KALYMNOS is a name I usually associate with a small Greek island just off the holiday island of Kos. But now there is a Kalymnos right here in Bolton - a newly opened Greek Taverna in fact.

It is the latest addition to Bolton's restaurant scene although it is a little out of the way situated in Dunscar - in an industrial unit believe it or not.

To access the restaurant you drive on to the Dunscar Industrial estate just off Blackburn Road - there's plenty of room for parking. We missed the sign and drove through into what was obviously some kind of construction yard but a kindly employee directed us back to the first unit.

Kalymnos is situated underneath the popular De Niro's restaurant and to get to it we had to pass what looked like a large mechanical digger parked behind a fence and then through one end of De Niro's to a back staircase.

Not the most auspicious start we thought.

At the time of writing Kalymnos had been open just three weeks but on the Friday night we visited it was half-full early doors. Obviously the word of mouth grapevine was working well - we heard about it in a pub conversation!

We were shown to a table by the chef himself but we opted to sit in the corner so we could see what was going on. The restaurant is not very large but is painted in bright Mediterranean colours which give it a cosy, friendly ambience.

The menu is extensive and features all the dishes you would expect from that region plus a few not so widely known.

There are freshly made dips plus a range of starters including vegetarian options and for the main course there is a variety of casseroles and baked dishes, grills and fish options.

There's also Mpreki Meze at £19.95 a head where the chef selects dishes from the menu and sends them in a steady stream to your table. Having heard about the sheer volume of food this entailed we tried to order one meze between us but sadly the minimum order was for two people.

So instead I chose the Tahini dip, a strong tasting sesame dip accompanied by home made pitta bread. My wife chose Taramasalata, the traditional fish roe dip.

Both cost £3.95 and were excellent. I was delighted to find the restaurant also sold Greek brewed Mythos beer which I enjoyed in Crete last year.

For our starters I chose Atherina - whitebait with garlic mayonnaise at £4.95 while my wife ordered Dolmathes - vine leaves stuffed with herbs and rice - on the menu at £4.20.

Both were outstanding. My plate was filled with a huge pile of whitebait cooked to perfection and the stuffed vine leaves were the best we've had this side of Greece.

Greek cuisine is famous for its lamb and fish so I opted for Kleftico, lamb slowly baked in the oven with herbs and feta cheese at £11.95, while my wife chose Mousaka made from layers of vegetables, mincemeat and bchamel sauce baked in the oven and priced at £8.20.

My lamb was enormous and was cooked to perfection. The meat dropped off the bone and was beautifully tender and tasty. My wife's Mousaka was the size of a housebrick and was so big she couldn't finish it.

She said it was perfect - in short everything a good Mousaka should be - layers of mince interlaced with potatoes, aubergines and courgettes with subtle use of herbs.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meals which were authentic and delicious. The total bill was £45.55 for two dips, two starters and two main meals. We thought it very good value given the quality of food and the bill also included two bottles of Mythos lager and two generous glasses of house wine.

Our waitress was friendly and attentive but not intrusive.

We will be returning as soon as we can to try some of the other tempting dishes. It would have been even better but for the location and access but it's the food that counts and Kalymnos certainly delivers on that front.

by Wes Wright

Kalymnos Greek Taverna, Unit 1, Dunscar Industrial estate, Blackburn Road, Dunscar.

Tel: 01204 302491

Opening times: Tuesday-Thursday 6-10pm; Friday-Saturday 6-11pm and Sunday 4-10pm

Star rating ****