Hellenic Republic

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned that myself and the work gang headed to Izakaya Chuji to spend this year's hard earned tips money. However, what remained untouched were the tips we received from last year- which we never got around to spending. Once it was finally organised and everyone was free, myself and 5 of my workmates thought we'd pop in to say hey to Georgey Calombaris at Hellenic Republic.

Each booking has a two hour time frame- except after 8pm. We decided to book for 8 so we wouldn't be kicked out. The place was packed and super noisy. We had an idea of how much we had to spend, and decided to go for one of the banquets. This was due to a) the menu was so delish and we couldn't decide, b) we are all big eaters and c) banquets sound fancy.

The cost per person for the 4 course banquet we chose was $58. And the portions weren't normal sized portions. They were GREEK portions.

Once we ordered, the first course came in no time. Mezethakia (small tastes) consisted of pita bread, Taramasalata, Tyri Saganaki, cold eggplant salad and Hellenic potted salmon.

The taramasalata was the BEST I've ever tasted. There was no fishy taste but a nice salty smooth paste that you mopped up with the oven fresh pita...

Pita + taramasalata

Tyri Saganaki is essentially just a take on the traditional Saganaki. It's made from a cheese called Kefalograviera, but on top of Hellenic's version they featured peppered figs. The sweetness and juiciness of the figs was a win with the salty cheese. This dish couldn't have been better. Well done Georgy boy.

Saganaki cheese with peppered figs

The two dishes I preferred the least were the potted salmon and cold eggplant salad. The potted salmon were like little deep fried potato dumplings with specks of salmon, and the cold eggplant salad was pickled eggplant with herbs + spices.

Ooh and I almost forgot! We ALSO ordered the whitebait with ouzo mayonnaise- because no one cooks little mini fishies as good as the Greek do.

Maritha (Whitebait with ouzo mayonnaise)

And that was just the beginning. Before we knew it, our second course was being served. This course was called Thalassina- the seafood course. First came the healthy shtuff. The Cypriot grain salad. I had tried this exact same salad when I went for lunch at St Katherine's- and loved it just at much the second time round.

Cypriot salad of grains, pulses, nuts, pomegranate + yoghurt

I have a feeling the fish was snapper although I can't remember being told so by the waitress...it was served with a walnut coriander dressing.

Grilled snapper with a walnut coriander dressing 

My favourite seafood of the lot was the Htenia (Hervey Bay scallops with skordalia crust)(skordalia is a potato and garlic dip). Served in it's shell, the scallop was covered in a creamy rich sauce. I got to shovel down two because someone didn't want theirs. #thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

Hervey Bay scallops with skordalia crust

I started getting that awkward top-of-pants-cutting-into-stomach kind of situation, and then the meat course arrived. There was SO much food. This course consisted of the meat of the day (which was slow cooked lamb and chicken on the spit), roast potatoes, cabbage salad and tzatziki.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder + chicken from the spit

Tzatziki

Lahanosalata (cabbage salad)

Tiganites Patates (potatoes fried in olive oil, oregano + salt) 

We. were. farrrked. We couldn't finish it all. I think I gained a k.g. or two. But wait! There's more. We still had dessert, which was Loukoumathes- Hellenic donuts with honey, cinnamon and walnuts. No matter how full we were, there was no way we were letting these little babies go to waste.

Sweet mother of god

We all had to sit for a while, just so we could ponder on how much we had actually eaten...

Meat being cooked on the spit

So there you have it, me eating my weight in Greek food. Hellenic is by no means pricey for the outstanding food you get- their servings are huge, and their staff are extremely knowledgable and helpful. I guarantee you will leave believing, that if this was the last meal of your life, you would a die happy chappy.

Hellenic Republic
434 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Hellenic Republic on Urbanspoon

Demitri's Feast

I'm a firm believer in the idea that no one cooks meat like the Greek's do. Being an avid meat lover, I always look forward to heading out to a Greek restaurant for dinner, knowing that a big mixed grill plate of various types of chicken and lamb awaits me. It never occurred to me that this hearty cuisine could be consumed for breakfast or lunch...that was until I headed to Dimitri's Feast.

Nestled amongst the hustle and bustle of Swan Street lies this tiny little Greek eatery. The place is very cosy, with only a couple of tables placed inside, but features a courtyard out the back which often opens at the beginning of the lunch rush. 

Homemade granola

Okay, so it wasn't as if I was ordering a meat platter for breakfast. But I had never really tried anything on the lighter and lunchy-er (?) side of the Greek cuisine. Even though I have already been twice for both lunch and breakfast, the interesting and creative Greek inspired menu never ceases to amaze me.

Today I went for the scrambled eggies. Now I make a pretty mean plate of scrambled eggs, and very rarely do I order them out. So I definitely had my judgmental shoes on. These ones came with goat feta on toast, confit tomatoes & sauteed spinach ($17.50).

Scrambled eggs w. goat feta on toast, confit tomatoes & sauteed spinach ($17.50)

Although I couldn't finish the 8 eggs they probably scrambled, I made a decent dint, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The eggs were speckled with bits of feta which gave a nice salty surprise, and the tomatoes were sweet and juicy. Somehow the bread underneath my egg mountain remained toasty and hard which was a bonus. #soggybreadisfkd.

My lovely friend had also visited Dimitri's before, and on her last visit tried the semolina pancakes. She had been instantly swayed and couldn't resist ordering them again.

Semolina pancakes w. sweet yoghurt, rose jam, pistachios & orange blossom syrup ($15)

Who had even heard of semolina pancakes anyway? I hadn't thats fo sho. But imagine this. Imagine the BEST crumpets you have ever eaten. Yep. Well this was close. They were crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Fill me up with these over regular pancakes any day. The pistachios gave that nice crunch and the orange blossom syrup that extra gooey sweetness (which possibly wasn't even needed but was mopped up regardless). I thought the yoghurt might be that tart Greek yoghurt that hippies and health freaks love but thankfully it was creamy and sweet.

Lots of homemade Greek sweets. Surely made by someones Yia Yia...

No wonder this place has won so many awards. How many other places do you know that provide modern Greek cuisine for breakfast and lunch? Not many my friend. The menu features SO many dishes you wouldn't find at any other brunch joint. Thanks for the feast Demitri. Oooooopa!

Demitri's Feast 

141 Swan Street, Richmond