THE VILLAGE OF KITI OFFERS SOME EASTERN PROMISE
MY NAME IS GEORGE JACKSON
My name is George Jackson, and I am a professional food critic. I recently visited Flavours at the Landmark in the village of Kiti, which boasts a combination of two cuisines, Thai, Asian and Indian. I have created an honest and fair review of my experience, and I have factored several things into my submission. These include service, parking, quality, variety, environment, entertainment, and value for money.
LOTS OF CHOICE
The Flavours at the Landmark offers something completely off the radar. Its cuisine is both Indian and Thai Asian. Some locals told me that the family-run restaurant used to be just another Cyprus Tavern, but it began to diversify a few years back by gradually adding Thai Asian and Indian food to its menu. This proved so popular with the locals that it eventually adopted the new menu full time. As a fan of both cuisines, I promptly booked a table for one.Â
LOCAL TRANSPORT
I took the intercity bus into Larnaca and then the local bus 430, which runs straight through the village of Kiti every 20 minutes or so. I pleasantly found that the bus passed the restaurant, and as I departed at the main village square, I crossed the road and double-backed to my destination.Â
THE VILLAGE OF KITI
It is true to say that the village of Kiti is a lovely place to spend an evening or two. Its narrow streets and classic architecture blend in perfectly with its trendy bars, coffee shops, and many restaurants. I immediately appreciated the elegantly tiled streets and ambient lighting that set the scene for an enjoyable evening.Â
A GREETING WITH A LOVELY SMILE
On arrival, the staff greeted me with a lovely smile and saw me straight to my table in the corner of a beautiful rustic courtyard located at the back of the restaurant. My first impression was very good, and I found that the setting had both character and endless charm. The courtyard was already virtually full with diners and their distant chatter, and the delightful aromas emanating from the kitchen area made me feel very welcome. The whitewashed walls were set off nicely by the lovely artwork. Some stained-glass windows and the small colourful lanterns running across the centre of the courtyard created the ambience of a truly wonderful place. I started the evening with an ice-cold Keo beer, which I enjoyed as I perused the menu.Â
A STRAIGHTFORWARD MENU
The straightforward, convenient menu has just enough of each cuisine to provide a good variety of options. It is laid out into ‘Indian’, ‘Thai Asian’ and ‘Other Option’ sections that all read very well. I was also glad to see that there is a vegetable, meat or seafood option for nearly everything at very reasonable prices. As I looked over each section, it was obvious to me that I would need to order something from each section to fully appreciate what this restaurant had to offer. When I explained this to the waitress, she offered to bring out starter-size portions of everything I wanted to try in the true Cyprus meze sense of the fashion. This gesture prompted me to push the boat out a little, and I chose a good balance of both Indian with Thai food to enhance my culinary journey at the restaurant.Â
A NICE SELECTION OF STARTERS
Once the service began, I could tell that I was in for a treat. I was promised that everything had been made with fresh, local ingredients, and this was confirmed once the food began to arrive.  I was glad to see that all of the food arrived at the correct pace and the presentation was great. This allowed me to really savour not only what I had ordered, but also my surroundings. I started with a portion of Indian onion bhajis accompanied by a Thai seafood salad with lemongrass. I also thought that I would indulge in the coconut milk-based tom kha soup. The seafood was the perfect size for one person and had a good amount of seafood. A generous portion of eight onion bhajis soon followed, and the crispy delight made with chickpea flour went down very well with my vegetable-based soup.
AN INDIAN TREAT
I ordered a lamb vindaloo and a chicken korma curry along with a portion of plain naan bread with some jeera rice from the Indian section. The meat was tender and had just the right amount of spices, and the lamb vindaloo set a good contrast against the other offerings with its rich, fiery tomato-based sauce complementing the generous amount of potatoes well. The chicken korma had a perfect swirl of cream on the surface, which made it look rather impressive, and the fresh buttery flavour of this dish was just right. The jeera rice again had just the right amount of spices that were not overpowering, and the naan bread was perfect for mopping up all of these irresistible sauces.Â
THAI FOOD TO SAVOUR
The Thai chicken with its generous cashew nuts in oyster sauce also went down very well, and I could just make out the hint of the cashews seeping through the well-placed chicken in the oyster sauce. The Thai prawn sweet and sour dish had a hint of spice that suggested to me that it was more of a sweet chilli than a sweet and sour, but this did not detract from the fact that it was superb. The steamed basil rice muted all of the rich flavours nicely, but the highlight for me, surprisingly, was the simplest thing on the menu. The stir-fried vegetables were excellently prepared, using a nice butter and sesame oil combination that gave them just the right amount of crunch.
AN OVERALL DELIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE
On reflection, Flavours at the Landmark is a lovely family-run restaurant that offers something unique and refreshing in the heart of the village of Kiti. This restaurant offers good food at great prices and is a perfect choice for lovers of both Indian and Thai cuisines. A visit to this restaurant will result in a delightful experience that will combine delicious food, great surroundings, warm hospitality, with a great Cypriot feel.
Flavours at the LandmarkÂ
Kitiou Avenue 26, Kiti, Cyprus
Open from 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm daily
Tel: 24 425 920
