Living Cyprus

Dori’s Restaurant in Paphos – Healthy, Hearty and a Delicious Alternative

2010-02-11T02:18:00Z

By Patricia Winter

Which one of the following would you prefer 1) a “grab and go” high fat/high sugar meal from one of the many fast food places around or 2) a delicious, healthy and freshly prepared meal?

I believe that I can guess which one most of us would choose – the second.

A few weeks ago we discovered Dori’s, a Lebanese takeaway that had recently opened in Paphos and provides just such an option.

Tender, marinated, spiced chicken breast souvlaki (kebab) served in large Lebanese pitta bread, filled to bursting with mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce and pickled cucumbers. This can be ordered hot or mildly spiced, with or without garlic. If you’re not fond of chicken, there’s the tender, marinated beef kebab with garlic and spices.

Vegetarian? Try the fried eggplant and cauliflower with hummus, tomatoes, lettuce and pickled cucumbers, or the mix of vegetable and mushroom souvlaki marinated in a special sauce. Falafel (chickpeas blended into a puree and combined with various spices, rolled into balls then fried in oil, is also available as is labneh (strained yogurt with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, mint leaves, olives and olive oil).

Dori’s has a large variety of choices available including grilled, marinated chicken breast, baby fish and freshly prepared French fries.

We have ordered from here several times – it is always sparklingly clean, the service friendly and helpful and the portions are large. It did, however, take time to prepare our orders, so it’s probably a good idea, if you don’t have much time on your hands, to drop in and pick up a menu beforehand, then phone in your order 30 – 45 minutes before you need to collect it. Or, you could simply sit and relax with a soft drink or a cold beer and wait while it’s being prepared. Either way we think it’s worth it.

Dori’s, 13 Tepeleniou St. (that’s the one-way street where the electricity office is located, and Dori’s is on the right-hand side, a few metres before the electricity office), Paphos. Tel: 26 22 25 80.

Driving in Cyprus – More Fatalities Remind us to be on Alert at All Times While Driving

2009-06-04T01:58:00Z

Paphos has seen its fourth fatality in the last week (between May 23, 09 – June 2 09), and the eighth since the beginning of the year. Last Saturday, a 13-year-old student from the American Academy School died after the motorbike he was a passenger on veered off the Mandria – Yeroskipou Road. This death could have been easily prevented had he been wearing a helmet – sadly, he was not. Strict and hefty fines need to be enforced for these sorts of offenses so that we can save our young who are the main culprits and fatalities when there are accidents of this nature. No seatbelts, no helmets, driving under the influence and speed need to be seriously addressed so we don’t have to see another families heart break at the loss of a young life! Read More...

Ocean Basket Restaurant Review, Kato Paphos, Cyprus

2009-05-07T15:18:15Z

We arrived at Ocean Basket at Avanti Village complex in Kato Paphos on a busy Saturday night. The restaurant was filled to capacity but we still received a pleasant greeting while the door was held open for us by the restaurant staff. Indoor and out you can tell it is a franchise – I almost thought I was back in the US apart from the South African slang that is all over the menu and restaurant. It is nicely decorated with tables spaced properly so everyone is not sitting on top of each other. Another positive is that the whole restaurant is non-smoking – apart from outdoors in the summer or when weather permits. So, we were off to a good start!

The service was cheerful and efficient. We ordered a salad to start and then a set platter for two that consisted of: six mussels, 12 prawns, grilled fish, calamari and calamari heads for €25. There are 10 different platters to choose from all with similar offerings. These seem to be the most popular items on the menu. You could also eat straight from a pan of princess prawns that come with rice or chips or a similar combo if you choose. Chips or rice do come with everything and there are many other starter options and a la carte items also, but again these platters seem to be the star items and most customers seem to want to eat only fish and not bother with too many starters.

Now, the taste of the food and promptness with which it was served - despite how busy it was we got our salad within about 15 minutes which was fine, the standard salad one gets in Cyprus which is always fresh because of the great local produce. The platter arrived about half an hour after that. It was tasty, everything has either a buttery/garlic flavor or lemon which we added ourselves. It was hot and we like those flavors so we enjoyed it – there are other flavors you can have added when your fish is grilled depending on your preferences. All fish was obviously previously frozen as it is hard to find a variety and large quantities of fish in the seas around Cyprus. Chips are not our favourite food unless they are very fresh and hot, these were a bit soggy probably due to the oil that the calamari was fried in and the liquid butter that was all over the plate so it might be a good idea to ask for your chips on a separate plate if that bothers you.

Overall, we had a good experience. Pricing was average for Paphos, two can eat and drink for around 35 - 40 Euros. Some other great things about this restaurant is that it is open for lunch, also serves sushi, has easy and convenient parking and it is child friendly. If you have been to Ocean Basket in Kato Paphos, please share your experience – good or bad. We’d love to hear from you.

Sulumits Retsambew is reaching out for Links

2009-05-02T01:34:00Z

Sulumits is WAY up there now - on UK Google and US Google I am at spot number 2!!! I am in disbelief. I even stated that I am basically a self taught rookie and didn't expect to win, the contest was more of a learning experience for me. I am a better teacher than I thought I was apparently! I know I will probably drop down again but I am already a winner in my mind being in the top 10 at all. However, it would be even nicer to be in the top 3 at the end of it all. Now with that in mind, I am also asking for links if you want to help me out and help me possibly even (dare I say) win!? Or hire me!?

I am not even able to upload my story/entry myself at the moment because my family and I are in transition. We just moved to Northern Virginia from Cyprus (as I mentioned before) and my wife packed my FrontPage CD so I have to write then email to a friend in Cyprus to do it for me. So if you want to help keep a lone ranger afloat, make a comment, give me a link -something I am lacking - or if you are also doing this on your own give me a shout!

Big Drop for Sulumits - Same Day

2009-04-10T22:17:00Z

After having "Sulumits Retsambew The Legend" show at 16 earlier today. The highest place so far. I checked it just now and less than 12 hours later I went down to 95.

A week ago I would of thought I did something wrong or everyone finally passed me up, which I expected anyway. I feel like this time I will be back on where I was, or near to it by morning again. I may be wrong and I could end up down here for good but I hope not.

One reason for the optimism is 2 pages in front of the page I am pushing are ahead of my main page. One page explains the Sulumits Retsambew SEO contest on my site and the other is one part of the story that I submitted to Amazines.com and both don't have much work done to them.

Sometimes I feel like someone at Google plays a game with me every few days. Maybe a lot of people feel the same way. I will have to check out what other participants are experiencing in their entry.

I will keep you updated.

Sulumits Retsambew is moving up slowly

2009-04-10T14:03:00Z

If this continues I am going to sart feeling like I know what I am doing. Being ranked 16 may no be so great in many areas and it may not be great even in search engine optimization contest however, I think its fantastic!

I look at the Google results at least twice a day, in the morning when I wake up and at night before I sleep. I have been on the second page for a few days now and it sure feels good. Today at #16 is my best position.

My main strategy is to continue adding to my Sulumits Retsambew adventure and make it as good a story as I can. I have to say as the story grows, Sulumits is becoming a real figure in my mind. I have no idea where he is going next and what is about to happen to him. I have been adding a chapter at a time, usually a day or two after I write it. I have not been going back and revising and fixing the story as I would like.

It is very interesting watching some of the other contestants in the competition. There are many tactics being used and some seem so simple because the average person ( which I am) only sees what is on the computer screen. We don't see all the backlinks.

I have learned a lot and hopefully what I have learned will help me in my real business or maybe catapult me into a new and wonderful SEO career. HaHa Anyone hiring?

Sulumits Retsambew Ranking in Google

2009-04-07T21:58:00Z

I just checked the Google search results for "sulumits retsambew" and I went directly to the third page where I have been sitting for the last few days at #21 and #22 and I was not there.

I started to worry and thought here we go again, I thought I was gone off the charts again. I went to page 4,5 and 6 and nothing. I thought maybe I missed it so I went back and started from the first page this time and there it was at # 19 This is my best position so far. Very exciting!

I have not worked at all on backlinks except adding pieces of the story as part I to part V on Amazines.com and links from my other sites and 2 blogs.

I don't even have access to my site's backend because my wife packed my Frontpage CD with the rest of our stuff which should be somewhere in the Mediterranean sea close to where Sulumits Retsambew lived and heading for America.

I write and email it to a friend who has acces to Frontpage and then he copies and paste's it for me.

I would love to be able to work on adding some links to the Sulumits Retsambew story but I just can't find the time. So if anyone reading this that can help me out by adding a link, I would appreciate it very much.

C-Saw with Sulumits Retsambew and Google

2009-03-30T19:59:00Z

My entry is back! We are at 25 for the Google search of sulumits retsambew. This is the second time since the sulumits retsambew SEO contest began that my page http://iheartcyprus.com/sulumits_retsambew_contest.htm was ranked in the top 3 pages one day, then totally disappeared the next day and then re-appeared the following day.

I have no clue. As I stated before, I am very green to SEO and this contest was just for fun in hope to also learn a few things. I have learned a few things and the one thing is unpredictability. I hope one day I will log on and do the search and find my self right on top of the search.

Sulumits Retsambew is a Traveler

2009-03-29T11:47:00Z

I can't figure out what is going on. Again I can't find my Sulumits Retsambew on Göögle search, I can find other pages that I created for this contest that are suppose to back up the main page but I can't find the main story.

I posted the story on Amazines.com and now, only a couple of days later, they rank higher than my page. I think Google does not see my story as relevent to the contest again for the second time. Or, they know that I am not working on it lately and down I go. But from 23 to nothing the first time and then Baam, I am back to 18 and slowly I dropped to 31, the last time I checked, and now no where again.

I am now in Vienna, a very cool city, even with the rain. We are here for 2 more days then on to Virginia. Until I get to Virginia, this will be the onlw way I can on Sulumits Retsambew on the internet. I will keep writting the story so stay tuned for the action adventure to continue.

I am getting a lot of positive comments about the story and I am more excited about the Sulumits Retsambew story than the sulumits retsambew SEO contest.

A Balancing Act Between Sulumits and Property

2009-03-24T06:01:00Z

This morning Sulumits Retsambew search on Google had 12,200 results with my entry ranking 24. I am very happy with the rank and although I would love to compete with the others because I am not making a full fledged attempt. I am obssesed with the story line and where my character, Sulumits will go but I know I am neglecting other important SEO factors such as backlinks. The reason I am neglecting backlinks is that I haven't really figured it all out yet. One of my property sites has also reached a certain high point in key search terms like "Cyprus Properties" but I have never broken the ceiling and gotten into the top 10.

I spent many hours tyring to get backlinks but have only really managed to do it through article writing. I've tried real estate directories but not paid ones and ended up with rejections, non-follow links and lots of wasted time except for DMOZ which finally approved. If any webmasters out there can give me advice that would be great . I would love to get Sulumits Restambew higher ranked, but more importantly for me to get my property sites on the first page.

Sulumits Retsambew is Back Again

2009-03-22T09:14:00Z

I am ranking again in the SEO contest for my story about Sulumits Restambew (Webmaster Stimulus backwards) and today I am number 18! Considering, I didn't think I had a chance in this contest since I am a rookie and I still don't expect to win but at least getting up there on the first few pages makes me feel like I am doing something right. I know things will change day to day but I will keep plodding along and see how it goes. I am learning something new every day.

I may start slipping again because this Friday we are loading up all of our household belongings to get shipped back to the U.S. then Saturday we fly to Vienna, Austria for a few days to see the sights and have a break before flying back to start another hpme in the U.S. again. I will continue to return to Cyprus and oversee my business. Even once I get back, we will be staying with my sister in Chantilly, VA while we look for a house, buy cars and get set up again so my efforts on SEO and my business won't be 100% focused as they are now. So, for about a month period I may not have all the resources (computer access, time, focus) to dedicate to my hero Sulumits and learning about SEO as I will just need to keep up with the urgent emails and requests from my prospects as I need to keep selling those properties in Cyprus to make my living!

I use Frontpage to work on Iheartcyprus.com and my Sulumits Retsambew Story, so until I get a computer set up and download Frontpage I am not going to be able to update the story. Which brings me to another problem for iheartcyprus and not updating the events and tid-bits during this period, something I have done on regular basis for over a year now.

Anyway, I will keep everyone updated here on this blog. If you have any ideas, let me hear them, please.

Sulumits Retsambew

2009-03-20T16:56:00Z

Technorati Profile
Thanks for visiting and taking an interest in the SEO competition and our entry "Sulumits Restambew" using a fictious charater. Follow my story "the adventures of Sulumits Restambew" and visit here to make your comments.We will also discuss the progress of what we have to deal with as well as what is happening in the competition. If you would like to participate and join my team in this competition just let me know, as of today I write alone. If you have any ideas you would like to share please comment. If you own a website, you can also link to the story which is the best way to help it in the ranking.

Until today I was doing pretty good, my story of Sulumits ranked 23-26 out of over 1000 results on the Goole search for sulumats retsambew. Today, I there was 1650 results but I discovered that my entry into the competetion had disappeared! I went through the entire search and found nothing. I have made a post on the Netbuilders forum asking if anyone had any clues why. No one has anything yet and I have not figured it out .

Please give me your feedback and I will keep you posted. Technorati Profile

Almond Tree Restaurant - Paphos

2008-06-22T10:09:00Z

This restuarant came recommended by several friends of ours but most importantly by a personal chef who cooks for many of the rich and famous in the US but lives in Cyprus. So, with that recommendation and the fact that he also helped his best friend create the menu at the Almond Tree we knew that it would be good!

Located in a great location near the famous Paphos bar street, so we were pleasantly surprised when we arived and found out that they had plenty of parking behind the building, something we find a lack of in many places. We were also happy to be seated in a table over looking the street and were afforded some entertainment from people watching, my favorite pastime.

We were greated by pleasant employees and the service was very friendly. To start with we were brought complimentary brushetta - one small but tasty piece each. After that, for appetizers, my wife started with the spicy prawn cocktail which was different from any other prawn cocktail she had ever had and she loved it.

Tala Bistro

2008-01-19T08:11:00Z

After having seen Tala Bistro advertised in different local magazines I thought we would try it with some friends of ours. The whole restaurant was non-smoking which is a big plus for us, the views are nice, the service was pleasant enough and when we didn't finish our foodcame to check that everything was ok, it wasn't but what were we going to say?

My friend ordered Steak Diane which was ordered well done and served rare. She sent it back and it came back with even more sauce on it than before which was already the wrong colour and had way to much sauce on it than before. In addition to this, the steak was half fat. I ordered the chicken in garlic sauce with spices which was so bad I couldn't eat it. When we asked the first server that came to our table what he could recommend he stuttered and didn't have anything to say. He couldn't recommend anything. This should have been our warning of things to come! One person with us ordered a hanburger and chips and he was happy with that, but that is fairly difficult to mess up.

When we asked for bread the waitress looked confused. Someone else seemed confused when after asking us how we heard about the restaurant said "Oh, we don't get many Cypriots here!" We are in Cyprus if I'm not mistaken and only 2 out of 6 of us were CYpriot. We do all look Cypriot, not that it matters, it was just a strange and inappropriate comment.

Anyway, back to the food, the men gave up and decided they didn't want dessert after tasting the quality of the main course. But, the women who have a sweet tooth ordered a cheesecake and pineapple cake in the hopes that it would make up for the food they didn't eat - it didn't. They were both inedible.

The whole experience was laughable it was so bad. They seem to cater to expats who were very jolly, perhaps after drowning the taste of the food with lots of wine.

Food: 0
Service: 3 ***
Presentation: 2**
Child Friendly: 3***
Ambiance: 2**
Price: 2**

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???

Yiannis Taverna in Kathikas

2007-12-31T07:33:00Z

Yiannis Tavern is in the village center of Kathikas Village which is a busy and charming little village that makes several popular wines as it is is the middle of "wine country." My father-in-law sings in the church there and is currently renovating a small stone home for quiet weekend get-aways. Property is gaining in popularity in Kathikas due to the charm, renovatoins being done throughout the village and the many good restuarants and amenties close by and that is another reason why he bought the house and how we ended up being invited to try one of the local taverns!

As you can tell, I like the village and I am also impressed with the restaurant. The service was very good, our young son was catered to, high chairs were available and there was space to move. We got the fresh bread and colourful salad and starter dips quickly. I loved the warm, balck olives which you don't get everywhere. The extra effort of skewering and grilling them is worth it. It shows they take the extra effort to make the food enjoyable and different.

We have been to the taverna several times in the summer where we all sat outside and enjoyed the cooler breezes of the high altitude (the same altitude as Troodos). Now, in the winter there is a cozy fireplace in the upper, non-smoking level and a tall gas, umbrella-style heater in the lower smoking area. Everyone is catered to accordingly. My mother-in-law invited friends who are vegans and called in advance to let Yiannis (the owner) know and he did an excellent job of having vegan options available. For meat lovers, there is a great selection of pork, chicken, lamb and different local sausages and keftedes. Yesterday, we had some fabulous giant grilled shrimp. It is a little different every time we go but always good. All in all, there is something for everyone.

In addition to the good food, service and atmosphere there is also a convenient and spacious parking lot behind the restaurant.

If you would like to take a nice, scenic drive in Cyprus and a good Cypriot Meze with warm and hospitable hosts try Yiannis Tavern in Kathikas which is popular with locals as well as foreign visitors and residents of Cyprus! Enjoy!

Food: 4****
Service: 4 ****
Presentation: 4****
Child Friendly: 4****
Ambiance: 4****
Value for Money:3***

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???

Sienna Restaurant Review

2007-11-10T14:39:00Z

I was ready for a night out and we had heard a lot about Sienna so knew that it was definitely going to be our next place to eat out. We decided to go in the middle of the week because we were taking our 2 year old son with us. We left our 2 month old with granny and we headed for the restaurant early, something most parents incorporate in their dining out life.
The restaurant was recommended by a number of our friends. I also had the chance to finish my brother-in-laws leftovers that he brought back form there when he ate there. He live in Miami with his wife and enjoy going to good restaurants and they enjoyed Sienna's food so I knew if they liked it then the place is going to be good.

The restaurant is located on the road from Paphos going to Coral Bay next to the Helios Bay Hotel and there is plenty of parking available.

The first surprise of the night was how busy it was at the time we arrived. We thought we would most likely be the first customers, but there was a few tables allready seated. We were greated by a nice lady as soon as we entered who later we found out was the owner, I felt that the entire staff treated us so good as if they all owned the restaurant.

We had our orders in with no delays and the food was very good. I ordered scalloped pork in a curry sauce that was tender and very tasty. My wife ordered chicken Sienna which is a house specialty in a creamy sause with spinach. We each had a salad with our choice of salad dressing. We didn't have to wait long for anything but we weren't rushed either.

There is a wide variety of desserts that were fresh and made to order but we had to skip this time because of our son and our waist line. We will definitely go back there.

Food: 5*****
Service: 5 *****
Presentation: 4****
Child Friendly: 3***
Ambiance: 4****
Price: 4****

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???

Review of Koh-i-Noor Indian Restaurant - Kato Paphos

2007-09-19T15:14:00Z

This review will be easy for me to write since this is one of our favorite restaurants in Paphos - don't know why I didn't review it before! I have been there several times to eat in and my previously pregnany wife had me get her take-away during some of her pregnancy cravings that would strike.

Dining-in is always pleasant and the decor is always up to date, clean, simple and elegant. Take-away food travels well and the order has always been correct and still hot and just as good when we get it home from Kato Paphos to Mandria (25 minutes away). To start with even before you get appetizers if you order any are the light, Indian flavored crispy bread (the name has slipped my mind) - similar to prawn crackers but thinner and bigger. With them you get an assortment of dips, chutney and a yogurt based dip.

Our all time favourites are:

Chicken Tikka Masala - in a tomato based sauce with ground almonds and cream that is a great consistency (not at all watery like other places I've been) - great for dipping the garlic naan in!

Chicken Tikka - boneless chicken cooked in tandoor oven with a yoghurt marinade. It tastes great, but we get it to off set the heaviness (calorie content) of the other dishes we love. I don't really know why we bother trying to be health consciounce since we always get dessert and eat way too much anyway.

Lamb Dupiaza - Lamb cooked with chunks of onions, herbs and spices in a thick curry sauce. Again, most sauces here are great for dipping the garlic or plain naan. Also, most of these dishes are also made with chicken, lamb, vegetarian, prawns, king prawns or even duck!

Saag Paneer - Fresh spinach cooked with cured cheese and spices that make it a little spicy.

We have tried many other dishes that are equally good such as Chicken Korma, Aloo Gobi and Prawns Madras.

Then, of course we always order rice to go with everything.

Afterwards we have the chocolate mousse that is perfectly, light and airy and just chocolate-y enough and we love "Death by Chocolate" - need we say more???

Food: 5*****
Service: 5 *****
Presentation: 4****
Child Friendly: 3***
Ambiance: 3***
Price: 3***

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???

The way it is!

2007-09-05T11:50:00Z

I am a little hesitant about writing this blog, I have wanted to for some time but I did not want to step on anyone toes. Now I just want to get it off my chest! The main reason I have hesitated for a long time is the toes I will be stepping on can influence my business possibly. I am talking about the builders in Cyprus.  Since I own a marketing company and property is a big portion of my business, I could end up jeopordizing opportunities in the future.

Here is the story, I will tell only of my own personal experience with our builder, but as you go around and meet other home owners and hear their stories I realize I am not alone. I knew that since there are 78 homes in my developement and many of the owners have long standing isses. DNP built our development and they are not the only builders that operates in this fashion. We were scheduled to move to Cyprus in June 2005, but in May we found out a member of my family was very ill and postponed our plans luckily. Our house was suppose to be finished that year but when we arrived one year later the home was still incomplete.  We were not able to move in until September 2006, over a year later and that was just the begining.

We discovered that because the builder had not aquired the right permits, we are getting electricity from a temporary generator using a gasoline engine.  Not only does it overload all the time and turn off the circuit breakers, they also have been completely out of order making everyone live without any electricity until they can bring one from limassol to fix it. Power outages are still a weekly accurance if not daily or hourly at times. If that was it, I might not feel so bad.  I would still be angry though because of the inexcusable behaviour of the people responsible and their replies to any questions or should I say the lack of response. The thing that annoys me the most is that we are basically living on a construction site. There is always dirt flying in the air, where is supposed to be pavements are just rocks and mud that can't be used. The "green area" (what I live next to) is anything but green and every time a car drives by it picks up enough dust to coat everything in the area, so we constantly breath dust. To top it all off DNP is starting to build apartments right next to our project which makes me wonder why they would start a new project next to us without finishing this one. I was under the assumption that there must be a shortage in money or workers and that is why things are so slow, but all the sudden there are apartments going up with lots of workers and lots of money needed. They could have completed this project with the same resources and had better word of mouth spreading than what is being said now. I don't want to classify all builders in the same category and I am sure that there are some builders that pride themselves on quality work and trust but as I learn more and more, I realize that the problems I am having are a common thing.

To finish on a positive note if you want to buy a home in Cyprus there are lots of resale homes out there.  And the positives of resales are that the home is finished and you can see exactly what you are getting. You can talk with the current residents and neighbors whereas buying off plan you are all in the same boat not knowing what you will get and when! Owners of resales usually upgrade things such as doorknobs, faucets, do custom paint and add extras such as as air conditioners, pergolas, fences and you can get a mature garden with fruit trees - ready to pick and eat! How much better than that can it get???

Pizza Express

2007-08-26T21:07:00Z

My wife is due with our second baby in 2 weeks and has been hard to please in these last weeks of her pregnancy, very picky and not liking anything. So, I wanted to take her out to dinner for probably the last time before our new baby arrived. I figured Italian would be a good choice since it's always her favorite; I called a friend for advice since he has lived here for six years and loves Italian. His recommendation was "Pizza Express" as soon as I mentioned Italian. I was a little hesitant with a name like that, not the usual name for a good Italian restaurant, not even a good name for a sit down Pizza place. We discussed other places but he kept going back to Pizza Express, so after a little persuasion and some coordinating with my in-laws to watch our 21 month old we were on our way there.
My wife is due with our second baby in 2 weeks and has been hard to please in these last weeks of her pregnancy, very picky and not liking anything. So, I wanted to take her out to dinner for probably the last time before our new baby arrived. I figured Italian would be a good choice since it's always her favorite; I called a friend for advice since he has lived here for six years and loves Italian. His recommendation was "Pizza Express" as soon as I mentioned Italian. I was a little hesitant with a name like that, not the usual name for a good Italian restaurant, not even a good name for a sit down Pizza place. We discussed other places but he kept going back to Pizza Express, so after a little persuasion and some coordinating with my in-laws to watch our 21 month old we were on our way there.

The restaurant is tucked in the back of a courtyard on the main strip in Paphos directly across from the Sea and close to the harbor. After parking and enjoying a short stroll through the crowds of tourist we were second in line for a table and that was shortest the line was for the rest of our night. We were greeted by a smiling host and shown to a nice table just outside of the restaurant. The waitress was pleasant, competent and very busy so she got our drinks and the rest of the order in reasonable time. The atmosphere was very good, the place was nicely decorated, not fussy or overdone nor old fashioned. The staff were all bustling around and seemed to work well together, so then it was all in the Chef’s hands.

We got our drinks in good time and a few minutes later our appetizers – Bruschetta, a large Caprese Salad and small bread rolls with pesto dipping sauce, garlic and a tomato paste dip. The Bruschetta was smaller than expected and not loaded with tomatoes how we like it to be but flavorful enough. I will probably skip it next time though. The freshly baked bite size bread rolls were hot, just the right texture and the dips were perfect with them. Next the salad arrived – the large Caprese Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, argula, goat cheese and red peppers. We have not found a salad like it in Cyprus which is nice change from the traditional Greek Salad. We loved this salad, fresh and with our own touch of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and the fresh crushed pepper that is always offered by the waitress it was delicious. My wife has been craving it ever since. Our main course was the American Pizza (we just had to try it being from the US) and Chicken Fettuccine with mushrooms and a touch of tomato sauce. The pizza although good was not an “American Pizza” – it was thin crust with pepperoni and sausage. In the US they tend to make the crust thicker and with more cheese and sauce but it was good – lighter than expected but that was a good thing. The pasta was very good, just creamy enough and the chicken was tender and fresh not pre-cooked hours or days before – having spent years in the restaurant business I can always tell.

Last but not least, the dessert which my wife could not refuse even though we were both full. There was a great selection and many desserts that went past our table looked fabulous, but we decided on the chocolate fudge cake with chocolate fudge syrup and vanilla ice cream. The cake was hot, super fresh and super moist. I would go back just for the salad and cake! Overall, this was a very nice experience and despite the name the restaurant exceeded our expectations. We would definitely go back. We were however charged for 2 beers when I only had one, but we believe that was an honest mistake since they were so busy.

We also hear there is live music there every so often which would be nice but I expect even busier. Despite how busy it was though, the service was efficient and pleasant so I would go back.

Food: 5*****
Service: 4 ****
Presentation: 4****
Child Friendly: 4****
Ambiance: 4****
Value for Money:4****

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???

7 St. George Taverna - Yeroskipou

2007-08-12T09:38:00Z

We had heard a lot about Seven St. George and how busy it always is so we decided to give it a try. We didn't make a reservation since it was a last minute decision on out part, actually someone offered to babysit last minute - an offer we couldn't refuse! So, that was how our Friday night outing began.

The restuarant was full except maybe one or two tables which we thought was a good sign.

Once we were seated, we received an introduction by whom I presumed was the owners son or a very charming host - even shook our hands. Rare even in the US where customer service is supreme! Good start...we were told about the menu, a meze, organic wines they offer and their tasty puddings for afterwards. The only off putting aspect was we were told not to waste food - it was done in a nice way but as we were paying and did not know what was to come next we felt like we had to eat all that came even though we didn't know what else was to come. I think an iomprovement would be to list the meze items for the night so if a customer does not like pork or another choice they can not bring it out hence, less waste which was a concern for the establishment since we overheard it repeated to other diners.

Once the meal began was when we realized we shouldn't have believed the hype. The salad had a strangely odd flavour, items were described as one thing but were something else, the small plates the items were served on with chipped and broken and the attempt at service slowly declined as the meal progressed. A pork dish had 2 pieces of pork on it of which maybe half was pure fat. The only really memorable part food wise was the lamb which I love anyway so if it is tender then I like it. Other than that, we weren't impressed. We told them to stop bringing out food - we were full but unsatisfied so we decided to give their "tasty puddings" a try. Usually, with meze's some fruit or traditional sweets are included at the end of the meal. We realized once we received the bill that these pre-made, microwaved and bland desserts were 2.50 CYP each extra so we were extrememly disappointed. I can usually eat any dessert happily - we did not even finish these. Did I mention that my wife is extrememly pregnant? She is ravenous all the time and even she just picked on most everything and wanted me to stop at a kiosk afterwards to pick up some ice cream! This being after we just spent 29 CYP on a meze for 2 without any wine and just one beer for me.

The positive aspects for us were being out alone without our 2 year old, seeing a high chair available if he was with us, numerous cats for entertaining the many children and a pleasant setting despite being a little humid (not a fault of the restuarant obviously.)

We would not go back and we would not recommend it to anyone wanting a romantic meal or who has an allergy to cats! Actually I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Who knows...maybe it was an "off night" but first impressions are lasting and this one was not impressive.

Food: 1*
Service: 2 **
Presentation: 2*
Child Friendly: 2**
Ambiance: 3***

5=Awesome
4= Pretty Good
3=OK
2=Not so Good
1=Very Poor
0=Do we have to say it!???