Nasreen Halim has a taste of the Mediterranean

�I had been looking forward to eating at Cilicia all week as it always seems to be buzzing with people and has a very warm and intimate feel about it when I walk past.

As we were taking our seats, I felt instantly relaxed by the dim lights, hanging lanterns and lovely instrumental music in the background.

The aromas were also very inviting and my excitement grew as I prepared to order my food.

Our waiter, Sertan, was very helpful in explaining and recommending dishes. While we looked at the menu we started off with a bottle of sparkling Prosecco wine, which was very sweet and a real treat.

For starters we had grilled hallumi, grilled sardines, smoked salmon with parmesan shavings and Cicilian humus, which were all very tasty. The salmon with rocket and parmesan was my favourite as the flavours worked so well together.

All the starters seemed reasonably priced.

For mains, we chose Lycian chicken, baked with a cheese sauce and vegetables, which was very delicious indeed.

We also had sea bream, which was grilled, with salad and new potatoes. The fish was very meaty and cooked just the way I like it with a lemon twang.

For dessert, we had the aptly named chocolate bomb, a cake filled with warm chocolate accompanied by both ice cream and cream.

Final flourish

The flavours exploded in my mouth, and were not too sweet or rich. This dessert was perfect, and we ate it as quickly as it was brought out.

The service was excellent. Owner Kamil took the time to ensure that we were really enjoying ourselves. We didn’t wait long for any of our dishes, even though the restaurant was really quite busy.

As a final flourish, we had a couple of amaretto shots – a superb end to the evening.

Cilicia is a Mediterranean gem nestling in Muswell Hill, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.