Brunching @ Nikos [Fairfield], Melbourne

Tucked a little away from the main strip of shops, restaurants and cafes on Station Street in Fairfield, there is Nikos, a modern Greek restaurant that is also a cake shop that specialises in beautiful cakes for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions. Prior to our brunch experience at Nikos, we bought some beautiful slices of cakes and pastries at the cake shop to gift a friend who helped us look after our youngest so we could go somewhere kid-free for our anniversary. Said friend declared that she loves Nikos' cakes and sweets, that she had dined at Nikos several times with her family, and that the food was great! It wasn't long before we found ourselves in Nikos for one of our quick hour-long brunch dates, to try for ourselves. I was impressed by the restaurant's space - the interior is large and tastefully decorated, with a dedicated counter for takeaway pastries and cake slices, and an adjacent shop for ordering special occasion cakes. Dining at Nikos felt a notch more fancy than the other cafes in the area, but dining prices were comparable and not more pricey! The service we received was excellent, friendly and helpful. Our waiter, upon noticing that I had put aside the flower garnishes from my plate, informed me that the flowers were edible, and I replied that I was keeping them to show my daughters. When he came back to clear our plates after our meal, he placed a tiny container on the table for the flowers! It was such a thoughtful gesture. We enjoyed our coffees, and the food was every bit as delicious as they looked. Nikos is definitely one that we will revisit again, when things go back to normal.

Some of the beautiful cakes and slices on display in the restaurant:

Pastries, biscuits and macarons are on offer too:

My usual choice of coffee, piccolo latte:

Pork Benny (AU$20) - bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise, chargrilled asparagus, slow-roasted pork belly on sourdough:

Hellenic Avo (AU$19) - poached eggs, avocado, heirloom tomato & sweet basil salsa, kalamata olives, kefalograviera flakes on sourdough:

To finish our meal, hubby ordered Yiayia's Karithopita - warm walnut hotcake, baked pear, spiced honey syrup and salted caramel ice cream:

The karithopita looked irresistible at every angle, and is actually quite a wholesome breakfast item, if not for the ice cream! (I loved the salted caramel ice cream):

Nikos [Fairfield]
254-262 Wingrove St
Fairfield VIC 3078
Australia
Tel. +61 3 9482 1569

Delicious Greek @ Greek on Cav, Brisbane (Australia)

My step-mother-in-law is Greek, and it's a guarantee that we will be very well-fed whenever we visit Brisbane. The foodie in me was looking forward to feasting on good authentic Greek food, and we weren't disappointed! The in-laws brought us to Greek on Cav, a very popular and bustling restaurant with a cheery setting. Service was friendly, and the food was delicious! I believe we had the Banquet course (AU$45 per person, minimum 4), and we enjoyed a wide variety of Greek classics like dolmades, souvlaki skewers and haloumi cheese. There was a lot of food, and I'm sure I didn't get to take shots of all of the food (too busy eating!). We were very full by the end of it.

Bright and cheery at Greek on Cav:

Taramosalata and tzatziki dips with warm pita bread. The 23-month-old loved the pink salty taramosalata dip and she wanted to eat nothing else:

The meat and seafood in the banquet course included lamb and chicken souvlaki skewers, Greek meatballs, chargrilled octopus, fish, braised scallops with sundried tomato:

The vegetarian items included dolmades, chickpea fritters, haloumi cheese, olives and baked lemon and oregano potatoes:

The banquet also included a dessert course, loukoumades with ouzo ice cream, but I didn't take a photo of it! The Greeks love their sweets, and the in-laws made sure we tried every dessert on the menu!

Galaktoboureko:

Risogalo (rice pudding), and baklava and ouzo ice creams:

Greek on Cav
Shop 4/377 Cavendish Rd
Coorparoo QLD 4151
Australia
Tel. +61 7 3397 2613

Yummy traditional Greek @ Hellenic Republic (Brunswick), Melbourne

When we were in Melbourne a few weeks ago for my sister's wedding, we met up with my father-in-law and wife who flew down from Brisbane to see our family and meet the newest addition. My step-mother-in-law is Greek, and it was at their Greek wedding five years ago where I learned a lot about Greek cuisine and culture. Hellenic Republic was actually on my to-eat list when we were in Melbourne two years ago, but we had too little time to go through all on my list, so I was quite pleased when it was suggested we meet up for dinner at Hellenic Republic. This restaurant was opened by the highly acclaimed celebrity chef George Calombaris, who also opened the fabulous St. Katherine's and five other restaurants in Melbourne and one in Greece. Greek cuisine is not common in Hong Kong, and it had been ages since I last ate Greek food, so I looked forward to this meal with great anticipation.

Open kitchen at one end...

...and a bar at the other end:

The restaurant had a warm and cosy atmosphere, perfect for large family gatherings like ours. Service was friendly and informative, and it was easy to order food for our 5-year-old boy with multiple food allergies. His most severe reactions had been with Middle Eastern food, so we were a little nervous, but it turned out that we had nothing to worry. There are two seatings for dinner booking: 5:30pm and 7:30pm, and we could only get the earlier time slot for that Saturday. The place was full and bustling when our family arrived a little late at 6pm, and the others had already started on some pita and dips, but they were happy to re-order second servings of the same upon our arrival. We enjoyed everything from the start to finish.

Delicious local and Hellenic olives (AU$6.50):

Tyrokafteri (roasted peppers, feta, yoghurt dip, AU$10) - great flavour and perfect with toasted pita bread:

Taramosalata (white cod roe dip, AU$10). I liked this one, but hubby was not too keen on this. Smooth texture and richly flavoured:

Tyri Saganaki (Kefalograviera cheese with peppered figs, AU$14.50). This one was a nice treat. I'm not usually a fan of sheep/goat cheeses, but this one was mildly flavoured, and the peppered figs were delicious! A lovely combination of sweet, salty and spicy, and I enjoyed the chewy toasted cheese and the crunchy fig seeds:

Kipriaki Salata Dimitriakon (Cypriot salad of grains, pulses, nuts, yoghurt, AU$12). I love crunchy salads like this that are both nutty and sweet, very satisfying mouthfeel. Apologies for the blurry picture - was in a hurry to take the photo (one-handed while nursing the baby) so that the others could dig into it:

Htenia (Harvey Bay scallop, skordalia crust, AU$6 per piece) - sweet juicy scallops, done just right (and not overcooked) with a lovely crunchy topping:

Mary's Moussaka (AU$20). A hearty dish on its own, and perfect for sharing the cheesy eggplant goodness:

Horiatiki Salata (traditional village salad, AU$11.50). Aka Greek salad. A simple bowl of fresh produce and feta cheese:

Kotopoulo Psistaria (chicken from the spit, AU$25 for 350g). Yum with charry flavours from the spit:

Arni Sto Fourno (slow roasted shoulder of lamb, garlic, oregano, AU$29 for 350g) - very tender and flavourful:

Loukaniko (smoked pork and leek sausage, house made mustard, AU$10). The boy loved this sausage, and finished one whole serving on his own:

Loukoumathes (Hellenic doughnuts, honey, cinnamon, walnuts, AU$10). Honey, cinnamon and walnuts are a winning combination in a dessert:

Risogalo (rice pudding, salted caramel, shortbread crumble, pistachio, AU$8). This was nice as far as rice puddings are concerned:

Baklava Yianniotiko (baklava from Yiannena, AU$3.50) - baklavas are always too sweet for me, but this was pretty good for a baklava:

We had an enjoyable experience at Hellenic Republic

Hellenic Republic (Brunswick)
434 Lygon St
Brunswick East, VIC 3057
Australia
Tel. +61 3 9381 1222

Mod Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern @ St. Katherine's, Victoria (Australia)

On our second night in Melbourne, only a few hours after our lunch feast on Malaysian food, we feasted on Greek food with some friends of mine. Two of them are girlfriends who went to primary school together with me back in Perth - which I just realised was almost 20 years ago! Incidentally, both of my friends married a couple of guys I went to university with, so that night's gathering was a bit of a reunion party! My friends are long-time Melbourne residents, and they recommended St. Katherine's in the eastern suburbs not too far away from central Melbourne. This is one of the restaurants opened up by the highly acclaimed George Calombaris, and it serves modern Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern food. Dinner was a casual affair, and the dishes are meant to be shared. Service was pretty good, and we were well-informed on which dishes were safe for our allergic son to enjoy. We had a lot of food on the table that night that it felt like we'd ordered everything on the menu!

KFC - Katherine's fried chicken with BBQ sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. A favourite amongst the boys, including the 3-year-old:

Bastilla with pumpkin, cinnamon, Maltese pork sausage and almonds. It didn't look like the traditional bastilla, but it was thoroughly enjoyable:

Lebanese Lamb Sausage, with lemon, hummus and thyme:

One of the pides (Turkish pizza) with Maltese pork sausage, onion rings, tomato, kasar and mustard mayo. Yum!

The only vegetarian dish: Leaves - with hazelnuts, dehydrated shankleesh, sunflower seeds and pomegranate. Ironically, in spite of the dish's name, it wasn't very leafy (aside from some torn herbs). It was delicious, and I really enjoyed the nutty flavour and the crunchy texture:

Another pide with torn basturma, mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and basil. Another yummy one:

Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Belly with roast peanut sauce. Delicious crackling:

"Off the rotisserie" - slow-roasted lamb and chicken were on that day's menu. Very tasty, but at this point I was starting to feel very full!

Grilled Quail with cumin, smoked eggplant, tahini and pumpkin seeds:

I was stuffed at this point, but everyone else's tummies still had room for dessert.

Peanut Butter Parfait with chocolate sorbet, baklava crumbs and orange blossom foam. The soft creamy parfait was nicely contrasted with the crunchy coating. The chocolate sorbet was chocolatey but not too rich. I wasn't sure what to do with the foam:

One of my friends ordered the Walnut Cake with figs, yoghurt jelly and lemon sorbet, which I did not try, but I loved the presentation so I couldn't resist taking a shot:

We enjoyed good food and great company with old friends. St. Kat's is a pretty popular restaurant, and I am inclined to say that reservations are recommended.

St. Katherine's
26 Cotham Road
Kew VIC 3101
Australia
Tel. +61 3 9207 7477

Hearty Greek @ Olive Greek & Middle Eastern, Hong Kong

The Greeks love their food, and so do I! I still fondly remember attending my first (and only) Greek wedding a few years ago, and I recall the fantastic feast that seemed never-ending as dishes after scrumptious dishes were served. I unfortunately have not had much opportunities to partake in Greek food - not helped by the fact that there is only one Greek restaurant that I know of in Hong Kong (though there are plenty of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean eateries). Olive Greek & Middle Eastern is a fine dining restaurant in the middle of the hip 'n happening Soho, and I've had my eyes on it for quite some time now. This restaurant participated in the recent Restaurant Week organised by DiningCity, and we took the opportunity to try out the food at a great price.

Swish and contemporary design:

Olive underwent a refurbishment last year, and the updated design is dark and lush with beautiful draped fabrics in the ceiling and exotic Arabic lettering etched onto the aluminium wall panels. We enjoyed professional and personable service, and we were well-looked after by the staff. The menu was designed by famous Aussie chef Greg Malouf, and it serves up contemporary Greek and Middle Eastern food. The Restaurant Week menu offered a 3-course meal for HK$248, with three choices for each course. The food was top-notch in quality, taste and presentation, and we left the restaurant with a happy and full belly. Everything we chose weren't safe for the boy due to his allergies, but the kitchen was happy to serve up a couple of perfectly boiled-and-peeled eggs (with gorgeous soft yolks) for him.

Hubby's starter was Sesame Falafel with Tabbouleh Salad and Whipped Tahini Yoghurt - delicious! The falafels were dense yet fluffy at the same time, and I thoroughly enjoyed my falafel:

I went with Olive's Mezze - silky hummus, smoky baba ganoush, cheesy pastries, pickles and olives with flat bread. I really enjoyed this platter and ate most of them using my fingers:

For his main course, hubby chose Char-grilled Chicken Kebabs with Jeweled Rice Pilaf and Garlic-saffron Yoghurt. Here the kebabs were being de-skewered:

This was a pretty plate that was big on flavour! The chicken was beautifully moist and flavourful, and the rice was delicious:

My main course was Moussaka - traditional Greek lamb and eggplant casserole baked with haloumi. Hearty and delicious:

Layers of meaty and cheesy baked goodness. Rustic beauty:

Freshmint tea in an exotic teapot and glass. Hubby's cappuccino is over yonder in the background:

Greek Doughnuts (loukoumades) with Sugar and Spice served with Attiki Honey. The doughnuts were still warm, fresh from the fryer, and the aromatic Greek honey was a beautiful accompaniment. My doughnut was a bit too yeasty, but hubby said the other two were fine:

Lebanese Milk Pudding with Labne, Passionfruit and Fairy Floss. It was great fun eating the floss, and the milk pudding was well-balanced and neither too sweet nor creamy:

We really enjoyed the hearty meal at Olive, and we would come back the next time we have cravings for Greek and Middle Eastern food.

Olive Greek & Middle Eastern
Ground Floor
32 Elgin Street
Soho, Central
Tel. +85 2 2521 1608