F EED YOUR SOUL THE MEDITERRANEAN WAY

One of the joys many of us miss, once Christmas is over, is the opportunity to meet family and friends and just socialise. If there’s one thing that people living in Mediterranean countries understand, it’s the importance of eating together, and with people still feeling the isolating effects of the lockdowns, the benefits both emotionally, physically and spiritually are clear.

The Mediterranean diet has become increasingly popular because the people in those countries demonstrate remarkably low rates of heart disease, chronic auto-immune conditions, and obesity (diabetes really isn’t a thing there). The focus is on good fats (fish, olive oil, nuts etc.), vegetables, fruits, lean meat, and low consumption of grains –and all of it is good quality generally. The culture is about family, being active and good rest. They must be doing something right - the stats don’t lie.

Keyif, Penarth’s Turkish restaurant, is one of those restaurants that looks and feels like it has the perfect balance when it comes to ambience, food and customer service. Mehmet and his team make everyone feel at home. I particularly like the fact that, as it’s open from noon, I can just pop in for a coffee - occasionally I’ll have some nibbles too, a light lunch here is excellent value and the quality of the ingredients is second to none. I always leave feeling better than I arrived. That says a lot. Keyif is certainly good for my soul anyway.

Whatever your nutritional life choices, Keyif’s menu has something for everyone. For the carnies, there’s a wonderful selection of meat cooked beautifully on the grill. Fish, and favourites like calamari, have their loyal fans here, and if you’re veggie, you’ll be very well catered for. If there’s one thing that Keyif does immensely well, it’s salads and vegetables.

They say we eat with our eyes and Keyif’s offerings are amongst the prettiest food we’ve ever eaten. It really does taste as good as it looks.

And yes, we can all be healthy and eat sensibly but if you do fancy something sweet (just to finish off your meal), then Keyif has all the usual authentic Turkish delights to tease you. Our personal favourite is their infamous rice pudding. It is simply divine.

So if you’re looking for a ‘relatively guilt free’ restaurant experience after the indulgences of the silly season, you won’t go far wrong with Keyif. In fact, if you missed out on meeting up with loved ones and friends over the winter, perhaps it’s time to catch up, and Keyif might very well have the perfect fusion of food, ambience and that indefinable Mediterranean feel-good factor to make your meal truly memorable.

TESTIMONIALS

What you love about Keyif

There’s always a warm welcome. Mehmet is the perfect host. The food here is truly exceptional.

I love the mixed grill – the lamb is especially good at Keyif. My wife loves a good steak and it’s always cooked perfectly.

This is real Turkish cuisine. It just feels authentic and it’s reasonably priced. We keep coming back.

Whenever we’re looking for a family meal, inevitably we turn to our tried and trusted favourites. Those that consistently deliver on ambience, atmosphere, food (flavour) and, more and more important these days, value for money.

“We love Sunday lunch there. It’s always consistently good.”