RESTAURANT REVIEW PAPHOS

THE LOCATION

In Paphos we live right by the sea and are very fortunate to have some excellent fish restaurants right on our doorstep, where we can enjoy the catch of the day. A fish restaurant which has recently moved from its established location of many years is the Kingfisher Taverna. Originally on the Tomb of the King’s Road, they have now moved to new premises. If you head away from the King’s Avenue Mall on the coast road in the direction of Coral Bay, turn left at the traffic lights by Raffles Restaurant, and just 100 metres down on the right, you will find the newly renovated restaurant.

THE CHEF

Lefteris Saparillas, the owner and Chef, took over the restaurant from his parents in 2006, and has built up a loyal following of locals, ex-pats of all nationalities and returning tourists, so booking is advised. He studied in Greece (under Chef Baxevanis), Germany and Cyprus, including a stretch in a Michelin-starred restaurant.  His skills and attention to every dish which leaves his kitchen, can clearly be seen. He has also won awards for his piscatorial culinary expertise, which he proudly displays in the restaurant.

THE MENU

There is a chilled display cabinet of fresh fish, from which you can choose, as well as the menu. The catch of the day changes daily. Take a look and ask what is available. Lefteris will cook it for you the way you like it. Grilled, fried, steamed, filleted or on the bone. Despite the allure of the fresh fish, we settled on the fish meze at €22 pp (min 2 people).

We had a large table for our meal, which was lucky, as it needed to accommodate the deluge of dishes, which would soon arrive. Village salad, toasted Village Bread, Tahini, Taramosalata, Olives, Potato Salad, Squid, Home-made Fish Cakes, Hand-cut Chips, Half-shell Mussels, Fried Blackfish, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Prawns, and finally a whole Sea Bream. Everything that should have been hot arrived piping hot and was fresh, fresh, fresh! The Baby Calamari, lightly battered and deep-fried for a few moments, was very tasty with a little lemon juice, and the Fish Cakes were generously filled with succulent fish. All the dishes were delicious.

The Blackfish are approximately 15cms long, and even though they weren’t very meaty, they had a very pleasing, slightly sweet taste. The Grilled Octopus was beautifully tender and tasty. I can be a little fussy about these things, but any fastidiousness was soon overcome by the overall sensation that you enjoy with this dish. The prawns were lightly fried to maintain their juiciness and my wife loved them. To mark the end of the train of dishes, which seemed never ending, the Sea Bream arrived. This was a good-sized fish, grilled to perfection, then opened and boned and a fitting end to a glorious fish banquet.

If you are not a fish lover, there are some meat alternatives on the menu, and plenty of choices for children and vegetarians.

A simple dessert is included, which will vary day to day. On this occasion it was a sweet pudding.

SIGNATURE DISH: FISH MEZE

THE WINE LIST

I just had a small carafe of Kalamos Xynisteri which was fresh, crisp and light and complemented the meal admirably. However, there is an extensive wine list, including a good range of inexpensive Cypriot wines and a good choice of imported wines for every palate and budget. By the time we left the restaurant, it was nearly full, so booking is highly recommended.

The service throughout was attentive, without being obtrusive – just as I like it.

We will certainly be returning to enjoy some of those dishes as full portions. The Calamari, the Octopus, the Prawns, the Sea Bream are all worthy of individual attention. This is truly a restaurant for fish-lovers. Not to be missed!

• RESTAURANT ADDRESS: 2, EPAMINONDA, KATO PAPHOS
• TO BOOK CALL: 26 944252, 99 563686
• OPENING TIMES: CONTACT RESTAURANT
• OPENING DAYS: SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

By Tim Rice

Published by Cyprus in Style Magazine March 2021 | #InStyleBusinessNetwork | Restaurant Review Paphos

Copyright Cyprus in Style Magazine 2021 – All rights reserved

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