Snacks

The resort is in the ever-popular coastal area of Pernera, in Protaras.  This long-established family-run destination has become far more than just a restaurant.  It’s a complete holiday experience, blending authentic Cypriot hospitality, beachfront dining, stylish villas and apartments, and one of the most relaxing pool bar settings in the area, all intermingled into one and 'Open to the Public', with a small charge for sunbeds and umbrellas on the spacious lush green lawn!

I wanted to have a chat before Andreas gave me a personal tour of the museum, so we met upstairs in the cafe and ice cream parlour, my delicious cappuccino brewed with 'Vittorio Coffee' pure Arabica from Brazil.  I asked Andreas to tell me how it all started?  He said, "It started as a hobby, I would find old cars, in Cyprus, mostly Fords, buy them and restore them myself, to showroom perfection, sometimes having to source spare parts from all over the world.  Then he said, " Next thing you know, whenever my friends were selling a vintage or classic car, I would buy it".

Over a delicious coffee, and my little chat with head Chef and partner Maria, it became blatantly obvious why this restaurant has won the 'Best Fish Restaurant' in the 'Time Out' and 'Check In Cyprus' Eating Out Awards three times in the past decade ... Probably because Maria has this uncanny knack to recognise flavours that complement each other ... Seriously, this lady is on another level !!!

Over a gorgeous cappuccino I asked Vaida, why she created 'The Loop'? … She explained; "I'm originally from Lithuania, but lived in Holland for many many years and fell in love and married Nicos a Cypriot and finally moved to Cyprus just 8 years ago" … Vaida continued, "I noticed there was a distinct lack of places to get good fresh food, not just vegetarian and vegan but specialising in healthy eats and healthy diets".

This is where they excel, specialising in over 20 different choices of kebabs.  Gyros here is a choice of 4 meats, pork, chicken from Greece, beef and lamb from the UK, each cut into thin slices, layered and seasoned, and set onto big skewers ready to be imported.  Vangelis said, "I spend a little extra, but I get the very best" ... I asked "do you then add a little more seasoning" and he said "there's really no need", tbh, the beef Gyro was probably the best I've ever tasted ...

This is where they excel, specialising in over 20 different choices of kebabs.  Gyros here is a choice of 4 meats, pork, chicken from Greece, beef and lamb from the UK, each cut into thin slices, layered and seasoned, and set onto big skewers ready to be imported.  Vangelis said, "I spend a little extra, but I get the very best" ... I asked "do you then add a little more seasoning" and he said "there's really no need", tbh, the beef Gyro was probably the best I've ever tasted ...

What really makes this bar so special is the ambience, unique in Napa.  It’s many a favourite place to meet to start the night out in Napa, often as not, some just stay all night, 'til the clubs open.  It usually starts off mellow and ends with you dancing and singing your heart out.  The beauty of it is the journey; early in the evening, it feels intimate, almost like a small Irish pub session.  As the night builds, the tempo lifts, the crowd joins in, and suddenly the whole place becomes one big chorus ... Just brilliant!

I've known the infamous consultant chef Louis Papageorgiou since he opened Di Capilla Seaside Stories in 2005.  It was my absolute pleasure to interview him, without a doubt one of Cyprus' finest chefs, this guy is seriously on another level.  These days, he's writing a new chapter, purely by accident, in 2010 he met and partnered up with Savvas, a master of hospitality, whom I've known since his Napa days in 1993 ... and together they started a new story ...

We’re excited to be the first to announce that fresh and dried Carolina Reaper Peppers are ready to be grown in Cyprus.  So get ready to meet the king of heat, and trust me, they’re not for the faint-hearted.  But, in Cyprus, these super hot peppers will also be blended with extra virgin olive oil to create 'PowerJuice', so I caught up with owner and pioneer Vasillies of Larnaca Park & Fly fame to find out more ...

I've always thought that when buying meat, it's best to buy from a local butcher.  I'm not really sure why, but it just seems to make sense, and to be honest, this butcher personifies my theory.  And the fact that they are usually busy shows that many locals, restaurant owners, and top hotels agree … in fact, most of my culinary friends tell me he's the best butcher around, and until I find someone as good, I have to agree!