Farm Kitchen, at 67 Palmerston Road, Southsea has steadily grown in popularity since opening on December 26, 2017 and its owners have taken the opportunity to expand the business into the vacant property next door. Now open as a restaurant in the evening, the family-run restaurant has undergone a dramatic makeover – with some customers expressing that dining there feels like travelling abroad.
Co-owner Sema Yildiz runs the eatery along with four other family members, who are Kurdish and originally from Turkey. The restaurant’s menu combines middle-eastern and mediterranean dishes for its menu and wine selection, including wines from Greece, Turkey and Armenia.
Sema told The News: “We were so busy as a cafe that we needed more space. Our biggest event is the Victorious Festival and we have always had to turn customers away.
"Nextdoor to us was always changing hands. We always had the idea that we always wanted to expand into nextdoor. In November, we had to close down for two weeks so we could get the bread oven in and expand the kitchen area as well. We had some issues with the delivery so that added another week to the closure.
“We’ve completely changed the decor, it’s much bigger and the tables have changed. Nextdoor has become “pm”. Southsea has been so great to us that we feel such a big part of the community – all the support that we have had from the people of Southsea has been great.
Farm Kitchen previously opened from 7.30am to 4.00pm but will now serve customers from 8.00am - 3.00pm before re-opening from 5.00pm to 11.00pm for evening service.
Among the changes are a new coal barbecue and imported bread oven from Turkey, as well as “major differences” to the decor of the venue.
Here are 23 pictures of the new look: