Walking through the quaint streets of the village of Oroklini on the outskirts of Larnaca, you notice all the old style village houses that over the years have maintained their charm. Behind one of the doors of these houses is the restaurant Voreas. It is named after the God of wind because the house was known for having a wonderful breeze pass through, which was perfect for the hot summer months.
Old style village houses were built around a courtyard in the middle of the house. Andreas, who works at Voreas, explained that back in the day people did not want to show their wealth so the house was almost like a fort, just a small door so nobody that did not reveal what was behind it. One of the rooms now used as a dining area used to be where the animals were kept! Hanging on the wall in that room is a portrait of the original owner of the house from 150 years ago. The house has been kept in the family and passed down ever since.
The wooden, woven-seat chairs and wooden tables are pretty standard in a village taverna so came as no surprise. We half-heartedly looked through the menu which offered a variety of different options such as pork chop, various salads and fish dishes, but we all really knew that what we wanted a meze!
When the first round it was very impressive! The dips were served in a Sanidokoupa, a wooden, traditional bread-mould board. The salad was also in a large, traditional clay bowl. However, I stopped noticing the presentation when the Saganaki was put down in front of us. One of my all time favourites. Fried cheese! I was almost nervous as I put this little golden cube on to my plate because I so wanted it to be good. It was not good. It was fantastic! The right amount of crispness and a flavoursome cheese. Once I had regained all my senses, I noticed a dish that didn’t look like much at all; like the top half of a burger bun turned upside down and scored. This glorious, half roll had been marinated in olive oil and oregano, toasted and then sprinkled with sea salt. Something so simple but was so moreish!
Usually with meze, all the little dishes come out first and by the time the meat comes at the end everyone is full. At Voreas they didn’t stick to that same format and the meat came out early on. Starting with the very impressively presented chicken souvlakia. Still on the skewers, hanging from a mini rack, dangling above a bed of fried potatoes that had been topped off with parmesan. Not only was it great to look at, the meat was cooked very well.
All the dishes were very tasty. From the cheese covered baked vegetables in tomato sauce to the succulent cubes of souvlakia and the tender chops. With all this great food, needless to say we were well and truly full afterwards.
After the table had been cleared, the waiter offered us a coffee, which was brought with a little ‘Kattimeri’ cut in to triangles to share. Kattimeri is a flatbread, baked on a metal surface and covered with honey (sometimes also topped with cinnamon).
The environment at Voreas is so relaxing we sat at the table drinking our coffee and chatting away till dusk set upon us. If you think you’d like a delicious meal, in a relaxed environment, served by friendly and helpful staff then you should most definitely add Voreas to your list of places to try.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Meze
WHERE Voreas, Andrea Demetriou 3, Oroklini, Larnaca
CONTACT 24 647177
PRICE €18 for meze
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