Just a quick one from me tonight – my head’s been immersed in researching both historical food trends and crypto-currency. It’s been a very busy week!
Last Friday’s date night was spent at the Taverna Greek Psistaria in Bowden, a slightly hidden, little gem of a restaurant I am now completely in love with. We were seated outside as they were completely booked out inside (reservations recommended!), but this did nothing to dampen the atmosphere. In fact, with the summer heat, the late afternoon sun setting and the lulling Greek music in the background, I was almost transported back to Mykonos! I haven’t felt that relaxed in a while 🙂
We ordered the Taverna Mix Grill ($39.90) which came with fresh, peeled prawns straight from the charcoal grill, a skewer of chicken (thigh) pieces, 2 marinated lamp chops and some deep fried octopus and calamari. And that’s just the meats. Underneath was a layer of wedges (baby cocktail potatoes cut up and deep fried – no pre cut McCains in sight), some freshly made pita bread and garlic sauce. There are honestly no words to describe how good everything tasted!
The only thing I can fault is that the menu is slightly deceiving because it isn’t obvious how big the serves are – although the prices allude to what you hope are big serves. Believe me though, there was a lot of food on this plate! It was lucky we had just come from after work drinks and were feeling peckish, but even so, Sam and I were struggling to finish this ourselves. We had the (slightly sadistic) pleasure of watching some unsuspecting couples near us order the $90 mixed grill, which was about double our platter! I could have fed my whole family with one of those… hmm what a great idea! (Stay tuned for that episode…)
Luckily, Sam had the foresight to order me a small entree Greek salad ($11.90) which perfectly complemented the heaviness of our main. I had almost no expectations for the salad (because even I, with my minimal skills, can make Greek salad), but I was very surprised to discover that this was quite a good salad! There was something about the added herbs in the dressing – it was seasoned to perfection, and the fresh slab of feta was also a nice touch.
I have been raving about this place all weekend, but it really is worth a try! I know that many people complain that Greek food can be salty (and I have been to restaurants where this is the case), but at the Taverna, there’s just enough salt for me to call the food deliciously ‘flavoursome’. I really enjoyed how the salt brought out the subtle flavours of the different meats without detracting from the slight char of the grill.
My observations of other diners compels me to warn you (and future Amy) that unless you plan on having Greek for breakfast the next day, you should order from the entree or small dish menu. In saying this though, the charcoal grill platters are much better value for money considering the serving size, so bring your whole family, and do as the Greeks do (in My Big, Fat Greek Wedding at least), and eat lots and lots of meat!
Vegetarians should probably stay away!
Not to end on a negative note, BUT the one thing that irked me during my visit was the waitress’ response to my request for water: “Still or sparkling?” I KNOW YOU HAVE A PURATAP, I CAN SEE THE PURATAP. SO IF I’VE ALREADY BOUGHT OTHER (ALCOHOLIC) BEVERAGES, JUST GIVE ME THE PURATAP WATER, AND DON’T TRY TO MAKE ME FEEL INFERIOR BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO PAY $8 FOR BOTTLED GREEK WATER. Rant over.
An 'Amy'-zing Adventure 