FOOD. A Restaurant in North Cyprus on a par with Maxim's, Paris?

Panchocat


Joined: 29/11/2009
Posts: 1333

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 22:40

A quote from my friend. "The best meal I have had anywhere for a very long time. The whole ambience and the food at Midsummer House are amongst the best I have have experienced."

If you haven't yet tried it, do so, you are in for a treat. You will not be disappointed.

My friend has eaten at Maxim's in Paris and rated Midsummer House in Catalkoy as being in the same class.

The little touches make all the difference, canapes, inter course of soup and home made truffles with the coffee. Angela, Erdin and their staff are truly welcoming. Their high standards never slip. Thank you all for another lovely evening.

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 22:47

Something is amiss here, truffles with coffee? It's a mushroom, like me, a bit of a 'fun guy' to be with!



Richard

Panchocat


Joined: 29/11/2009
Posts: 1333

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 22:49

OK Brinsley, DIVINE chocolate truffles with the coffee! MMMMMmmmmmmmmm.

stevewest


Joined: 21/04/2010
Posts: 6

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 23:22

Agreed. Went there during their first week of opening. Very impressed. Comparred well with the Ritz which

I visted back in Feb in the UK. Will definetly be using this again. It helps that its only two minutes from my house!

Not to far to stagger home!



Steve

newlad



Joined: 02/03/2008
Posts: 7819

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 23:45

Do they charge the same as Maxims in Paris (Yorkshireman)

leylandlad


Joined: 15/11/2009
Posts: 215

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 23:56

well it is 10Tl for a bottle of Efes!!!!! (That may give you a clue)!!!



Beautiful place though

Deniz1


Joined: 28/07/2009
Posts: 3829

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 05:40

It must be lovely there unfortunately its out of my league price wise.

CarrieRBag



Joined: 23/12/2008
Posts: 1374

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 07:46

That is an incredible profit on just one bottle, no matter how good the ambience is.

Texas


Joined: 22/09/2009
Posts: 634

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 07:48

I paid 7TL for Efes. And that was on New Years Eve!



Their prices must have changed. When did you go Leylandlad?

itfc1978


Joined: 31/03/2009
Posts: 187

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 08:59

It is 7tl for a beer which is still pricey but the meal prices ae not to bad cosidering how good it is.



The presentation,setting,service and food make it a very special experience

Panchocat


Joined: 29/11/2009
Posts: 1333

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 09:05

It is not 10Tl for Efes as earlier said it was 7Tl. Cheaper than a lot of the hotels. The owners have listened to feed back and have altered prices accordingly. There is a lovely day time menu, which is cheaper, so you could try that or afternoon tea or morning coffee to judge for yourselves before being put off by people saying it's so expensive.

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 10:25

It's now around 7 TL for a small beer in Greece, so not too outrageous in a posh risto.

leylandlad


Joined: 15/11/2009
Posts: 215

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 10:50

The prices must have been changed then, we went to the Open Day to look at the tennis facilities and i saw it there with my own eyes!!!!



Good to see they have dropped the prices slightly though.

jacktheladett


Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 528

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 11:08

My personal opinion is if you like classic blazer and chino's 'golf and country club' type of feel/decor, you will like it. (Unlike Esentepe golf club which is more modern.) We were the only people in on a lunch time, so obviously there was no atmosphere, but we found it very dark and dour. The grey marble floors and dark wood furniture make it worse, it might be different in the evening, but we felt it was very uninspiring.



To get some light, you go in the 'conservatory' area, where the view is telegraph poles and the roof of someone's house. Great. Otherwise there are no views, even though they are high up.



The food however was nice - nothing particularly inventive on there - but we have eaten better at 14, Efendi's, Rocks, Mercure, etc etc. A small bottle of water was 4TL, which we thought expensive, didn't look at the cost of the wine. Main courses were 25-30TL and desserts around 12TL. The service was good.



It is an acquired taste, just not ours.

MickytheHat


Joined: 20/03/2010
Posts: 8

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 11:20

I've been there a few times and was very disappointed with the main courses. I had Beef Wellington which was in fact fillet steak with a square of pastry on the top. It was 'alright' but nothing special. I also had Lamb Mignons which, again, were not what you would expect. Lamb Mignons are the fillet part of a lamb chop - so I was expecting several of these on my plate. Instead I got Lamb Noisettes which is very different. Lamb Noisettes are made from a neck of lamb with the bone taken out and the rest wound round to form a circle and generally secured with a cocktail stick. They were awful. Fatty and chewy with very little meat.



The ambiance of this place and the attention given by the owners is wonderful - but, for the money, the main courses I chose were very poor. Their 'Beef Wellington' should be called something else - because it isn't 'Beef Wellington'. And the Lamb Mignons should be renamed to what you really get - Noisettes of Lamb.



Such a shame.

jakki



Joined: 23/10/2007
Posts: 865

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 13:22

....really great honest reviews

rcroton


Joined: 05/06/2008
Posts: 192

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 14:19

Is this the same place, on another post loads of great reviews

erdin


Joined: 02/12/2009
Posts: 178

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 09:30

my my my , somehow the term " can't please them all " springs to mind. Leylandlad,don't know what menu you were looking at on our open day but the price of beer has been 7 tl since 1 December.In a fine dining restaurant where you get treated like royalty,if you find it expensive then obviously you'd be at the wrong place! If you were at a bar or a cafe i might see your point but you weren't.You clearly are not the clientel we are seeking to attract .This site can be very negative at times and not mention the good things about a restaurant.

All i can say is judge a place by visiting and seeing for yourselves (you don't even have to buy anything!!)

as everyone's views and expectations are different.

Panchocat


Joined: 29/11/2009
Posts: 1333

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 10:15

Well said Erdin and we disagree with the comments about the lack of atmosphere and gloomy dining room. You are far superior to the Golf Club.

To all those of you with fair minds and an enjoyment of good food in beautiful surroundings make up your own mind go and see for yourselves. There is no element of country club, blazers and chinos. When we dined there this week jeans were being worn an the atmosphere was lovely, as always.

Keep up the good work Angela and Erdin, you certainly please us!

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 10:25

Mickey the Hat told it as it was it seems and that is not negative just the truth. Consistency of quality is the hardest and most important thing to achieve in a restaurant. It's no good often being brilliant and then below par at other times. It's not an easy thing to achieve. Keeping it simple is always best and get quality produce and a reliable chef.

jakki



Joined: 23/10/2007
Posts: 865

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 10:48

......but we do need critics good and bad, where would we be without them!! I am going to visit the place myself to make up my own mind - I had my birthday at The Dorchester in London and I know that Alain Ducasse is meant to be the best chef on the planet but to be honest I can't remember what I had to eat - so it couldn't have been, obviously, that memorable. I do visit restaurants in London based on restaurant critics' good review - but more often than not I come away thinking 'what was that all about'. Midsummer sounds to me that it's not the sort of place where you complain that tuppance has been added to the bottle of Efes.

erdin


Joined: 02/12/2009
Posts: 178

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 11:34

We pride ourselves in producing fresh good food consistently and are open to criticism at all times ,just wish that when we do a table check to see that meals are ok when served ,customers would mention if anything is wrong so it can be rectified.We are all people and sometimes can make a mistake and serve below par food and would be too happy to put it right if given the chance.Beef Wellington is served the way described on the menu.The reason why it is topped with a pastry rather than enveloping it is so can be served singly instead of multi portions.The ingredients are exactly the same as traditional one.It happens to be our bestseller on the menu and most customers compliment us on it.

breezyboy


Joined: 14/05/2007
Posts: 1179

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 11:46

We certainly will come and make our own decisions.

But I dont think you are yet in a position to talk like the late Peter Langham regarding who you want and who you dont want.

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 14:37

Ah Peter Langham..what a character! With Floyd off the scene now not too many left.

Panchocat


Joined: 29/11/2009
Posts: 1333

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 15:23

Breezyboy and Corbo, get your facts right in regard to restaurant icons please.



Peter Langham was an American film Director, Writer, Producer.



On the other hand if you are a foodie you may well have been to PETER LANGANS brasserie/bistro in London!

vincent1


Joined: 20/07/2009
Posts: 212

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 15:45

We have dined at Midsummer House and were generally impressed with the building, surroundings , decor etc.

My main meal was tiny and really not worth the price charged although it was reasonably well cooked. The service was good but we were the only customers all night. We thought that in general that it was not great value for money but would be nice to visit on special occasions.

We found drinks to be expensive. I guess we will be classified under ' clearly not the clientel we wish to attract' banner so will not not be returning as I guess we are not welcome.

Erdin, you should heed both good and bad comments and learn from them and not discriminate against people who say things that you do not want to hear.

Believe me ...whoever compared your restaurant with Maxims in Paris is in my opinion is very deluded, and I have dined there on many occasions.

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 15:55

I stand corrected Panchocat..but we know what we meant.

davedee



Joined: 01/12/2008
Posts: 479

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 16:11

message 15. Noisettes of lamb (round piece of lamb) not always from the neck!!

Mignon means dainty not just from Lamb Chop.

Message 22 erdin really feel for any Restaurateur in TRNC my my they know how to give a bashing on this board.

Perhaps for Mickythehat you should consider an indivdual beef wellington.and yes when you do a table check 'yes all is fine 'then they let loose on the forum later.

erdin


Joined: 02/12/2009
Posts: 178

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 16:52

msg 26 Vincent 1,we do like to hear both good and bad comments especially so we can improve on them.However,when one can`t tell the difference why beer price might be 1 or 2 lira higher than let`s say a bar or a cafe and their main concern is how cheaply they can consume it disregarding attention to detail and service etc.then it is in their interest to consume it elsewhere as we will not compromise on quality,service and the extras which cost to provide.You say your meal was tiny and not a good value ( prices range between 25 -35 tl ) yet you forgot to mention the free canapes and freshly made soup and baked bread at no extra cost. Some customers tell us it is too big and to cut the size down so they could enjoy one of our puddings.If you found it small all you have to do is ask for more and we will be happy to give you more.We are here to please all our customers however we can but we are not mind readers, so unless you say when something is wrong we can`t possibly rectify it.

MotoMoto


Joined: 15/02/2009
Posts: 152

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 17:34

Ahh Corbo - you mentioned Peter Langan and Floyd in the same breath!



I had my stag night at Langans in October 1984, and Peter Langan sat drinking under our table, having previously offered a bottle of champagne to any girl who would flash her boobs to him....a legendary character



Floyd was a distant relative, but a very innovative chef - again sorely missed



Laurence Floyd

kavenkoy


Joined: 10/04/2008
Posts: 1787

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 17:52

is there a web site with menu attached to view please anybody ?



i love dining out so i cant wait to give it a bash in the summer .



kav

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 18:11

K. Floyd; any relation of yours MotoMoto?

Corbo



Joined: 13/09/2009
Posts: 627

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 18:13

Sorry just saw he was a distant relative.

breezyboy


Joined: 14/05/2007
Posts: 1179

Message Posted:
23/04/2010 20:37

Anyhow, went to Longbarrows Bistro one night waiting for a tiff to start between some b class notables and ended up with it happening on our table betwen sister in law and nephew. No discount for provididng the floor show. Was his partner Caine or Abel