A RESTAURANT that majors on flavours from Eastern Europe is opening up its menu for the festive season and is hoping to welcome borough residents to its new and refurbished premises.

The Restaurant Miorita has recently completed a huge refurbishment on both its floors at 4 Cromwell Road, Grays (RM17 5HF) and is inviting local folk to come and see what is on offer - and enjoy a more traditional UK Christmas menu ahead of the restive season.

Miorita highlights the cuisine of Romania, with flavours from the Mediterranean style tastes of its Black Sea resorts.

The restaurant, which opened a little more than five months ago, has already proved a hit with Thurrock's growing Romanian community, but owner-partners Elisabeta Ionica Blaj, Mihaela Halim and Adrian Parasca are hoping to tease the palate and tastebuds of local folk and other communities that have set up in the area.

"We're more than just a Romanianrestaurant," says Elisabeta, "though it has been heartening how many of my compatriots who now live in Thurrock say they enjoy the tastes of our origins.

"That is a good recommendation about the quality of our food and the warmth of our welcome but we would like to share it across the whole Thurrock Community.

"In the run up to Christmas, so people can come and see what we are about, we are offering a UK Christmas style party menu. It's a great venue to host groups of people and our welcoming staff will ensure everyone has a good time."

The three course Christmas menu is £19.99 and offers a choice of starters from smoked salmon, leek and potato soup or a melon salad. main include traditional turkey, a festive burger or a wild mushroom tart and sweets include Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce, a Chocolate tarte of carrot Cake.

"However," says Elisabeta: "if people talk to us when they book we can vary the menu and maybe mix up Romania and English cuisine to get the best of both worlds."

The full Miorita menu offers a wide range of starters, sides, mains, and desserts - with references to not just Romanian favourites but things like Moldavia Tochitura - a dish involving pork meat, sausage, cheese and polenta.

Seafood favourites like prawn, mussels and calamari are among the starters and mains, which =also offers a range of food cooked on the restaurant's open grill.

There should be something for everyone on the menu - and if you are a little worried the menu might be too extravagant for children, who are very welcome at Miorita, traditional kids' favourites like chicken nuggets and spaghetti will keep them happy.

You can check out Restaurant Miorita via its Facebook page here.