A Trip to Cyprus with Cyprus Kebab House

The other week Rich and I discovered a secret little gem of a restaurant and in some ways I am loathed to tell you anything about it because I want it to remain a secret to those in the know. However because I am not an unkind being I have selfishly decided to share my findings with you.  So Rich has been going through a bit of a Greek food phase and after a little searching we tracked down the Cyprus Kebab House at the bottom of St Michael's Hill.  A kebab house? I hear you cry, yes that's right, a kebab house, well kind of. As you walk through the door you are greeted by the standard kebab house set up, however at the end of the counter there are a set of velvet curtains and if you walk through those you find yourselves in a little cosy restaurant. 

It is pretty dark inside with lots of candles dotted about and a love letter to Cyprus in the paintings on the wall. It may look a little rough round the edges in terms of decor but I felt that it only added to the restaurant's allure and we both started to feel as if we were miles away from Bristol having a meal out whilst on holiday. 

Greek wine

We decided to share two small starters of halloumi and hummus to begin with whilst opting for the classic kleftiko and the mixed kebab for our mains.  A lovely older couple run the restaurant and the service was friendly yet quiet, all in all really rather charmingly old school I liked it.  The starters didn't take too long to make an appearance and in tandem with a rather large basket of warm pitta breads. A tasty hummus and some perfectly grilled halloumi, not massive portions but enough to wet our appetite for the main courses.

kleftiko

mixed kebab

salad to share

As you can see from the photos the mains were gigantic. If you do not have a big appetite then there isn't much point in coming here my kleftiko was a whole juicy lamb shank which fell off the bone beautifully and was very well seasoned.  I gave it my best shot but even I had a potato and a bit of lamb left over by the end it was a monster of a main. Rich's mixed kebab was also glorious the home made spicy sausage and minced pork kebabs being the highlights but again he was beaten by his main.  All mains are around the £10 mark which I think is astounding value for money. Stupidly we decided to go for a pudding as well,  despite being stuffed we picked the baklava and a rum cake. The desserts were alright but nothing astounding so if you feel tempted but are too full you're not missing the best dessert on the planet.

The Cyprus Kebab House was a genuine delight it was such surprisingly good food that we can't wait to return, although it did take us two days to recover from all that food. There was only one other occupied table when we went on a Thursday evening but I have heard that the weekends get pretty busy. So now that I have shared that secret check it out, but try not to tell everyone all at once! 

Anniversary Celebrations at Entelia

Looking for a little Greek food in Bristol? Following on from our delicious lunch at Yume, Rich had a surprise up his sleeve for the evening. He had booked a restaurant for our anniversary dinner and I would only find out what it was when we arrived there, I love surprises so it was a lovely thing to do. Turned out Entelia was the surprise restaurant, definitely somewhere I hadn't been before so I was immediately excited about sampling the menu. I had no preconceptions of Entelia which sometimes makes a visit to a restaurant more enjoyable.

Greek restaurants are not something that are in abundance and I have only ever been to one or two before in my life but each time the food has been really enjoyable and it makes me wonder why there aren't more about. We ordered a bottle of Greek red and pawed over the menu I couldn't quite decide whether to go for a large selection of meze to share or to do the traditional starter, main set up. In the end Rich and I decided to share a couple of meze; the selection of dips with pittas, feta meli and some halloumi, it is Rich's favourite.  For my main I had a hankering for lamb, subliminal messages from the Greek themed decor, no doubt, so I picked the Paidakia, 24 hour marinated grilled lamb chops with Greek salad and chips, although rice is also an option. Rich had the steak with the same accompaniments.

halloumi and dips

feta meli

Best taramasalata I've ever had, I generally find it overly fishy, and I do like fish, and synthetic tasting but this was subtle, creamy and delicious I would just happily snack on it with pitta and carrots all night. The feta meli was wonderful, crisp in all the right places and the feta wasn't too rich but very creamy which meant the honey complimented it beautifully. So far we were really impressed and the portions were generous so we were already half full by the time the waiter came to clear our meze. It is important to note at this point, before I forget, that the service through out our meal was really attentive but not intrusive, it was noted when our glasses needed topping up and checks were made during each course that the food was to our tastes. And so on to the mains, you certainly won't go hungry at Entelia as you will see below.

sirloin steak

24 marinated lamb

Both meat mains were well seasoned and well cooked, Rich's steak came rare just as he asked and was a tasty cut of meat. My lamb chops could have been a bit pinker for my liking but they tasted great and I have to say the amount of crunchy salad they provided on the side was refreshingly good. Entelia get top marks for cooking proper chips so they were crunchy yet fluffy and well salted. All in all great starters and mains plus the Greek wine was very drinkable, never had Greek wine before and was pleased by how smooth tasting it was.  Rich and I had just about enough room for a dessert to share, who can resist baklava? Certainly not us so we ordered some to share and sipped the last of our wine.

baklava with cinnamon topped ice cream

A nice end to the meal, although I prefer little individual baklava this was delicious particularly with the cinnamon sprinkled ice cream. We left full of food and warmed by the parting shot of fruity liqueur that came with the bill. Entelia surprised me by how good the food was, Rich always has good taste but he did extra well this time. We will be returning, especially as we received a 10% off card for our next visit. To find out more about Entelia and their early evening deals check out their website.