Greek Larder Review
The Greek Larder, offers Greek food at its best, based in the heart of Kings Cross it’s a venue you have to visit. The restaurant and delicatessen were developed by founders Theodore and Panos, who have kept their Greek roots at the centre of producing an authentic experience for diners. From great wine to a great ambience, even the busiest days feel relaxed and calm in the venue.
Walking into the venue we were approached by Dan (Dan was pretty amazing all evening), it’s a massive plus walking into a restaurant and not only having friendly staff but staff who have tried the food on offer. Dan kindly navigated us through the drinks list, there is a variety of authentic Greek wines and spirits on offer and they form the basis of the venues amazing cocktails. I spent the evening sipping on the Axia by Ktima Alpa, which is a medium bodied red wine which has an amazing lasting sharp after taste. My friend got stuck into the cocktails on offer and sampled two types to get a better range of the tastes on offer. The Demter Fig was her favourite and has inside it Tspipouro, preserved fig, kiwi liquor and lemon juice, the sweetness from the fig and the sourness of the lemon were an awesome combination.
The meal was out of this world! I have tried a lot of Greek food in my time writing, but I have never tried food that tasted so fresh and perfectly seasoned. My friend and I were astounded by the attention to detail taken over each meal and the flavours that came from them. The waiting staff were also very patient as we had food envy and wanted to order different dishes that other guests were having (clearly this happens a lot as new dishes emerged and were placed on the tables around us – it’s a good problem to have). Without reciting all of the dishes we ate, because we tried a lot of dishes. I will take you through some of our favs from the night. If you love meze and want to try something slightly different
I would recommend the following:
• Fakes (lentil soup) made with truffle oil, a boiled egg and anchovies. The combination may sound strange, but this soup was out of this world. The saltiness of the anchovies was tapered back slightly, but complimented the creaminess of the boiled egg. Having a variation of flavours in the lentil soup made it moreish (we have all had boring lentil soup and this is NOT boring)
• Dolmadakia, better known as the stuffed vine leaf, but these had a twist. They are topped with smoke eel and they are literally melt in the mouth. You pop one in the mouth and it melts, no fighting with tough vine leaf or undercooked rice, they were perfect and the smoked eel on top provided a subtle but much appreciated seafood taste
• Chortopita (this was one of the food envy dishes and we were glad we tried it). Chortopita are filo pies within seasonal leaves, herbs and feta cheese. They are served with a taratori and almond dip. You just have to try them; the flavours are unexplainable.
These are only a few of our favourite meze dishes, but my friend and I loved every dish placed in front of us.
For our main dishes we both ordered from the special Tsiknopempit menu, which is a Thursday meat menu which is normally consumed in the Greek community before the arrival of Lent. I love good meat and so was excited at the idea of a menu dedicated to it.
I tried the marinated pork neck skewers with wild thyme seasoned chips and Lachanoslata which is a crispy Greek cabbage, pomegranate, olive oil and lemon juice dressing. This was my first time trying pork neck and in my mind I imagined they would be quite fatty. Nope not this dish, the pork had no fat or bristle on it and was tender to bite. I spent most of my time eating it without the sides, because it was so full of flavour. My friend tried the Tigania (homemade pork sausage, veal, chicken, shallots and mushrooms served with a feat mousse. The dish looked divine and my friend commented that each piece of meat was perfectly seasoned and was not overdone. We both ate in silence, which again is a testimony to a great chef.
If like us you feel brave to tackle dessert even with your stomach bursting at the seams, The Greek Larder has a great range of desserts on offer. I couldn’t eat anything solid, so opted for the strained Greek coffee and masticha ice cream. If you love coffee with a good helping of ice cream inside it, you won’t be disappointed. I loved the warmth of the coffee and how it was offset by the cool and creamy honey tasting ice cream.
If you are looking for great service, a good looking venue, great food and great drink – Then The Greek Larder is for you. We give it 5 stars all around and will definitely be back. What makes it even better is that the prices are reasonable and you don’t have to break the bank to eat in a central location with fresh good quality food.
Website: www.thegreeklarder.co.uk
Address:
The Greek Larder,
Arthouse,
1 York Way,
Kings Cross,
N1C 4AS
Written by Abi Onas.