RAF akriatri nimrod cypriot kabab ?

[mrmrsmith2]

sorry to but in on pension,PVR, MOD cuts etc threads important stuff I know
but many moons ago (93 to 95) when I was a lowly SAC airphoto dude, naïve person , well no on me last tour ex RAFG when it was fun, ex Colt GW1, Kurds insilik etc, but thoughs stories are for another day………..
I was fortunate enough to go out with a nimmy crew and a few other adim staff/Mt tech etc if memory serve me right on a 5 day jolly to AKT,
What I can’t remember is what was served up the first night we got there, as the crew and us cling ons all met up and had a “cypriot kabab” near the base, I remember goats cheese thingy and chicken and drinking lots of the red winy stuff which was lovely at the time coz its free or drink as much as you want he he ahhhh. What I’m looking for is what else do they serve up in the “cypriot kabab” I remember at least 6 7 or 8 plus courses of what I would like to know what it was ment to be

Aware I will be told dog cat etc, though would like to know… he he

[Grabbers]

Have you partaken of any Kokinelli tonight?

[LFFC]

Ah, the good old Akrotiri Kebab. I think BEagle described it perfectly here:

Kokkinelli and the EU (http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/244394-kokkinelli-eu.html#post2859356)

I wonder if VC10 crews are still banned from the Bunch of Grapes? Or even if it still exists!

Oh - happy days!!! ;)

[Nomorefreetime]

Shish Kebab
Pork Chop
Halumi
Chicken
Luntza - Ham
Liver

fingers crossed I will be enjoying the delights of a kebab house tomorrow night.

[BEagle]

'Chicken' is a rather charitable term for the casual assembly of skin, bone, gristle and shreds of flesh which constitute the well-known Cypriot racing fowl.....:\

"Who halloumi, who liver??"

Great times though!!

[iRaven]

And lashings of Tahini sauce and nosebags (AKA Pitta Bread) :ok:

Why not add a Filfar and a Brandy Sour for extra authenticity?

iRaven

[ricardian]

Not forgetting an inexhaustible supply of those lovely, juicy tomatoes and that chopped up cabbage with dressing. Little Arif's and Big Arif's in 1965-67, happy days! 750 mils for a taxi to Limassol or 150 mils on the bus (shared with goats, chickens etc)

[VinRouge]

And dont forget to wash it down with that spirit that tastes just like pernod.

[chopabeefer]

You had pitta bread, olives in oil with balsamic vinegar, chicken, pork, the lovely sausages; were called 'sheftalia'. The cheese was hallloumi (fried or bbq'd goats cheese), and the wine was local. You probably didn't have kochinelli unless you asked for it. Maybe you did.
Maybe you've had some recently..:hmm:

[mrmrsmith2]

the best one for us was leaving camp in taxi for Limassol, RAFP stopped us on the way out of camp, sorry blah blah all RAF Akrotiri personnel are comefined to camp (pongos had just killed the swedish lady that day),anddy I think Sgt adim quick as a flash, sorry were RAF Kinloss, RAFP sorry just be careful down town guys and girls...

[Tankertrashnav]

Not forgetting the magic Limassol taxis - usually old Merc 190s that had been round the clock several times. Magic, because you climbed in the back seat on one side, closed your eyes for a few seconds then "hey presto" you slid across and got out the other door at Akrotiri.

Could never work out how they did it :confused:

[Duchess_Driver]

All washed down with gallons of Keo no doubt!

Not forgetting the magic Limassol taxis - usually old Merc 190s that had been round the clock several times. Magic, because you climbed in the back seat on one side, closed your eyes for a few seconds then "hey presto" you slid across and got out the other door at Akrotiri.

Could never work out how they did it


I often wondered if the drivers closed their eyes as well....

[Willard Whyte]

Ah, the 'Blofeldmobile'; as you say, seats coated in teflon.

[Tashengurt]

As I recall the taxis weren't adverse to taking a couple in the boot to get through the gate.

[Echo 5]

If you are referring to the Bunch of Grapes in Pissouri village then yes it does still exist. Not the most popular eatery any longer (IMHO), that distinction probably goes to The Hideaway at the top end of the square.

[Could be the last?]

A lot of these places live on a rep of bygone days and, unfortunately, now provide very average food at extortionate prices!

Reasons:

1 - Since they joined the Euro the cost of everything has gone up through the roof and is just not sustainable! See the Greeks/Portugese/Spain. Expect a bailout at some point soon.

2 - Most of the decent eateries now have a certain Eastern influence.......!

But if they are locally owned and charge a reasonable price, then they probably won't serve you as there is no power on the island......

[Lottery Winner]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Chris Kebab! Not the best kebab or the cheapest kebab but a free bus from the blocks/messes and some raucus times ... Chris (and son) would do you a special deal on hire cars as well although you probably wouldn't want to have the cars examined too closely!!!

I was always a liver man.

LW

[Nomorefreetime]

No Kebab tonight, maybe tomorrow, we will see

[BEagle]

More reading here: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/77559-kokkinelli-kebab-darkens-stool.html

and here: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/420713-cyprus-style-meze.html

Some repetition, but great memories!

[Canadian Break]

And the prize for the best food in Cyprus goes to Augustus in the Phini Tavern. Lived in Saittas for 2 years (92-94) and ate there 2 or 3 times a week - what a setting and what food; the best steak (Phini Special) I have had anywhere in the world - bar none. Trip to the WC was quite exciting though! CB

[sharpend]

Kebabs? I have lived two lives.

The last was with Beagle on 10s... Akrotiri village, crew kebab, not too expensive. Well described by The Beagle.

Then there was the 60s when Akrotiri village did not even exist. Kebabs were proper Turkish thingies, 12 bob (60p new money), all the Kokinelli you could drink, for free! And then there were the throwing kebabs, well frequented by the Akrotiri Bad News Society (me founder member). Then one drove back in the dark, flat out on the dirt road thought the plantation, no lights, in old MGBs or Triumph Spitfiers (TR4s if you were posh). No breathalizer, no speed limits out of town, no MOTs, penicillin cured everything and we got paid more than we needed.

Happy days (or should I say Happy daze)

[Lima Juliet]

Sharpend

Turkish kebab? Wash your mouth out Sir, only Greek on this island thank you :=

Anyway, Silvano's "Cypriot racing chickens" were my favourites. One bite and finished prior to lobbing them over the balcony before looking for the next unfortunate demised and runted bird (and I'm not talking about TPMH!).

On the way back, a bit of bus surfing followed by "We got trough the picket post, dooo, daaa...". More beers at Animal House prior to the Feds turning up telling us that we're too noisy for the OMQs. Beers on Ollie Harvest, nights out in the Crazy Parrot (including vomitting in a "lady's" handbag), Halloumi at breakfast from George the pooftah ("welcome please, the officers...") and all in time to gun the banner and see the results with an ice cream in hand at Echo Dispersal.

Halcyon days...

LJ:ok:

[JliderPilot]

What about Stef and Georges place...free ride to and from the Epi but I think george might have been under the afluence...

Breakfast in the aircrew feeder...did that bacon smell of fish?

[Schnowzer]

I could never work out how if you bought a bottle of kokinelli it turned to vomit on reaching the FIR boundary, must have been the gun pod! Cyp kebabs, both Turkish an Greek, have a magic ingredient that makes them taste great but....only on the island.

My favourite spot for breaky was the Appollo cafe in limassol, wondrous bacon and haloumi butties with OJ; almost cured kebabitis!

[BEagle]

Breakfast in the aircrew feeder...did that bacon smell of fish?

Assuming that you didn't wake up confused in the WRAF block, the fish smell was probably due to the bacon having been obtained from a cheapskate pig farmer who used excessive fish meal in piggy's diet. Addition of fish meal is cheap method to reduce the time from weaner to abbatoir - but makes the bacon taste horrible.

Only two things should taste of fish; one of those is not bacon! The bacon in the feeder (or OM) never looked like rashers you find in the UK - it looked as though it had been obtained by the simple expedient of shoving dynamite up the pig's bottom, retiring to a safe distance and then collecting the resulting bits of ex-pig no matter what shape they were in!

[Wander00]

Beagle - thanks for one of the best laughs I have had in ages - I can almost see the surprised, then horrified, look on the face of the about to be ex-pig!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

triggered by BEagle's mentioning of WRAF blocks.

A new guy on our squadron got back to his room in Akrotiri mess to find the Chief Matron asleep in his bed. What's more, she'd moved all her stuff in too!

After some time, he was persuaded to use another room, into which his mates had already moved his stuff. The room had a particularly offensive armchair however, which he felt obliged to eject from the room after an argument. It was a balcony room.

..and I can't tell you the rest, but there was more...

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

I have found a company who imports Shufty sausages, minimum order 10kg!

Google for Sheftalia suppliers and they can be contacted via the Alibaba site.

Will report back if they are lush.

[BEagle]

For those with more modest appetites than SPHLC, a company called Villagers Sausages Online sell sheftaliah by the 1/2 kg: Villagers Sausages Online Store (http://www.englishsausages.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=51F392004&rnd=8627051&rrc=N&affl=&cip=&act=&aff=&pg=prod&ref=Sheftalia&cat=&catstr=)

But it will never be the same without Keo beer in litre bottles, Kokinelli in old Corona (not the Mexican beer!) pop bottles, some inquistive bondhu cats and the noisy, chaotic atmosphere of a genuine Akronelli kebab house!

[Al R]

.. not forgetting Souvenir of course, the local moonshine.

Saddo that I am, I still have a bottle of Keo (unopened) from 1987 that was going to be cracked when I got posted back. Of course, I never did so consequently, neither did it. However, I am looking forward to being one of those middle aged duffers who gets a pre-arranged guided tour when he heads out there for 2 weeks in September and pitches up at the gate.

The Swan for me, everytime - as may be evidenced by my e-goat log in..

[BEagle]

I'd heard that The Swan is, regrettably, no more? It was the epitome of a real kebab house and in my mind I can still hear the merry sound of tables scraping across the floor as they were re-arranged to meet the diverse needs of a group of Ascoteers! The old boy with a face the colour and texture of walnut who sat in the corner in his grey cardigan no matter what time of year it was, the black and white TV playing mysterious Greek programmes to no-one in particular at warp lots, the footballing antics of the bondhu cats as they nimbly ducked and dived avoiding Keo bottle tops tossed their way, the long suffering waiters - but, above all, the great food and friendly atmosphere!

I hate to imagine what a 1987 Keo would taste like. Are you sure it hasn't solidified?

Enjoy your visit!!

[Al R]

.. shame about the Swan; you're bang on - it was cheap and cheerful. I have a fot of a youthful wide eyed Al R in Chris's.. experiencing the onset of my first ever bottle of Kokkers. In the background, on the wall, there is a '84 in 84' calender with a busty Sam Fox lookalike leaning out of the door of a Wessex in half unzipped flying rig. That sort of gratuitous lewdness would never be allowed now.. thank goodness, that what I say.

Yup, I'm really looking forward to the visit. :ok:

[sharpend]

Actually, reading Beagle's note about bangers up a piggies bottom reminded me of some of the escapades the Akrotiri Bad News Society got up to in the 60s. In our block lived a rather innocent movements officer. Also a few evil regiment officers with access to thunderflashes. It was the custom to have a few Keo's at lunchtime before an afternoon snooze to prepare us for the evening kebab.

One afternoon we had a jolly weeze. I had the most enormous red water melon. One of the regiment officers had a few thunderflashes. Our tame movements officer was fast asleep in his room. Get the drift?

Anyway, having inserted copious mega bangers in the melon, we crept into his room and placed the melon next to him on the bed, lit the blue touch paper and retired to peer through the window.

Well, of course there was an enormous bank followed by even louder bloodcurdling screaming. When the smoke cleared we were treated to the sight of the pilot officer, covered in what he thought was blood red flesh, and sitting up with a look of horrow on his face.

He obviously thought he had been the victim of a terrorist attack.

He never spoke to us again!

Sorry Martin! We were rather immature then!

[Jumping_Jack]

Appollo Cafe Limassol.....ahhhhh yes, Halloumi Lounza sarnie and a 'double medrio' on a Saturday morning to sort out the 'Dining In Night Head'. :ok:

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Mine have arrived from Zeniou in time for my birthday BBQ this Saturday.

Both my supplier, and the one that BEagle has mentioned work out at about a quid a sausage ! (Therefore 1 kg is 10 shufties)

An important calculation, as I had to order 10kg and will be flogging the leftovers


I'd appreciate a steer on the closest UK equivalent to Kean Lemon Squash for my Brandy Sours

[taxydual]

SPHLC

Google is your friend.

Marathon Food (http://www.marathonfood.co.uk/kean.html)

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Many thanks, taxydual.

Just round the N. Circular from my Dad, he's on his way!

[denachtenmai]

The in place for us in the 60s/70s was Niazi's in Lim. many a good time.
Seem to recall R**k Yo***en taking the gates off of someone's driveway and laying them down on the ground (he said it seemed like a good idea at the time!!) and that was before Kebab and Kokinneli at Niazi's, but then, we had been trying to do the bypass drinking competition(one drink in each bar)
Never completed that, ever
Regards, Den.