Ephesus Mediterranean Restaurant

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Hip downtown Mountain View, with its international mix of shops and restaurants, was graced with yet another outstanding dining establishment, the newly opened Ephesus Mediterranean Cuisine. I took a companion along last week to see what it had to offer.

Ephesus is named after the famous ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of what is present day Izmir Province in Turkey. The photos adorning the walls of the restaurant instilled in me an urge to learn more about this culture and the lives of the people there.

The Vural family started Ephesus. While mom and dad cook at the back of the kitchen to prepare you with the most authentic Greek and Turkish style cooking, two sons take care of the front end of the restaurant. Mehmet Vural is the patriarch of the family, a professional cook with over 25 years of experience.

Upon entering, a warm and friendly waiter greeted us and led us to our seats. Going with the recommendation of our waiter, we started, naturally with the appetizers.

According to Galip Vural, one of the owners of the restaurant, yogurt is one of the main elements in Mediterranean food. Tzatsiki is a wonderful cold appetizer that is made of strained yogurt mixed with cucumber, mint, lemon juice, and touch of garlic. The yogurt is light in taste with a cool, clean cucumber flavor to give a refreshing sensation. I had similar yogurt in Persian restaurants before, but the type served at Ephesus was lighter in taste.

Next, our calamari arrived. I have to say this is some of the best calamari I've ever had. The squid is distinctly fresh and tender, not too oily. I was told that they use fresh ingredients every day—no frozen food here. From the taste of the calamari, I can testify that this must be true. I could honestly finish the entire plate of the calamari by myself without that greasy aftertaste feeling. It was an A+ dish.

Another interesting appetizer I picked from the menu was Lahmacun. Lahmacun consists of a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat. After adding vegetables, you can then roll it into a wrap. If you are looking for a fun, unique appetizer, this is a very safe one to try. The taste is light and fresh.

We moved on to our main course: Lamb Shish Plate. In this dish, you get cubes of tender lamb marinated in a special blend of herbs and spices served with fresh vegetables and rice. The lamb was marinated very well again and the texture was just right for a grilled dish. I could easily pull the meat off the skewer. It comes with healthy grain rice.

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