By Nan Mackenzie
There has always been a mild level of paranoia that comes over me when I dine in a quality Chinese restaurant, it’s the fear that no matter how carefully I read the menu, however much I plot my menu choices I am still going to fail to get the best out of the place. I will have ordered what I believe to be a good selection of dishes but, as I wait for my food to arrive I am keenly aware of a cavalcade of delicious steaming plates of differing deliciousness being served to other tables.
Last Sunday however the paranoia was somewhat lessened as I joined a group of friends to test drive Chloe’s Chinese restaurant’s Sunday buffet. Situated on the seafront in the tourist area, since 1998 it has been the very best place in Paphos to relish both excellent service and quality food thanks to owner Efthyvoulos Panayioyou and his son Paris, whose dishes reflect the cooking styles of Beijing, Shandong, Sichuan, Huai Yang and Tan provinces.
The restaurant is set on three levels and entering one is immediately immersed in a visual celebration of all things Chinese from some rather impressive man sized Chinese embossed vases, a raft of fiery dragons, delicate water paintings and heavy jade carvings. And seated on the most comfortable blood red upholstered seating, you instantly know that this is a place which takes both its food and customer experience seriously.
The buffet is served on the top floor, which offers a lovely sea view through hand etched glass windows. One look at the array of dishes on display and I was reminded of the rather wonderful
Miss Piggy who when asked what her secret was to maintaining her perfect figure replied ‘Never eat more than you can lift’…
That is surely the beauty of a buffet as one can load up gently but often without giving rise to any suggestion of being a glutton merely a foodie determined to taste drive all the dishes on offer.
We satisfied ourselves starting with soup then Sushi wraps and seasoned pork wrapped in lettuce leaves, before demolishing between four people a large sea bream that was so delicately cooked it just melted in the mouth like forkfuls of ginger flavoured edible velvet. Chicken wings with a good bite to them, fried chicken in a tangy sauce with garlic and ginger plus a seemingly endless supply of excellent spring rolls kept us more than content, accompanied by a selection of rather marvellous wines from the extensive wine store that Efthyvoulous has nurtured over the years.
This was a buffet that never lost its freshness, rarely was there an empty serving dish as staff ensured throughout that everyone, no matter how late they arrived, was given a full and varied choice of freshly made delights.
During the week Chloe’s ground floor area is a popular evening venue, while on the top floor reside a couple of rather splendid private dining rooms perfect for small groups, to be used for everything from discussing politics to hen and stag celebrations – nowhere else in Paphos can one seclude oneself with friends in such intimate cosy dining rooms quite like these.
Finally, having worked on my paranoia last Sunday, I feel ready and more than willing to return during the week for their a la carte dishes confident in the knowledge that if the fear strikes again I will be able to keep calm knowing there is always the variety of the Sunday buffet where I can repeat my very best Miss Piggy diet routine.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Chinese
WHERE Chloe’s No 1 Restaurant –13 Posidonos Ave on the seafront opposite municipal baths
CONTACT 26 934676 or 99 489949
PRICE €15 Euros per person Sunday buffet
WHEN Open lunch and dinner
