Cyprus Restaurants

It takes some diligence to avoid the bland, often over-fried stodge dished out to undiscriminating tourists at most restaurants. Generally this means going slightly upmarket, to restaurants with more imaginative menus; to a remote village setting, especially to the exokhika kendra or country tavernas of the South which cater to locals with limited but consistent-quality offerings; or to a mid- town ouzerf (Greek; often referred to as a meze-house) or meyhane (Turkish), where local delicacies are served to accompany drink. Both meyhanes and meze-houses are at their best from November to April, when rains nurture the wild greens and mush- rooms which are a staple of their menus, and hunters bring in game.

A watered-down version of the meze (mezein Turkish) is a succession of up to twenty small plates served in succession, along with a couple of grilled mains, until you're sated. Unfortunately, many purveyors opt to go for gut-busting quantity over quality, such that you reckon the establishment should have a Roman-style vomitorium next to the toilets. Another all-too-common failing of "touristy" mezelmeze is the indiscriminate mingling of fish and meat platters, to even more nauseating effect. Such establishments have completely lost sight of the fact that, in the original Persian, meze means "titbit" or 'taste". All this acknowledged, such gargan- tuan bouffes are, if nothing else, decent value at C£6-9 each, drink extra, though in the South there is a minimum party of two (sometimes four) persons.

As a rule main-dish portions are generous (if a bit too heavy on the chips), somewhat offsetting the increasing highness of the prices. Main courses cost between C£4 (vege- or meat-based) and C£10 (pricey fish), with menu prices usually including a ten-percent service charge and VAT (currently fifteen percent}. Prices in the North are much the same, in sterling.

Restaurant hours are somewhat restricted, at least compared to Greece or Turkey; lunch is generally available only from 12.30 to 2.15pm across the island, dinner from 7 to 10pm, even 9.30pm out of peak season. The main exceptions to this are South/North Nicosia, and beachside tavemas, at which you can get lunch pretty much all afternoon. Exokhika kendra may be open most of the day or evening in summer, but tend to serve weekend lunch only in spring and autumn, and often close completely in winter owing to their outdoor seating.