Fine Dining Restaurant, Esentepe

By Margaret Sheard…..

Being St Valentine’s Day and an excuse to get away from the computers for a while, Chris and I decided to have a run out somewhere and grab a spot of lunch so we headed east and decided to stop and indulge in some fine dining at Fine Dining Restaurant in Esentepe where they were serving traditional Sunday Roast.

Having never been to this restaurant before we had no idea what it would be like and I must say we were extremely impressed with the quality (and amount) of the food which for 2 courses was a very reasonable 25TL per person.

It is very hard not to meet someone you know wherever you go in North Cyprus and when we arrived we spotted Gill and Ivor Moon who were enjoying lunch with a large party of friends.  Gill said that living nearby it is a favourite place for them to dine and they have become good friends with Javed and Malik who set up the restaurant almost 2 years ago.

We met Javed who told us that he and his partner Malik, who is also the chef, set up the business together and judging by the number of diners it is a very popular venue.  We also met Ali who is the waiter.   We were very warmly greeted and sat down to look at the menu and make our choices while having a nibble at the crusty bread and butter which had arrived.  For a starter I chose garlic mushrooms and was pleased to see that fresh mushrooms had been used and in large quantity.  Chris chose paté and again it was a very large portion with many slices of toasted bread and a salad dressing.  For our main course we chose 1 x chicken and 1 x beef.  I had noticed the plates arriving at an adjacent table and could see they were very ample helpings.   When ours arrived I was pleased to see 3 very large well roasted potatoes as well as mash, 3 different vegetables, 2 Yorkshire puddings and beef which I always pass to Chris as I am vegetarian, and he said it was delicious.  Chris also had the same on his plate with the chicken he had ordered.   It was certainly a very good meal and extremely good value for money.

After our meal we had a chat with Javed who told us he had been in North Cyprus for 10 years and his partner Malik has been here for 22 years.   With their waiter, Ali, they are certainly a good team and work well together and are obviously very well thought of by their clientele.

The restaurant is open 7 days week and they serve Italian, Indian and European dishes from a very extensive menu.    The indoor area is cosy with ample tables, and a comfortable seating area alongside the Bar.  Outside there is a large terrace for summer dining which has a lovely view of the Mediterranean so I would think a very pleasant location when the weather is a little warmer.  The restaurant is situated just off the main Girne/Esentepe Road (after the turn-off to Esentepe) and there is plenty of parking space outside the restaurant.

We had a very nice afternoon and left with tummies full and the promise we will return in the not too distant future.