Something rather tasty has made its way beyond the borders of our great capital city. The Real Greek, is a delicious chain of Greek restaurants bringing delights from the Aegean to our dinner tables, with a hearty glug of Ouzo and Opa! to boot.
Whilst visiting my dearest friend in Hampshire, he recommended The Real Greek for dinner. I’m a fan of Greek food and so agreed without hesitation.
On arrival we were met with a friendly welcome ( despite our being 15 minutes late) and shown to our table in the centre of the restaurant.
The décor is a mix of cool santorini blues, bright reflective glass and warming wood. It feels authentic without being cliché and manages to be elegant without being pretentious. It’s a lovely restaurant.
The food smells were inviting and we set about the menu like a pair of coyotes. We settled on Peleponnese menu for 2 with a few adjustments, which the helpful waiting staff and chefs were happy to accommodate. The menus are developed by Tonia Buxton, described as being “the face of Greek food here in the UK”.
Food is prepared freshly and so a little wait is to be expected and most certainly is worthwhile.
Our Peleponese looked a little something like this…
Let me tell you all about it. Greek Flatbread, freshly baked, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and drizzled with warm oil and herbs. It was sensational. Yes bread can be a show stopper, who knew!
Tzatziki, freshly prepared and perfectly balanced. Just the right amount of garlic. Sometimes I find fresh tzatziki can be a little too garlicky, not here, smooth and perfect.
We swapped our Gigandes for Tiropitakia, trust me it was a good choice. These perfectly crisp filo parcels are subline. Filled with creamy leek, spinach and feta cheese, these tasty delights confirm that good things come in small packages.
Aromatic falafel with greek coleslaw, utterly delightful. I’m always surprised at how much I enjoy falafel. It’s something I don’t often go for on a menu but as this was part of the tasting menu it was kind of a fait acompli. I’m so glad it was, I would actually order these tasty morsels again all by themselves.
Chicken skewers. Perfectly tender, infused with delicate spice and wonderfully delicious. The accompanying lemon mayonnaise was wonderfully complimentary.
We also enjoyed some delicious Halloumi, grilled to perfection. Is any meal actually Greek without Halloumi I ask you!
Although we were both full to bursting, we couldn’t help but peruse the desert menu. It would after all be rude not to. This is where it gets a bit tricky. There is simply so many delightful options to chose from. We did however have to resolve ourselves to the fact that despite all our good intentions, we really could only just about manage a dessert each ( we’ll have to go back to sample the rest)
I’m a fool for anything custard and well, baked custard, I will roll over, do tricks and let you tickle my belly for. I went for Greek Filo custard pies, and my goodness what a delight. Baked custard in a crip filo pastry with a light pistachio ice cream. A moments silence please for this absolute beauty…
My bestie opted for a rather chocolaty number. A light and delectable chocolate mouse cake. Feast your eyes on this…
All in all we had a splendid meal, accompanied by attentive and efficient service. Every now and then the chains hit the food nail on the head and this is one of those occasions. It has all the charm, authenticity and taste of an independent restaurant but operates flawlessly as chains so often do.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Will I be returning? I can’t wait!
Opa!
