Alesta Restaurant, Girne/Kyrenia
By Kathy Martin…
After Alistair and I arrived here in May 2006, it didn’t take us long to spot “Alistair’s Restaurant aka ALESTA” and we said to ourselves “One day we HAVE to go there!”
Well, “One day” came and we went, probably in 2010-ish, to Alesta’s Restaurant, Girne/Kyrenia basically a kebab restaurant BUT so much more! Easily found travelling east out of Girne towards Çatalköy, passing the Lemar supermarket on one’s left, Alesta’s sign cannot be missed on the right!
One of the times Sasha, Jon and Alex came out on holiday we came to Alesta and both Sasha and Jon had the T-bone steak, saying “One of the best we have ever had”! I believe at the time restaurants in the UK were not allowed to serve steak on the bone.
Over the years, as our income increased, so did our visits to Alesta’s restaurant. By 2014 we were almost coming on a weekly basis.
While Alistair was writing his “Random Rambles” for the KibKom Times, we met Soner Kioufi here for a coffee and a meal. After Alistair died on 1st November 2015, I just couldn’t bring myself to go to Alesta’s as I wasn’t brave enough to tell them my darling had died. However, Soner was back around the time I was trying to complete, what I called “the Widow’s benefit form from hell, (see link to the relevant blog at the end of this blog) and with his delightful wife Kam we came to Alesta’s and so I was able to give Ali the sad news.
I decided that this would become one of my lunchtime restaurants and so have been coming, more or less, every Thursday and Sunday! Occasionally, I am diverted away to another place for a Sunday lunch or Thursday lunch, but, like “Arnie” who said “I’ll be back!” I return!
They have excellent WiFi (after a few minor glitches a few weeks ago!) and so I come with my PC and upload my blogs onto Cyprus Scene.
Starting with an excellent welcome from Stephen, head waiter, who helps carry my PC from the car to my “desk” at the back of the restaurant and on hot sunny days, as we are having at the moment, serves me a delicious cold Ayran.
Ali Guvenay and his delightful wife, Gülşen have owned Alesta’s since 2002.
I can strongly recommend this restaurant the menu is varied and for vegetarians Ali is more than happy to produce a “special” dish, as Sheila Heald is able to confirm!
This is my blog, which continues my memories following Alistair’s death how I coped, with more than a little help from my friends, to get through dealing with all the procedures and forms!
https://kathyslifeblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/my-memories-around-alistairs-death-4-the-forms/
This is the link to the meeting of the Facebook Frozen Cypriots group on Thursday 19th May.
https://kathyslifeblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/20/frozen-cypriots-meeting-of-19-may-2016/
This is the link to the meeting of the Facebook Frozen Cypriots group on Tuesday 24th May.
https://kathyslifeblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/frozen-cypriots-meeting-on-24-may-2016/
