Bureau Recommends: Greek
Our favourite Hellenic products, books, and restaurants old and new.
To me, no cuisine combines the purity of simplicity and the power of community like Greek food. It’s a cuisine fundamental to our national identity in Australia; our beautiful, colourful Greek community brought a hardworking ethos and love for produce to this country that thrives to this day. On any given night, taking a stroll through Oakleigh’s main drag, the smell of gyros floating through the air, the clink of frappe hitting enamel tables, you’d swear you were in Athens.
While I have no Greek heritage myself, my father’s jet black hair and child-of-the-70’s sunbaker tan meant that as a child, many people thought I did. We would always be welcomed with open arms at our local Greek restaurant, my Dad soaking up the attention. I never understood why he referred to me as “Jimmy” when we’d go out until much later; we were cosplaying as a Greek family. They were always incredibly fun nights.
When cooking at home, Greek is one of my favourites. I love building a meal around a beautiful slow roasted lamb shoulder, or chunks of pork neck marinated, skewered and cooked over charcoal. An abundance of salads, dips, braised veg and lashings of fruity, verdant olive oil is my idea of heaven; especially when there’s fluffy pita to drag through it all.
On the back of a few key recent openings, Melbourne is currently going through a bit of a Greek moment. While traditional tavernas are a mainstay in most suburbs across the city, we’re seeing an influx of modern eateries aiming to bring this cuisine into the zeitgeist. So today in the first of a regular series, Bureau Recommends, we’re looking at some of our favourite Hellenic hotspots around Melbourne, as well as a few select bakeries, producers and books. Kali orexi!
The New
Ermou Gyros
When a friend recommended a new gyros joint that had just opened on Wattletree Road, Malvern a few years back, it was like music to my ears. I could never have dreamed what awaited me; the most incredible, clean and refined take on traditional Greek charcoal cooking. Kolonaki’s food was generous, colourful, fresh, textural and healthy; not always words you’d use to describe your local souvlaki place.
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant became an incredible success. In the years since, the group has expanded to Hawthorn, opening Plaka Gyros in the Lido cinema arcade in Hawthorn, and a second Kolonaki outlet on Toorak Road, South Yarra.
Now comes a fourth location, and it's fortuitous news for those like me with a particular penchant for going to the MCG, spending a fortune on barely drinkable mid strength beer, then wandering out onto Swan Street in search of fatty protein. Ermou Gyros opens at 77 Swan Street Richmond tomorrow March 12th, in a prime location just down from the Corner Hotel, an almost psychedelically perfect spot for a venue like this, and if past openings from this group are any indication, expect it to be flat out. Godspeed to their staff come Thursday night’s AFL round 1 clash between Carlton and Richmond; be patient and be kind if visiting, you won’t be disappointed.
Kafeneion
I won’t spend too long on Kafeneion; it’s one of the most celebrated and discussed Melbourne success stories of recent years. What started as a pop-up in the disused Martinis with Mancini space on Bourke Street has now made a full time move to Spring Street, bringing new life to The Melbourne Supper Club, and becoming one of the city’s most sought-after reservations in the process. Con Christopoulos is one of my favourite Melbourne restaurateurs ever; he always creates unfailingly cool, classy, quality venues and cuisine.
The Old
Jim’s (duh)
Want to know how good Jim’s Greek Tavern is? Ask anyone you know that works in hospitality, and they’ll fall over themselves to extoll its fun, pretension-free virtues. Indeed, Jim’s is an institution, and a reminder that simplicity is a virtue.
Kalimera Souvlaki Art
Now verging on iconic status, Kalimera is a reliable favourite. Great gyros and signature pork souva, fluffy pita, fresh salad, and slightly disturbing photography on the walls; what more could you ask for? I’ve had many a memorable meal here, my pick of the Oakleigh eateries.
Sweet Greek
Kathy Tsaples’ Greek bakery has evolved over the years, birthing cookbooks, a legion of devotees, and becoming the beating heart of Prahran Market along the way. It’s a special place to me, and produces uncommonly excellent takeaway food. Kathy’s signature gluten free cakes are amongst the city’s best, and her spanakopita is hard to beat.
The Products
The Brotherhood Pita
The Brotherhood is an unassuming, hidden gyros bar operating from a window in a Seddon backstreet. It’s become a local obsession, in no small part due to the shop’s remarkable house-made pita. Unlike any other commercially made pita, the Brotherhood’s version are grilled, rising like fluffy Japanese pancakes, and settling into impossibly light and chewy flatbreads. This sort of obsessive commitment to quality is rare from a casual takeaway venue, so it’s worth seeking out their pitas, also available as a retail product.
Epiros
The easiest way to elevate your Greek cooking at home is to spend a little extra on dairy products. Forgo the chalky, dry supermarket feta and lash out on Epiros, a complex and creamy PDO cheese made with a mixture of sheep and goats milk. The difference a quality feta will make to your home made salads, pastries and dips is substantial, and well worth the investment.
The Books
Ela! Ela!
A labour of love for Melbourne chef-turned writer Ella Mittas, Ela! Ela! is as much a tangible artwork as it is a cookbook. Self published and featuring the author’s own artwork and photography, Ela! Is a beautiful exploration of cultural identity through food.
A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia
Kon Karapanagiotidis is a singular entity in our community. The founder of the ASRC is a powerful, magnetic civil rights activist, bridging the gaps between us with his love of food and open heart. These are the driving values behind Philoxenia, Karapanagiotidis' debut cookbook, co-authored with his mother Sia. Entirely vegetarian and largely vegan, it celebrates the earthy, humble roots of classical Greek cuisine, and all proceeds go towards the ASRC.
And a silly little recipe…
Here in Melbourne, with fig trees in full bloom and punnets of these bountiful sweet droplets of joy filling our fruit stores, now seems a good time for me to dabble in recipe writing.
I absolutely adore figs, and would avoid cooking fresh ones normally; they are perfect simply torn with cured pork and a drizzle of honey, or alongside some fresh ricotta in a salad. However, I recently found myself with a punnet of the famously temperamental fruits on the turn, so decided to whip this up. The fresh figs can be substituted for dried figs; just make sure you reconstitute them by bringing them gently to a low boil in water first.
Peppered Figs & Spiced Yoghurt
*Line a small, deep bowl with a Chux cloth or porous tea towel
*Scoop 1 cup of Greek yoghurt into the bowl, bunching up the lining at the top and fastening with a rubber band or string.
*Hang the yoghurt in your fridge or a cool space in your kitchen, catching the whey in a bowl, for approximately an hour, or until around 100mls or liquid comes out.
*In a ceramic baking tray, add a punnet of figs, cut in half lengthways. Add approx 30 mls of balsamic vinegar, two heaped teaspoons of good honey, a pinch of cinnamon, a bay leaf, and about 7 good turns of a pepper mill.
*Line the top of the tray with some slightly dampened baking paper and bake at 180 degrees for around 40 minutes, or until syrupy and soft. Allow to cool.
To serve, add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of mixed spice to your hung yoghurt, and stir to combine. I like to make a little well in the yoghurt and spoon the spiced figs inside.
Enjoy!
Very timely. Going to dinner at a friend’s place next week and apparently the place was once the Greek Embassy so we’ve decided on a Greek themed meal. I’m on starters👍🏻