St Albans' newest restaurant is finally here, as Vourla welcomed customers to its Verulam Road home for the first time earlier this week.

Taking up residence next to The Pudding Stop, the Mediterranean eatery opened its doors on Monday (September 10) after months of anticipation.

The name derives from the Greek name for Urla, the Turkish birthplace of owner Erhan Atilganer, who is opening his first UK restaurant after 30 years of experience in Turkey.

It is for this reason that the menu consists of a fusion of mainly Greek and Turkish dishes, with a sprinkling of other cuisines.

Speaking three days in to the new venture, Erhan said: "It's been a really good start and people have been really interested in the place and given us a lot of great feedback, especially for the food."

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The food, he says, is vitally important, disclosing a perfectionism that runs throughout his vision for the business.

Erhan AtilganerErhan Atilganer (Image: Liam Fitzpatrick)

The 46-year-old explains: "The food must be perfect. We don't serve anything that we are not absolutely in love with.

"We are really confident in our dishes, our menu and our ambience."

This pursuit of perfection goes beyond the plate - Erhan explains in meticulous detail the level of thought that has gone into every aspect of the restaurant, right down to the exact level of music being played and the type of speaker used.

Erhan and his team formerly ran coffee shop Crunch elsewhere on the high street but sought a bigger venue to open a fully-fledged restaurant in the city he has called home for six years.

After revealing plans to this newspaper for an August opening, the 'soft launch' was delayed until this week, with Erhan admitting that he dislikes taking risks, explaining that he "hates the thought of disappointing customers".

There were challenges en route to opening, with an electricity problem that plagued the team and caused delays.

But Erhan says that "in the end it turned out well and I'm very happy with how it looks and people's reaction".

He's full of praise for the people of St Albans, with one minor criticism - they're too polite!

He explains that he and his team always look for any negative feedback so they can make changes, but customers are yet to offer any.

Interested in Vourla? Visit our website tomorrow to read our reporter's review of the city's newest eatery.