Simple restaurant with the Michelin touch

Restaurant review: Stavris Kitchen, LarnacaWhen you hear about a restaurant opened by someone who reached the final of MasterChef Greece and has trained in a Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK, certain expectations immediately spring to mind. You picture somewhere rather fancy, perhaps a little exclusive, with beautifully presented dishes and prices to match. What you probably don’t imagine is a humble little restaurant serving burgers, fried chicken and traditional home-cooked meals. Yet that’s exactly what I discovered at Stavris Kitchen in Larnaca, and I was rather pleased. From the outside, there’s nothing particularly extravagant. In fact, at first glance, it looks like a residential house that has been converted into a small restaurant. What would once have been someone’s front porch now provides outdoor seating where customers can sit and enjoy Stavris’s take on some familiar favourites. It’s all rather unassuming. There’s no attempt to make the place seem grander than it is. The menu follows much the same approach. It’s relatively simple, but there’s enough variety to keep most people happy. Pork chops, steak and chicken cater for those wanting something substantial, while the burgers offer a few tempting alternatives. What I particularly liked, though, was the section dedicated to homemade classics. Seeing dishes such as kritharaki with minced meat, black-eyed beans and afelia immediately brought back memories of visiting my yiayia on a Sunday afternoon. They’re the sort of dishes I grew up enjoying, and it was lovely to see them sitting alongside burgers and fried chicken. I still found myself drawn towards the burgers. There were two different buttermilk fried chicken burgers that caught my attention, along with a BBQ pulled pork option. I eventually settled on the 100 per cent beef Classic Burger. Sometimes, despite all the tempting alternatives, you just fancy a good beef burger. When it arrived, my first thought was that the brioche bun looked rather large in comparison with the burger itself. I wondered whether they’d got the burger-to-bun ratio slightly wrong, but it turned out to be a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The bun was incredibly soft and airy, almost cloud-like, and compressed beautifully with each bite. What initially looked like far too much bread turned out to be just right. The beef itself was excellent, cooked exactly how I like it, with a lovely meaty flavour. Rather than going for the usual fries, we decided to have roasted sweet potato. Now, I’ve eaten my fair share of burgers over the years, but I honestly can’t remember ever being served one with roasted sweet potato on the side. And that’s exactly what it was, a sweet potato cut in half and roasted, rather than the usual chips or wedges. I certainly didn’t miss the fries! We couldn’t resist adding a portion of fried chicken tenders to share. They were fantastic. The coating was beautifully seasoned, with a really satisfying crunch, and the chicken inside was lovely. We had some baconnaise sauce to go with them, which worked particularly well. The portion was also extremely generous. In fact, between the burgers, sweet potato and chicken tenders, we’d clearly ordered more than we could manage. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs! Thankfully, a takeaway box was provided so we could enjoy the remaining chicken later at home. There was certainly no chance of leaving it behind. Another little surprise came when we looked at the drinks. It’s not every burger restaurant where you can enjoy an alcoholic drink with your meal, so I wasn’t expecting much beyond the usual soft drinks. There was a small selection of canned drinks that initially looked like they might be something along those lines, but on closer inspection, I realised that some were actually alcoholic! I decided to try the fig-flavoured gin and tonic, partly because it sounded so different from what I’d normally drink. A very pleasant surprise with the fig providing an interesting flavour. I was also pleased to discover that it was made in Cyprus. It’s always nice to see a local business supporting other local producers. What I found particularly appealing about Stavris Kitchen was how uncomplicated the whole experience felt. With the credentials behind the restaurant, it would have been easy to go down a completely different route, perhaps with an elaborate menu and dishes designed to impress before you’ve even tasted them. Instead, Stavris seems perfectly happy taking familiar food and making it really well. And while I thoroughly enjoyed my burger, I left feeling that I’d only scratched the surface of what the kitchen has to offer. Those buttermilk fried chicken burgers are still on my mind, as is the BBQ pulled pork, and I haven’t forgotten about the traditional dishes either. In fact, I think the kritharaki might be calling my name on my next visit. There’s no doubt I’ll be returning to Stavris Kitchen. It might not be the sort of restaurant you’d expect from someone with such an impressive background, but perhaps that’s what makes it so appealing. A modest little place serving familiar food with plenty of flavour, generous portions and some rather nice surprises along the way. VITAL STATISTICSSPECIALTY: InternationalWhere: Kalimnou 6B, 6037, LarnacaWhen: Monday to Saturday 12-10:30pm (closed 4:30pm-5:30pm)CONTACT: 24255592PRICES: 100% beef burger €14. Fried chicken tenders €12.50. Roasted sweet potato €3.50