Working near riverside, one often used to see the construction that went up under the Storey Bridge throughout most of last year which accumulated to the completion of the extremely popular Howard Smith Wharves. Although not all their anticipated restaurants are open yet, quite a few already have. We took the opportunity of the holidays to check out Greca, their newest Greek offering.
Getting a table three days before the new year wasn't easy, we were lucky to have booked a table for the four of us. It was great that we did, as the place was packed and there was a queue when we got there. We were seated outside and had a good view of the river.
The menu had a few modern Greek options, but on this day we decided that rather than debate what we should order and how much food is enough food for us all, we too the easy way out and had the full Greek course, at $65pp, a little expensive, but worth the celebration dinner.
First to arrive at our table were the Olives, Talamasalata and Bread Basket.
Olives were strongly flavoured, salty and an interesting starter. Feta on the side was also quite creamy and it was nice to pick the differences in the lighter and darker coloured olives.
An early highlight for me was definitely the Talamasalata, a Greek Meze made of fish roe with olive oil, lemon juice and a starch base. It was topped with some delicious Yarra Valley Caviar (one of my favourites), and served with a basket of bread, which we eventually refilled. The dip was smooth, creamy and fresh without being overly fishy, added caviar on top gave me a lot of joy to pop in my mouth. The bread was light and airy, we would have liked it better if it were slightly warmed.
Interluded during our starters with a Watermelon cocktail. It was refreshing but light on booze.
Next up was the Village Salad, comprising of tomato, cucumber, feta, olives and radish. Was a fairly strong and sharp salad, the feta and olives dominating the spectrum of taste. Texture was definitely crunchy, but notably lacking in leafy greens as you would expect in Mediterranean style salads, an interesting change from the norm.
The thing that everyone was waiting for came next, Saganaki with honey and oregano. Initially when the wooden placemat came down, I thought it was just a decorative placeholder for our cocktail jar, but it was in fact a safety precaution because the skillet on which the saganaki was served was extremely hot. Coming down with considerable sizzle, it was stringy and delicious. Although doused in considerable oil, the honey really helped cut through the richness of the cheese, we really liked it.
There was a slight wait until our main arrived, which was filled with an intermittent basket of fresh fries. Shoestring fries are, always superior, and when topped with herbs, very delectable, the only thing that would have improved on it is the addition of dips.
After a while, our main finally arrived. This was the baked lamb shoulder with potatoes. It came topped with herbed sour cream. The lamb itself was fairly dry on the outside from baking, potatoes were too. Luckily it the meat was still moist inside and quite tender. Marinade and seasoning were a little lacking as well.
Finishing off with dessert, this was the katoumari, smashed filo, walnuts and semolina cream. It was super flaky and crisp, tasting almost like a deconstructed apple pie. I loved the layers of crisp pastry to round off our meal.
Price Range: $60 - $80pp
Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 8/10
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