A fleeting taste of southern Mediterranean food
Gone are the days when the only type of Greek food on offer was moussaka. We have also moved on from the days when film character and Liverpudlian housewife Shirley Valentine cooked chips ‘n’ egg for British tourists in Greece who wanted to eat something a little more familiar.
The Real Greek, on Westfield’s southern terrace, is one of the company’s eight branches across London and offers what it calls ‘Greek street food’.
On a Monday lunchtime, the spacious restaurant was full of diners, nobody quite daring to brave the winter chill and sit outside. Inside, the olive branches painted onto the floor-to-ceiling windows and the view of the winter sun on the Southern Terrace was not quite Mediterranean but certainly provided a little winter cheer while the wall-length painting of a Greek village with characteristic whitewashed houses made it clear which part of Europe we were meant to be in.
On the menu, the list of both hot and cold ‘mezedes’ was extensive and included old favourites like tzatziki and humous as well as the more unusual grilled octopus, Melitzanosalata (smoked aubergine with garlic, herbs, shallots, spring onions and lemon juice) and Loukaniko and Gigandes (spicy sausage with giant beans). On top of this, there was a selection of grilled kebabs, known as ‘souvlaki’, as well as dishes to share: meat, fish and vegetarian.
As there were three of us, we decided on one of the ‘sharer’ dishes which were advertised as being suitable for two people or more. However it was not clear how many of each item we would get and when it came to ordering the accompaniment – Greek salad or chips – we could not be sure whether one or three portions would arrive. The waitress seemed confused when we questioned this and, with no clear answer, we decided to order the ‘fish sharer’ as it was and hope for the best.
The mezedes, which came first, were nicely presented on what looked like a four-tiered cake stand: Greek flatbread on the top, then on the lower levels came taramosalata, tabouleh and a fava bean paste. The lack of food colouring in the taramosalata had me completely fooled and left me wondering why the ‘humous’ tasted so fishy. As it turns out, taramosalata au naturel is really far superior to its pink sister and does make you wonder how and why it ever ended up that colour. The ‘Santorinian fava’ (yellow lentils pureed with olive oil and herbs) was smooth and buttery and went well with the warm bread. The mezedes were all very nice, in fact - but the portions were so small we had little more that a taster each.
By the time our ‘fish sharer’ arrived, we were ready for it. However, the dish turned out to consist of just three grilled sardines and three king prawns, or ‘Anatolian Gambas’ between us. It was not at all clear whether we were served three of each because there were three of us or whether all the ‘sharer’ dishes came like this, regardless of how many diners there were. Again, the fishy offerings were both lovely but the helpings would really only have satisfied somebody on the Atkins diet. As for the chips, they came in a tiny bowl and were no more than a single helping.
The final bill came to £32.35, with the new VAT rate applied. Had the menu been more explicit about the portion sizes and about how many items were included in the ‘sharer’ dishes, it is quite likely we would have ordered – and spent – more.
After my one prawn, one sardine and mezedes, I felt, well, hungry. If Shirley Valentine had stepped out of the Greek village painting on the wall and offered me some of her famous ‘chips ‘n’ egg’, I think I might just have taken her up on it.
Yasmine Estaphanos
8 December 2008
|