Restaurant review: Geppetto, Paphos

One of the latest places in Paphos offering a touch of culinary theatre is Geppetto restaurant, the adult-only dining space at M-Boutique hotel, which opened just over a year ago. A beautiful modern hotel, it occupies an imposing corner position at the end of a road just set back from the seafront promenade, near the harbour. The smart hotel looks slightly out of place next to a backdrop of loud commercial signs and a concrete skeleton across the road. The memo that ‘Paphos is changing’ may not have reached most of the property owners in this area, but the moment you cross the threshold of the hotel a luxury experience envelops you.

The dining area is not huge, but it features a large bar at one end and a wrap-around terrace. An air of a private members’ club pervades throughout the interior, with the heavy and stylish use of wood and marble. It is very modern and very London. Tables are set apart to accommodate possibly the largest dining chairs I have ever seen, which were also incredibly comfortable. For the pièce de résistance, look up to see a magnificent, huge light installation in the form of a human figure.

Sommelier Panayiotis Daniel presented the wine list and recommended the paired wine option to accompany the chef’s tasting menu, which, as tempting as it sounded, we vetoed due to work commitments. However, for any wine lover, there is an imposing wine list with the added benefit of the charming Panayiotis on hand to advise.

The restaurant menu, overseen by Rafi Cohen, changes to reflect seasonal produce. Unusually, the menu is not divided into the usual format of three parts, although the starters are at the top and flow into the mains. The menu offers a unique take on Mediterranean cuisine, with influences from all over the world. It is not often I read a menu and find so many dishes calling my name. Bearing this in mind, we elected to go with the Chef’s Tasting Menu of six courses. The excitement of not knowing what was coming added to our anticipation.

A bowl of tuna sashimi started the meal, which was beautifully presented. It was a silky, melt-in-the-mouth experience with tomatoes, coriander and crème fraiche on the side, which worked very well with the addition of a chilli kick. A very sophisticated dish with none of the flavours overpowering each other.

Surprisingly, the next plate was a lamb taco, which seemed a little out of place on such a sophisticated menu. However, this was my mistake, as it was supreme and the best version I have ever tried. The taco was as light as a cloud and worked well with the symphony of flavours including a lamb kofta, spicy tomatoes, tahini and herb salad.

Having polished off the taco, we were presented with an unusual polenta dish, with mushrooms, greens, roasted corn, parmesan and truffle slices. The combination worked exceptionally well, offering a very unusual sweet taste sensation. The latest buzzword ingredient in the international gastronomic world is roasted corn, so it was good to see it here on the menu.

By this point, you would think we were getting rather full, but thanks to the perfect size of the dishes, this was certainly not the case. One of the standout dishes was next, pumpkin agnolotti. The handmade folds of agnolotti encased roasted pumpkin and anari cheese, which, together with a lemon butter sauce, created a unique earthiness complemented by the tang of the lemons. The brave sprinkling of amaretti biscuits added a crunch to crown this excellent pasta dish.

Our last savoury course of the night was white fish, which changes according to what is available. Ours featured snapper with a fennel cream, tomato confit and a saffron and fennel sauce. The combination worked very well and did not take over the delicate flavour of the fish.

Something you rarely see these days, a lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate after all the wonderful flavours before the dessert. To finish, we enjoyed the Geppetto variation of chocolate fudge cake. Those with a sweet tooth will be in heaven. A slice of indulgence with an unapologetically rich cake. The side ingredients of crème fraiche, orange, strawberry sorbet, hazelnuts, and white chocolate crumble all added to the bold and balanced experience.

In essence, this is very much where Geppetto scores. They take a dish and just make it that little bit different, offering an excellent dining experience. The chef is a master at combining unusual flavours that actually work. The tasting menu certainly offers the chance to try a significant part of the menu, but we will return to try the other tempting options.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Fine dining modern Mediterranean

WHERE Geppetto, M Boutique Hotel, Alkminis 3, Paphos

WHEN dinner menu 6-10.30pm Tuesday to Sunday. Open for breakfast and lunch every day. Booking advised.

CONTACT 26 931017

HOW MUCH 6-course Chef’s Tasting Menu €65 per person