. Talented young oenologist Marinos Ioannou has picked and processed the grapes at just the right moment to create this very pleasing extra touch of sweetness, giving his Xinisteri an interesting note of individual character. The sweetness is slight, not at all cloying, and makes this wine a perfect companion to salads, light cheese concoctions (anari) and Asian cuisine.
32 new flavours on Akakiko menu The Akakiko Asian/Japanese restaurants at the Mondo Centre in Nicosia and the Apollonia Beach in Limassol have renewed their menu with new maki offers, a bigger variety of sushi, sashimi and temaki, salads, hot plates, fish, meats and crunchy vegetables. New additions include the Dim Sum, prawn dishes and chicken or pork gyosa. The 32 new plates area available from 12 noon till midnight, while orders can also be placed online at www.akakiko. com.cy until 11pm. Akakiko Limassol is open for dinner and for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 77 77 80 22 (Nicosia) and 77 77 89 99 (Limassol).
FINANCIAL MIRROR May 9 - 15, 2012
COMPANY NEWS 9
Wargaming gets CySE listing Two brothers from Belarus, Victor and Eugene Kislyi, have listed their video games company Wargaming.net on the Cyprus Stock Exchange. Their love for video games, that started with endless hours of action and development in their room in 1995, was [picked up by seven other video game friends and together they developed Wargaming.net. After a decade of suc-
Eléa Estate hosts ‘The Home of Golf’
Eléa Golf Club, Sir Nick Faldo’s highly acclaimed ‘Mediterranean Masterpiece’ in Paphos, introduced a touch of Scotland to its fairways when it welcomed an eight-man team from Dun Whinny Golf Club, based at the world-renowned Gleneagles Spa & Golf Resort. Continuing Eléa Golf Club’s ongoing strategy to create associations with the world’s leading golf clubs – last year it announced a reciprocal partnership with Mission Hills in China, the world’s largest golf club – members welcomed the team from Scotland, the ‘Home of Golf’, to experience everything Eléa and Cyprus has to offer, wrapped around two-days of competitive golf. To herald the start of the official visit, the Eléa management team surprised its VIP visitors with a special welcome – a lone piper playing the bagpipes from the tower of the imposing Eléa Estate
cessful launches and takeovers, their stable totals 13 games. World of Tanks was introduced in 2011 as a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) free action game that has attracted hundreds of player teams and 18 mln individual users, having recently broken a world record of most simultaneous players of 91,311. clubhouse, which enjoys panoramic views of the golf course. Over the two days of competition it was the Dun Whinny GC team that eventually took charge. On Day One, Eléa Golf Club took the honours, 2.5 points to Dun Whinny’s 1.5, but on Day Two Dun Whinny dominated with a 3.5 to 0.5 points win – claiming the overall match by two points. David Watt, Vice-Captain of Dun Whinny Golf Club, Gleneagles, said: “It was a pleasure to play Sir Nick Faldo’s course and be treated to what can only be described as world-class hospitality from a very friendly and attentive team.” Since opening in October 2010, Eléa Estate has received a host of awards including being named one of the Top 10 New International Golf Courses of 2010 by golf.com; Best International Leisure Development 2011 and Best Golf Development in Europe 2011 at the International Property Awards.
KPMG voted global sustainable firm of the year KPMG has been voted Sustainable Firm of the year at the March 2012 inaugural industry awards by the International Accounting Bulletin. Avind Hickman, editor of International Accounting Bulletin, said KPMG was able to demonstrate with hard data how much its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives across the KPMG network had made a difference. “It also showed thought leadership by holding the sustainability summit which has underscored KPMG’s already very strong reputation on sustainability services.” Lord Michael Hastings Scarisbrick CBE, Global Head of Citizenship and Diversity, who accepted the award said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we have been awarded this globally recognized award of Sustainable Firm of the Year. KPMG and its member firms around the world take the challenge and responsibility of being fully engaged global citizens very seriously. We recognize a special obligation to be engaged in the problems of the world’s poorest people, and we’re passionate about reaching across borders and being at the forefront of bold, fresh ideas to build strong and sustainable communities. I am so proud of the passion and commitment by our people around the world.” Judges singled out KPMG for recognition as the only professional services organization at a global level to participate in the supply chain program of the Carbon Disclosure Project. They also praised the fact that KPMG reduced its global carbon emissions by 29% since 2007 and the high-profile global business sustainability summit “Business Perspective on sustainable growth: preparing for Rio+20”, which was held recently.
Exelsys and DCW Software Hellas partner to offer cloud based HCM in Greece Exelsys and DCW Software Hellas have signed a partnership agreement to deliver the Exelsys Human Capital Management System to customers in Greece. The solution empowers large and medium sized companies to run their HCM in the “cloud”, on an infrastructure that provides the security, performance, and reliability normally found in the most sophisticated IT departments. The cloud model allows companies of all shapes and sizes to leverage this infrastructure, which would otherwise be out of reach for most, at a fraction of the cost of a similar solution. The combination of Exelsys HCM and DCW Software Hellas’s 20 years presence in the market will help companies to easily implement a state-of-the-art Human Capital Management System without having to worry about hardware and IT infrastructure issues. “According to KPMG in a recent study Cloud Investments are to Skyrocket in 2012 and according to another study by IDC Public cloud computing services will be a $72.9 bln market in 2015, up from $21.5 bln in 2010” said Kyriacos Fiakkas, CEO of Exelsys.
Etihad named Middle East’s leading airline Etihad Airways was named the Middle East’s Leading Airline at the World Travel Awards Middle East for the sixth year in a row at a glittering black tie gala in Dubai. The accolade was one of four awards won by the UAE’s national airline. Etihad was also recognised for the Middle East’s Leading Airline First Class, Leading Airline Inflight Entertainment and Leading Cabin Staff. The World Travel Awards (WTA), described by the Wall Street Journal as the “travel industry’s equivalent to the Oscars,” are voted for by passengers and travel agents from 160 countries. The success at the World Travel Awards follows another triumph for the airline. At the 2012 Business Traveller Middle East Awards, Etihad took home the titles for Airline with the Best
Chamber Music Concert with members of the CSO The last chamber music concert of this year’s artistic season will be given by a string quartet, with members of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. The quartet with members Anna Wrobel (violin), Ayşe Karaoğlan (violin), Ewa Bartmann (viola) and Miranda Papaneocleous (cello) will perform the String Quartet No. 1 in C major by K. Szymanowski as well as the String Quartet No. 5 (“Quarteto Popular”) by H. Villa-Lobos, for the 125th anniversary of his birth.
easyJet and Booking.com in new hotel deal Economy Class and Airline with the Best Cabin Crew. Etihad Airways serves 84 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, with a fleet of 67 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and 100 aircraft on order, including 10 Airbus A380s. It also owns nearly 30% of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, and 40% of Air Seychelles. Etihad operates a two-class Airbus A320 between Abu Dhabi and Larnaca every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The concert will take place on Saturday, May 12 at 5pm at the Pallas Theatre, Paphos Gate in Nicosia. The entrance to the public is free. For information please call 22 463144 and or visit www.cyso.org.cy
easyJet, Europe’s No 1 air transport network, has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with the world’s hotel reservation leader, Booking.com. The deal will make more than 200,000 properties worldwide available for easyJet customers to book. With over 120,000 properties already in easyJet destinations, customers will be able to access Booking.com’s accommodation service via a bespoke and innovative reservation tool from the easyJet website. “We are really pleased to announce our collaboration with Booking.com. It will enable our customers in Cyprus to choose from a wider range of Europe’s leading hotels, with greater flexibility and at guaranteed, best-available prices,” said Stefanos Vakirtzis, easyJet’s Country Director. “Both easyJet and Booking.com believe in the importance of providing customers with value for money and a service that’s easy and convenient and this agreement delivers exactly that. We are sure it will be popular with our customers.” The deal brings enhanced booking options such as ‘Pay after you Stay’ and gives customers looking for that ideal hotel hideaway, the lowest prices backed up by a Best Price Guarantee. It also offers them the flexibility to book a hotel online immediately after they make their flight booking or any time prior to their flight departure - even on the same day as their actual flight.