Tucked down a side road (next to Raffles) off the Tomb of the Kings Avenue
is the small Artemis Taverna. It’s far enough away from the main road for the traffic noise to be almost indiscernible, and the main noise (other than the music from the pub next door) is the garden fountain and the chirping of caged birds. Around the restaurant various large planters displayed some immense vegetation. Not quite jungle like, but…!
We sat towards the edge of the gardened restaurant in comfortable padded armchairs alongside a round table with a crisp linen table cloth draped to the ground. On arrival, a beaming owner lit a candle in a small wicker container. She made a reasonable attempt at small talk, but her English was extremely limited. Whilst we considered the menu, we ordered a couple of large beers, but only one was brought to the table. She explained to us that she wanted us to enjoy the beer well chilled and so the second one would be brought to us when the first one had been consumed. I couldn’t fault her logic.
Deep-fried mushrooms were my chosen starter, and they were piping hot. Hot and delicious. My wife opted for what was becoming her favourite starter, Greek hors d’oeuvre, and although she claimed that it was not the best she’d eaten, the plates were soon polished clean, with the remains of the warm pita bread. I opted for the main course of beef stifado, which turned out to be worthy of any higher-priced restaurant. The meat was extremely tender and was superbly subtly flavoured with a delicate blend of herbs, giving it a mild curry tang.
The apple pie and ice cream was our chosen dessert, and although I’ve tasted better pastry, there was loads of it and it was nicely laced with cinnamon. I was just thinking what good value it was (three courses for £7.75) when a plate of watermelon was placed before us. Presumably this was to clear the palate, but there was more than enough and we only just managed to clear the plate!
We rested a while and enjoyed the full moon that was glistening through the trellising before signalling for the bill. Within seconds, a couple of complimentary brandies were placed on the table. It was brandy of reasonable quality (not usually the case when they’re giving it away), and so we settled down for more chat and savoured the full flavours of the cognac.
Artemis is a no-hassle, no-nonsense taverna offering good, honest basic food of a high quality. My mother always used to say that clean plates are an indication of a meal well prepared and enjoyed by the diner. We didn’t leave a morsel! For cheap quality food, Artemis is well worth a visit.