WORDS
RACHAEL PILKINGTON, VICKY LANE
My taste of Cyprus
by tonia buxton
Q
London
|
BBQ
Last year, Des McDonald – former
head chef of celeb haunt The Ivy –
showed how to batter fish and chips
into something worthier than
yesterday’s news pages, with Islington’s
The Fish and Chip Shop. Now he’s
looking to transform BBQ in a similar
way. Plates of St Louis cut ribs and
moonshine-battered shrimp at this new
Camden restaurant aim to show diners
there’s more to a good BBQ than a bit
of grilling.
Bistro Moderne
Edinburgh
|
French
Award-winning chef Mark Greenaway
may humbly claim his second
Edinburgh restaurant offers simpler
versions of the dishes served at his
eponymous first, but they’re still far
from basic. Each of the classic French
bistro recipes are made with local
ingredients and given an imaginative
makeover, then matched with Scottish
whiskies and beers.
Route Twenty-Six
Zürich
|
Swiss
Named after the 26 cantons that make
up the Republic of Switzerland, this hotel
restaurant – attached to Zürich West’s
new Sheraton – is set to specialise in the
classics. From the national dish
rösti
(fried, grated potato) to
saucisse au chou
(sausage with cabbage), the plates may
not provide too many surprises, but you
can be sure there’ll be plenty of flavour.
“the food cyprus
is most associated
with has to be the ‘pitta of souvlaki’
– or a Cypriot-style kebab. All across
the island, kebab houses with
charcoal grills make these from local
pittas (made of unbleached flour),
stuffed with chopped onion, parsley
and cabbage, skewers of perfectly
BBQ’d pork or chicken and finished
with a squeeze of lemon.
“The best way to get a true taste
of Cypriot food is to visit one of the
many tavernas serving meze – up to
30 little plates of different dishes. It’s
best to ask for a recommendation of
a good one in the area you’re
staying, though two of my
favourites are
Voreas
(
3 Andrea Demetriou, Oroklini,
+357 24 647 177
) and
Laledes
(
6 Griva Digeni, Kouklia,
+357 26 432 233
).
“For a feel of what
good dining was in
bygone days, visit
Archontikon
Papadopoulou
(
67 Archbishop
Makarios III Avenue, Kornos, +357 22
531 000
). Have the tasting
menu and Commandaria wine,
the oldest sweet wine in
the world. It’s even
mentioned in Homer’s
Iliad
. You can’t go to
Cyprus and not try it.”
Buxton’s recipe book,
Tonia’s Greek Kitchen,
is available at
toniabuxton.co.uk
There are things you simply must try when visiting the island, says the Cypriot celebrity chef
Tuck into duck breast,
melon and salsify at
Bistro Moderne
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