Greek food

[Nick Armstrong]

Very much the coming thing, is the on dit among metropolitan gastronauts, it seems... http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/news/gre...c=email_938039

Anyone a fan? I am. My first ever legal case was for some Greek clients, and huddles and celebrations always took place in a local Greek restaurant (quite apart from the various trips to Greece to see them, and the lunches and dinners in Piraeus, and in the Plaka in Athens).

The dips, the breads, the meats, the galaktoboureko, the baklava.... and the good retsina like Kourtakis that refutes all the usual charges of toilet disinfectant etc...

I say "yes please" and "yum"....

[Beef Oven!]

Very much the coming thing, is the on dit among metropolitan gastronauts, it seems... http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/news/gre...c=email_938039

Anyone a fan? I am. My first ever legal case was for some Greek clients, and huddles and celebrations always took place in a local Greek restaurant (quite apart from the various trips to Greece to see them, and the lunches and dinners in Piraeus, and in the Plaka in Athens).

The dips, the breads, the meats, the galaktoboureko, the baklava.... and the good retsina like Kourtakis that refutes all the usual charges of toilet disinfectant etc...

I say "yes please" and "yum"....

Most of it's Turkish anyway, so yum!

[vinteuil]

... hmmm. Up to a point, Lord Caliban. Greek food at root is a cucina povera - the land simply isn't sufficiently fertile nor has recent civilization been wealthy enuff to elaborate more than 'simple' foodstuffs, lovely tho' they can be - and, of course, pertick'ly when taken in the right location - blinding white light, heat, dark blue (or "wine dark", au choix... ) seas... The soil of Cyprus being that much more fertile, there is a good case for saying that some of the best "Greek" food is to be found there.

I like Greek food, in its place, a lot. But I don't think it can compare with other Mediterranean traditions - think of the Levant! -think of Spain!! Italy!!! - and still less can it vie with the really serious approaches to food found in France or China...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Most of it's Turkish anyway, so yum!

Dangerous words in some vacinities, BeefO. Could lead to the St Valentine's Day Moussaka.

[Beef Oven!]

Dangerous words in some vacinities, BeefO. Could lead to the St Valentine's Day Moussaka.

A local Greek Cypriot shop stocks 'Cyprus Delight' - so yes, feelings run high.

And why does Greece put pressure on EU supermarkets to title their products 'Greek Yogurt'? - Yogurt (yoğurt) is a Turkish word!

[Nick Armstrong]

the St Valentine's Day Moussaka.

... hmmm. Up to a point, Lord Caliban. Greek food at root is a cucina povera - the land simply isn't sufficiently fertile nor has recent civilization been wealthy enuff to elaborate more than 'simple' foodstuffs, lovely tho' they can be - and, of course, pertick'ly when taken in the right location - blinding white light, heat, dark blue (or "wine dark", au choix... ) seas... The soil of Cyprus being that much more fertile, there is a good case for saying that some of the best "Greek" food is to be found there.

I like Greek food, in its place, a lot. But I don't think it can compare with other Mediterranean traditions - think of the Levant! -think of Spain!! Italy!!! - and still less can it vie with the really serious approaches to food found in France or China...

Can't disagree with any of that. I think it's the lack of elaboration that I like, yes - once in a while.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

long since replaced by office buildings back in the 70s there was a really good Greek cafe on Aldgate; always full, steaming, and great fresh and freshly cooked food - baked lamb, escalopes, vine leaves &c ...

[vinteuil]

... not sure whether it's still there - but many happy memories of the Micro Kalamares in a mews parallel to Queensway - a 'bring your own' place in a basement, but very "authentic", lovely...

But that was in the last century - no idea what it may have become since .

[Nick Armstrong]

... not sure whether it's still there - but many happy memories of the Micro Kalamares in a mews parallel to Queensway - a 'bring your own' place in a basement, but very "authentic", lovely...

But that was in the last century - no idea what it may have become since .

I was there a month or two ago... Yes happy memories for me too, from the early '90s in my case. There used to be two, Mega Kalamares at the end of the mews (I once saw Arthur Miller in there); and as you say Micro. The latter is still there, Mega has gone; it's spruced up a bit but still basic, good and fun, like being in the Plaka (save for the rain on the cobbles outside ).

[Nick Armstrong]

My local is called Halepi, just off Bayswater Road next to J.M. Barrie's old house. Usually packed to capacity at lunch and especially dinner time, mainly from local tourist trade I think, which explains why the prices have gone up alarmingly in recent years in consequently inverse proportion to the regularity of my visits. Still a good place to meet friends or clients mid-afternoon for a quiet talk and a munch. The mother of the current owner is often in residence, making their dolmades in the afternoon, and recounting how the place was Telly Savalas's London haunt when he was a big TV and pop star in the 70s ("his" table is in the corner next to the wine counter) and how he never paid his bills... They do a cracking 'special souvla', tender lamb seasoned and spit roast slowly for hours - best about 5pm (if it hasn't run out, it's often gone o.t.t. and dry by dinner time).

[Flosshilde]

... hmmm. Up to a point, Lord Caliban. Greek food at root is a cucina povera - the land simply isn't sufficiently fertile nor has recent civilization been wealthy enuff to elaborate more than 'simple' foodstuffs, lovely tho' they can be - and, of course, pertick'ly when taken in the right location - blinding white light, heat, dark blue (or "wine dark", au choix... ) seas... The soil of Cyprus being that much more fertile, there is a good case for saying that some of the best "Greek" food is to be found there.

I think probably most 'Greek' restaurants in London are properly Cypriot; certainly the shops in Green Lanes are, as are the 'Turkish' shops - all selling much the same things.
In Athens recently we were surprised by the number of things not on the menu that we were used to seeing on menus in the UK - because, we thought, we were used to Cypriot Greek food. (Or it might have been because the restaurants had moved onto the winter menus, it being the 2nd week of October. One waiter was shocked when we sat outside & didn't even wear jumpers, let alone the padded jackets everone else was wearing. His jaw hit the floor when we said that it was like a nice summer's day in Glasgow)