Had a joint group birthday dinner last week and being the designated social organiser, I reverted to my list for inspiration. Ended up choosing Nostimo as quite a few of us have had Greek cravings lately that have remained unsatisfied since the temporary closure of the Greek Club in West End for refurbishment, our other companion has apparently never tried the cuisine, so it made for an ideal option for all of us. Made the booking online and on the day we did a couple of laps around the neighbourhood trying to find parking. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realise until we got there that free parking was available with dine in.
Heading inside, the fit out was modern and sleek but undoubtedly with a Greek theme, especially with the arched white ceiling.
The menu was provided as we were seated. Options were quite modern and unique to other places we've had around West End, with only a few dishes I had tried before. As always, my attention was piqued by the banquets, but we settled on a number of plates to share that evening.
Two friends had mocktails that evening whilst I had pimms, these were refreshing and delightful, a perfect way to start the meal.
Ordering all of our food to come out together, dishes soon started appearing on our table.
Kicking off the meal, we had a serve of Dip & Pita. The three dips comprised of Tarama White roe caviar, Tzatziki Yoghurt, garlic, cucumber, carrot and Tyrokafteri Feta, ricotta, red peppers. The pita was warm and tasty, more soft than crispy and somewhat dense but still fluffy. Dips were fresh but also rich and creamy, my favourite was without a doubt the tarama white roe caviar, with its delicate seafood flavours.
Another appetiser we had was the Horiatiki, a Greek salad comprising of tomato, cucumber, Spanish onion, kalamata olives, red capsicum, radish, oregano, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar and feta. As you would expect, it was sharp, crisp and crunchy and enjoyed thoroughly by the table.
Our next dish was the Saganaki, it comprised of Kefalograviera with caramelised figs and candied walnuts. Although I had never tried it before, the concept of pan fried cheese always excites me. It was wonderfully gooey and tasted like a delicious cross between haloumi and mozzarella. What would have been a very decadent and heavy dish was wonderfully contrasted by the sweet figs and walnuts, adding both depth and crunch.
Soon the meatier dishes started arriving, this was the Soutzoukakia of Smyrni, containing pork, beef and rice meatballs with a spicy tomato sauce and fresh yoghurt, it was also topped with sharp Parmesan cheese. The meatballs were quite crumbly and tasty, the balance between pork and beef was quite well struck. Both the yoghurt and cheese were sharp and cut through the meat well. For the price of a main though, I found the portion of four meatballs to be a little on the smaller side, perhaps two or three more would have made the dish more worthwhile.
Next was one of our Greek favourites, Pork Belly Souvlaki, a dish of skewered pork belly with mustard mayo and a tomato, onion and parsley salad. The grilled pork was delicious and well seasoned, but it was also overwhelmed by the copious amounts of mayonnaise, which definitely overpowered the dish.
Another meat dish we had was the special, Whole Suckling Pig on the Spit, roasted potato, apple, green olive. As a roast pork should always be, the skin was crispy. Unfortunately though, although the dish did seem quite large compared to say the meatballs, a considerable portion of this was bone, and as a result the edible portion wasn't that much. I did like the apple sauce though, which complimented the pork well.
Our next and final main was my favourite for the night, the Lamb Skaras, a lamb forequarter pieces cooked on charcoal grill, wilted spinach and herb yoghurt. The lamb was as soft and tender as it looked. The smokey lamb flavours combined so well with the zing of lemon, and I we all agreed, this was without a doubt the highlight of our meal. Despite the fact that it doesn't look overly large in the plate, lemon aside, the whole plate was consumed with much fervor. 
Of course, no Greek meal could be complete without a dish of Patates Sto Fourno, oven baked lemon oregano potatoes. These were almost like wedges with a zing and fragrance of dried oregano. A perfect accompaniment for our meats.
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 8/10
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