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WHERE: Vaha Spa Restaurant, Karsiyaka. CONTACT: +90 533 869 4262 REVIEWED: August 7 The speed and variety of expansion here means some developments are more welcome than others. One of the most welcome is the recently opened Vaha Spa in Karsiyaka, about 20km west of Girne, easily reached by turning off the main coast road at the Karsiyaka Olive Oil factory sign and then shortly afterwards turning right a the Vaha Spa sign. There is plenty of parking space at the end of the short drive. As well as having excellent spa facilities and attractive accommodation, Vaha also boasts a very well-appointed restaurant. Having glimpsed various sample menus on the opening night and had our appetite whetted, we decided dine there one Monday night when we reckoned we deserved a bit of indulging. Apart from needing a torch (Instantly supplied) to read the menu and wine list, everything else was excellent from the moment we arrived. Comfortably seated at a table in the main paved area by the dining room, we enjoyed some House White while we perused the menu and made our choices. The menu is reassuringly compact - five starters, six mains - varied enough to give some different choices but short enough for you to be secure in the knowledge the dishes are fresh and not "nuked" in a microwave. The menu at Vaha changes daily and may include such temptations as Risotto of Wild Mushrooms with Shaved Parmesan and a Julienne of Bayonne Ham in a White Truffle and Balsamic Dressing; Aubergine, Spinach and Mascarpone Filo with Sweet Red Onion Marmalade in a rich Port Dressing; Strips of Beef, Chicken Fillet and Tiger Prawns, sautéed in Coriander and Paprika Butter with Wild Rice Pilaf and Tangerine Mild Curry Sauce; Pesto Baked Fillets of Sea Bass with Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Cheese Salad and a Creamy Parsley and White Wine Dressing. Starters are in the region of £4.90 - £6.00 and mains are £9.95 - £15.50. As you would expect in a Spa restaurant, vegetarians are definitely catered for. The wine list is far more varied that we are used to here and, all things considered, reasonably priced. The list is very informative but if you are at all unsure, Steve (who runs Vaha with his fiancée, Gill) is on hand to help and advise. Wines range from Angora at £5.50 (16YTL) up to Napa Valley Opus One at £234 and every option in between is covered. Both the menu and wine list are priced in £ Sterling but can be converted to YTL a that day's exchange rate. In due course, we moved up to our table on the terrace to eat. Before our starters wer served, like all our fellow diners, we were given a flavour-packed amuse-bouche of sweetcorn chowder with tapenade crostini; a nice touch which I ave never experienced in any restaurant here before. Our fist courses duly arrived - one of Goat's Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Tartlet |
The best in 20 years! Cyprus today, August 19-25, 2006 |
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and one Duck Breast Salad, both beautifully presented. The flavors in both were delightful, as was the Marques de Cacares Rioja which we chose to drink with our meal.
For our main courses, we had selected Fillet Steak in a Pink Peppercorn Sauce, on a stack of herbed sauté potatoes, topped with garlic mushroom duxelle, and Marinated Belly of Pork in a Teriyaki Plum Sauce, with apricot stuffing and sesame noodles. We were also given a dish of fresh, al dente vegetables- carrots, green beans and courgettes, topped with toasted pine nuts. The steak was served sliced on the diagonal and fanned out over the bed of potatoes, beautifully cooked and extremely flavoursome. The marinated pork was a substantial portion of solid, lean meat, extremely well cooked with some interesting flavours.and just too much to finish.
Desserts at Vaha are sll charged at a flat rate of £5.25 and the four choices change daily. Unusually, Vaha also offers a selection of cheese, with biscuits and grapes at £4.50. Having already enjoyed so much, dessert should really not have been on the horizon and, to be truthful, most of the offered desserts sounded too rich but the Spiced Bread and Butter Pudding came with Cinnamon Ice-Cream and I reckoned I could manage some of that - without the pudding, though. One
large glass of cinnamon ice cream later, I was truly replete.
Having declined the offer of brandy, we sat over our coffee - one espresso, one cappuccino - and agreed that it had been an excellent meal from start to finish. People who have read this column before, and know how critical I can be, may be surprised but I could not fault that meal in any way. If you put me up against a wall and shone a light in my eyes, I might confess that neither of us really liked the shape of the decanter used for our Rioja but we were just so delighted to be asked "Would you like the wine to be decanted?" that it would be petty in the extreme to complain. In short, it was the best "international cuisine" meal we have had in nearly 20 years of dining here. Throughout the evening Gill had been keeping a discreet but thoroughly professional eye on things, making sure everyone was happy but no-one was being irritated by "fussy" service. The bill came promptly when asked, clearly laid out and priced in both £ Sterling and YTL, so that you can pay in whichever currency suits you better. The total cost of our meal was £72.90 (202.66YTL), including water and the excellent Rioja - not cheap but exceptionally good value. Vaha is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and accepts major credit cards - what more can you ask ? |