Living in London provides plenty of opportunities to try new and exciting restaurants but when we heard about The Real Greek, an authentic Greek restaurant that offers rustic, mouth-watering meze and helps you watch your weight by providing the calorie content of each and every dish, we couldn't wait to try it.
After launching in Hoxton in 1999 The Real Greek now has seven restaurants dotted around London's hot spots. We popped along to the Marylebone restaurant, a small, discreet traditional tavern offering a welcome retreat away from the surrounding bars and restaurants outside. The menu caters for all tastes and whether you're a vegetarian, dieter or meat lover you'll be able to find something to tickle your fancy.
For the indecisive there's even a selection of set menus to take the hard work out of choosing but for me and my fellow diner the choosing was half the fun so we settled on the signature flatbread along with a selection of crudités with hummus and tzatziki, the perfect appetizer to whet your appetite before tucking into a selection of meze. We chose the renowned Tiropitakia - filo pastry parcels with creamy leek, spinach and feta filling, Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), grilled Kalamari, lamb kefte and salt cod all of which tasted incredible, authentic and homecooked.
Unlike a lot of other Greek meze I've tried all of the perfectly portioned dishes tasted incredibly fresh and flavoursome rather than bland and mass-produced as is often the case with chain restaurants. The Tiropitakia is an incredibly moreish must-try dish while the salt cod which is dipped in beer batter melts in the mouth. While we didn't pay particular attention to the calorie count on the menu (it had been a bad week) it's incredibly useful to have, especially if you're going with a large group which generally always contains at least one person who is on a diet.
Whether you're looking for somewhere for a leisurely lunch or want to sample a vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere with plenty of consistently delicious food worth lingering over then The Real Greek really delivers for both an intimate date or crowded celebratory bash.
The Real Greek is located in Hoxton, Bankside, Marylebone, Covent Garden, Westfield and Spitalfields. Visit www.therealgreek.com for more information.
