A SOUTHAMPTON restaurateur has died from a heart attack while visiting the Cypriot home village he had not seen for 40 years.

Onoufrios Talliadoros, who was known locally as Mr Nick, came to England for work when he was 18, but was unable to return to his home village in the northern part of Cyprus when it became occupied by the Turks in 1974.

The 72-year-old planned a short visit to the village just before Christmas, after the border was re-opened, but suffered a heart attack while abroad and died on Christmas Day.

Mr Talliadoros, who suffered from angina and diabetes, began his career in the restaurant trade when he moved to Southampton from Cyprus in 1949 and started work in George's Restaurant.

He later opened his own cafe in Millbrook, followed by a restaurant in Bedford Place, which was then called The Regent.

The grandfather-of-nine, who had recently married his second wife Maria following the death of his first wife Panayiota from cancer ten years ago, later changed the restaurant name to The Venus Steakhouse and then the Venus Greek Taverna.

He retired in 1985 when he handed the restaurant, which he had run for more than 30 years, down to his sons Neoffytos, known as Noff, and Mike.

Neoffytos, 44, said his father, who lived in Chilworth, was a very well-known man who would be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.

He said: "He had a Greek accent and that made people like him. We had live Greek music at the restaurant and he used to dance and balance seven glasses on his head with a flame on the top.

"He and my mum ran the restaurant together for years. They both worked from day one, right until the end and they were a good team.

"The restaurant was his life - that and his family.

"But when he retired he liked gardening - he used to garden in his best suit."

Mr Talliadoros leaves his widow, Maria, sons Mike and Neoffytos, daughters Maria and Chrisoula and nine grandchildren.

His funeral will be taking place at St Nicholas Greek Church in Bernard Street, Southampton, at 12.45pm on Thursday, January 15, followed by interment at Hollybrook Cemetery.