Being a massive fan of Greek food and lucky enough to have spent a few holidays in the Mediterranean country I was excited to try out the latest High Street attempt to bring a new cuisine to the high street.
Excited, but also concerned a chain outlet may well ruin one of my favourite types of food.
The Real Greek seems to be a relative newcomer to the high street scene, with only 16 restaurants and predominantly in the south east and London, Bristol's in Cabot Circus being the only site outside this region.
We arrived midweek to the restaurant next to Cineworld to find the place fairly quiet with about or dozen or so guests there before us in the low-lit space, adorned with typical Greek paintings and Dark blue/white interior.
The friendly and attentive staff took us straight to a table near the window and presented us with their new menu.
And there is certainly a wide choice of offerings, as well as a separate vegetarian menu, allowing a high degree of flexibility with what you want to get from their Mezze options.
Not before long I've got myself stuck, not able to cut down from eight small dishes I want to the recommended (and probably still too much) four.
But the waiter was very helpful, suggesting what goes with what and how filling they may all be to try and tackle.
In the end me and my girlfriend settle for eight small dishes between us but not before some really tasty and well-seasoned flatbread with Tzatizi sauce.
Beforehand I was delighted to be presented with the drinks menu and seeing see a number of well-remembered (if a little foggy) Greek beers I had enjoyed, before picking a Mythos beer, a staple drink in Greece.
Service was very quick with the large amount of different dishes sent out at differing times but all within 15minutes of our ordering, most on an attractive ladder type tray to minimise the space it took up on the small table.
This included:
- Baked feta still in the foil
- Moussaka
- Spinach Tiropitakia - Pastry parcels with leek spinach and feta
- Halloumi Fries
- Pork belly with oregano, paprika and red onion
- Lamb skewers with onions and peppers
- Lamb meatballs with Greek yoghurt, tomato sauce and onions
- Grilled Octopus in oil, garlic and oregano along with Santorini Fava (yellow lentils)
As you can imagine this was a hefty amount of food dished out and its fair to say my eyes were bigger than my belly, so would certainly recommend fewer dishes and see how you get on.
But that's not to say this was anything but a cracking meal. My favourites being the crispy and flavourful pork belly and the tender Lamb skewers while my girlfriend could not get enough of the halloumi fries or the tasty lamb meatballs.
I might have been full to burst but you cannot go to a Greek restaurant without trying their Baklava dessert, the classic dish of filo pastry with walnuts and honey.
And it proved just the ticket to round off such a gargantuan meal. Sweet, flaky and mosit with the honey. Lush.
All in all while the idea of attempting to get a authentic Greek meal from a high street chain might leave some foodies cringing, The Real Greek Offers enough tasty dishes as well as an impressive amount of flexibility in your dining options that it should be a serious consideration for anyone looking for something different next time they are in town.
