Number 14, Kyrenia, North Cyprus
September 18, 2009 by Essential Ed
Filed under Restaurants & Dining, See & Do
Being invited out to dinner these days is quite a treat so it was a happy lady who agreed to try out the new a la carte Number 14 restaurant in Kyrenia, located within the old the Turkish Quarter. The local grapevine has been buzzing with good reviews of a lovely evening out in smart surroundings with a mouth-watering menu on offer. Time to try it ourselves, being suckers for posh nosh in North Cyprus!
It would be rather pointless to offer directions to the venue, but if you know other landmarks such as Miss Knottleys or the Taekwondo gym then you will find it. It’s actually located at the home of proprietors Cliff and Kay Hewson-Morgan and the property is called Yazade House. It might be therefore advisable to give them a call on the number at the end of this article if you are unsure!
Firstly the eatery is set in their garden, which is extremely tasteful – well you can’t go far wrong from having a great venue if it’s located in one of these beautiful old properties which has been restored and decorated so wonderfully well! Seating (which is pretty much totally outdoors so summer dining only sadly!) is arranged around the roman ended pool, and there are various nooks and crannies to hide yourself away in too. Also sadly, this stupid reviewer forgot their camera on the night, so a return daytime visit to take photos will have to suffice this time round!
To give some tasters on the menu front, you can choose from starter options (they call them ‘beginnings’) such as Ostrich pate, pork terrine with onion marmalade, avocado pear with walnuts and sweet mustard dressing to name a 
few, starting at 10TL. If they aren’t enough of an example as to how tempting the menu is, the main courses (‘middles’) are really quite something too. Choose from fillet steak with mustard sauce, cheeky pork with peppercorn and apple sauce, quail with green grapes and almonds in white wine sauce, or fish bobotie amongst others, with prices starting at 20TL. If that doesn’t completely fill you up then desserts (‘endings’) are a must with such delights as crème brulee ice-cream, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate ganache cake and port and cheese for example, with prices starting at 10TL. We thought that the prices were very reasonable – an a la carte 3 course meal for 40TL per head without drinks is pretty good!
However, inevitably drinks were required and we plumped for the complete treat of Kir Royale champagnes by the glass – yum! They were 12TL each, so depending on how quickly they are drunk you could spend quite a bit! Each of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals, and the fancy ingredients and wording for each dish lived up to expectation without fail. Whoever has come up with the menu, which does alter regularly, has definite flair for flavouring each dish and we were all very impressed.
As mentioned already, the venue is lovely, with underwater pool lighting offering diners a feeling of calming relaxation with the waitresses not being the least bit intrusive (although they managed brilliantly to spot when we needed another refill!) and with tables having space between each other you do not feel packed in which was very welcome. We experienced one of those cheer inducing power cuts whilst dining, but staff were quickly placing candles on our tables to compensate which made the atmosphere even more convivial. Another plus as 
always was that is was very busy, if not full the night we dined, so the ambience was very satisfying too.
All in all our bill came to 249TL for three beginnings, three middles and three endings with about 7 champagnes, caffetiere coffee and three Baileys (well we weren’t driving and it was a treat for a good reason!) – not bad at all – in fact we had been so concerned about falling off our chairs after that lot and then receiving a huge bill that it was quite a relief!!
We would thoroughly recommend trying Number 14, but be quick as they are only open until the end of October and not open again until May 1st next year. This makes sense as the venue is al fresco dining only! Number 14 is located at No. 14 Yazıcızade Sokak, Girne. Book a table via Tel +90 (0)542 8592072 or +90 (0)392 8155769 or even visit the venue and complete the booking sheet pinned on the door outside. And, don’t forget to ask for directions if you need them!
If you would like to find out more about dining opportunities, types of cuisine available or even read more of our reviews then please visit our Restaurants & Dining in North Cyprus section for more information.