Detailed review by Praskipark
Praskipark(57)
Warsaw, Poland97%
The choice of food and restaurants in Kyrenia is extraordinary wide, reflecting many different influences such as Greek, Lebanese and Turkish. My friend who lives in Kyrenia is a keen visitor to restaurants so I have tried and tested quite a few. The one I want to review for you today is situated in the old harbour and has a little bit of history to it, which for me, makes the whole experience extra special.
The restaurant is called Carob named after the black carob bean that is grown on the island and known to islanders as the black gold of Cyprus. Carob beans were once exported but now the bean is used to make a syrup called "Pekmez" which is used in cooking and made into a spread when mixed with tahini.
The Carob restaurant is part of the carob warehouse complex which has been renovated and now consists of pretty cafes, restaurants and shops along the harbour front. The atmosphere here is lively but you never feel overcrowded or rushed.
The building has the look of a tenement warehouse with its solid stone facade and three floors, simply furnished in a rustic style but light and airy. The top floor is the place to be as this overlooks the harbour and on a clear, sunny day which there are many in Kyrenia, you can sit sipping your wine whilst looking out at the yachts and small boats bobbing on the waves.
The menu is varied and vast but this particular restaurant is known for its Medzedhes (Turkish - Mezeler). Sometimes you can be offered up to twenty different bowls or plates of delicious hot or cold hors d'oeuvres. You can order this Cypriot speciality as as an appetiser or as a main meal. My friend and I usually order the selection as a main meal but then share the dishes. This is easily enough food for us both to eat.
Haloumi cheese or Hellim is one of our favourites and I just love the creamy taste especially when it has been fried. At the Carob restaurant you have the choice of fried, grilled haloumi, or it comes with a salad with biscuits, cucumber or melon. Humus is delicious as is tahini and the pickle selection. Other delicacies which were served to us in lovely earthenware bowls were; lettuce and yoghurt salad with a dash of mint and cucumber, octopus salad, tongue of lamb which I really loved and thought I wouldn't, small shrimps marinated in garlic and olive oil, sigara borek (feta cheese rolled into filo pastry and then deep fried) and of course, I must not forget the olives. Large, black and sumptious. I adore olives and Greek olives are delicious - so delicious - I eat them like sweets. I also recommend the olive bread at this restaurant. It is crispy and golden on the outside but inside light, airy and filled with olives.
A drink I recommend is lemonade. Here, in the Carob restaurant they make their own lemonade which is made from freshly squeezed lemons. This really is a thirst quencher if a little sour. You can always add a spoonful of sugar to it but I actually like the sour taste and find it quite refreshing. Last time I visited Kyrenia I actually didn't drink too much wine mainly because I was so thirsty with the heat. Keo beer is very good and something I recommend for a hot day.
Then we come to desserts - the Cypriots really know how to make a good cake even if they are very sweet. Kadeifi is a small honey filled cake which is very sweet but delicious and if you like Turkish delight then I recommend the Carob's very own Loucoumi especially the rose variety. It is just perfect.
Now we come to the last drink of the evening - Turkish coffee. The waiter asked us which way we would prefer to drink our coffee as there are three ways. Turkish coffee is served in a very small cup and you can either have sah-de which is without sugar, ortah - this is moderatley sweet , or shekerli which is very sweet. My friend has shekerli and I always have the unsweetened coffee.
There is an old Cypriot tradition which is carried out by some of the old ladies who live in Kyrenia. After you have finished drinking your coffee there is always some sediment or grains left in the bottom of the cup. If you tip your cup upside down on to the saucer and let the grains slide down the side of the cup to form a pattern on the saucer then you will be ready for the experts to read your fortune and tell you what lies ahead - good or bad. This is what one of the very handsome waiters told me in the restaurant. As much as I would have loved to know my future I chickened out on this famous pastime - perhaps I wasn't quite ready for the truth to be revealed.
So there you have it - a brief summary of what to expect at the Carob restaurant in the warehouse complex on the harbour front of Kyrenia. A wonderful location and experience.
Carob8
