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2013-10-09
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Having been a fan of Concept Creations' Chicha, Frites and Tapeo, I've come to expect equal standards from their new Greek restaurant Souvla. Entering from the street up a set of staircase that was labelled 7th Heaven Club, my parents thought I was taking them to a raunchy joint rather than a nice meal out. With the club from the right hand sidestarting to warm up for the evening with familiar beats pumping through, we turned left instead and entered a world of red hues, warm wood panels, beauti
Initially we thought the menu was pretty hefty to get through but afterwards realised that 2 or 3 of them were stuck together by the magnetised cover. The wine selection was mostly Australian, French, with a couple of Greeks and other New World wines to make up the list, and the cocktails/ouzo list was adequate and sounded fun. I ordered a Wonkey Donkey that was fruity and sweet, the only thing was that it came in a pretty tiny glass which made it a touch expensive at $100. (Mayta opposite does a bigass pisco cocktail for a much more reasonable price). We also ordered a medium-priced bottle of French red that went down well with everyone, so we ended up polishing off two bottles instead. Tap water, no fuss from the waiters, everyone was happy and ready for a chow down.
We studied the menu and went for a bit of everything from each section. The waiter offered us hummus which wasn't on the menu to go with the pita bread, which was well seasoned, not overly smooth and paste-like which meant there was a good texture to it. We tried the dolmades, which made for a good appetiser. The only thing with the dolmades was the vine leaves were a little fibrous-y and bitter, but the rice stuffing was well cooked and seasoned.
We opted for the saganaki over the grilled halloumi because it was more unusual, and the dish didn't disappoint. Despite being fried, the cheese wasn't greasy, and it was balanced well with the lemon juice and pickles. The salmon marinated in ouzo didn't taste much of alcohol, but the portion was generous, and the mint leaves, small yoghurt dollops and pickled beetroot complimented the oily fish perfectly.
For mains we opted for the kingfish which I don't recall trying before (at least not a good one that left an impression), but realised afterwards there was also a toothfish which sounded even more exotic (save it for next time). The kingfish was a white, slightly oily fish like a cod, but with a slightly less firm texture, and it was cooked to perfection, lovingly seasoned with a green coating on the outside (someone enlighten me on what this is?), and the flesh was tender, moist and very fresh. There was a small jar of hummus to go with it though it probably wasn't necessary and only distracted from the fish itself.
The spit roast chicken was a good-sized dish as well, succulent and well-seasoned meat that made everyone happy. The slow cooked lamb was worth the anticipation since first seeing pictures of it here. It was divinely melt-in-mouth tender despite not being a fatty meat, and as the lamb-y gamey-ness was not too overpowering, the chef correctly avoided the heavy-handed seasoning that sometimes ruin the dish. A spoonful of yoghurt can also help to balance the flavours for those less fond of the strong lamb flavour. For lamb lovers, this is a perfect dish.
Despite all the food above, the 5 of us somehow still managed to order 4 more gyros to share, 2 pork and 2 crab. The first waiter forgot our order but the second waiter made sure they turned up in a jiffy when we reminded them. (It also gave us a chance to finish off the wine as well.) The gyros came in a nicely printed (but probably not very environmentally friendly) bento-box, and the gyros had a nice balance of fresh salad leaves, chips and fillings. Don't expect it to be oozing with grease, sauces and bursting out of your mouth like the street-style gyros you find in the states, this one is much more refined and sophisticated, aptly so for this type of restaurant.
Overall, we were happy with the decor and ambience, the service, the selection and quality of food, which I would describe as upmarket Greek, and went home with a very happy belly.
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