Greek Week

I recently went on a lovely holiday to Pefkos in Rhodes.

As you can imagine I enjoyed the holiday culture of fruity cocktails.

I also had the chance to sample a very popular Greek beer. It's a lovely taste, very refreshing and available in most UK supermarkets. In the majority of the bars in Pefkos, the beer was served in frosted glasses, which made the beer that much colder for longer. It was great in the hot weather to have a nice cold beer, and my partner was adamant that this should become the general practice in the UK.










Whilst away we tried a new restaurant everyday to taste a wide range of Greek food available to us in Pefkos. One thing both my partner and I can agree on is we did not have a single bad meal when out there. In fact, we had a wide selection of lovely meals. Now, I'm glad I was persuaded to do Self-Catering!

Hummus

Hummus

One thing I found remarkable was the Hummus. Every single plate we had was absolutely fantastic! We had some most days in each restaurant as a starter between us because we simply could not get enough of it.

As Hummus is a traditional Greek dish, it is of no surprise that each dish was was lovely, you could really taste the Chickpeas and it tasted so fresh and so satisfying served with warm Pitta Bread.

Kyma Beach Restaurant
On a first night, we decided to go to Kyma Beach Restaurant, as the name suggests right on the beach. We both ordered the Chicken Souvlaki. It arrived served in a glass and dripping with an exquisite citrus sauce. Having never tried this before, it was love at first bite. The sauce especially was sweet yet tangy and really made the taste buds dance.

Artemis Garden Restaurant

Lobster Cocktail

On the second night, we walked along the High Street to see what we could find.  Pefkos is quite a small area and as we walked along, we looked for a fairly busy restaurant, not too tacky and not too many children running around screaming. We came across a nice, quaint garden restaurant when walked in we were greeted by friendly attentive staff.

The menu consisted of the usual Traditional Greek food (great!) and some touristy meals too. As a seafood fanatic, I just had to order the Lobster Cocktail as a starter. The first and only time before then when I have Lobster was on a previous holiday to Zante a few years prior and if that was anything to go on, I just have to have it again. It consisted of the usual, lettuce, cucumber and Marie-Rosie sauce with slices of Lobster placed on top. It was presented very nicely and tasted wonderful. I strongly believe that I must have       Lobster more often (if only).

Moussaka

For a main my partner and I both went for the Moussaka.  My mother has always been a big fan of Moussaka but the whole "it's like lasagne, but with aubergines" didn't really appeal to me. However, in the occasion it was more the idea of, "when in Rome", or rather "when in Greece". I am so glad I did do as the Greeks as it was absolutely fantastic! I was no longer a Moussaka Virgin, much to my glee as I finally realised why it was such a hit with mother dearest. It was a lovely restaurant and a lovely meal, we both walked back to our Hotel rubbing our bellies in delight.

Elia Restaurant

Seafood Risotto-Elia Restaurant

We decided that we had to have at least one meal in the hotel restaurant to have  a try of what they had to offer, and to see what those on the 'all-inclusive' package were getting.  They had a fairly extensive to offer, but in my usual fishy way, I went for the Seafood Risotto.

Most people may get a little creeped out when their dinner arrives to them with eyes, but I was am not one to cower in the eyes of my food. 

I have always been a seafood fan, I remember on holiday as a child (a very less exotic Devon), I ordered a pint of prawns in a British pub and was taken aback with 50 odd eyes staring back at me from a Pint Glass. It was at this time that my mum sat with me and showed me how to peel the prawns, and since then I have never had a problem with such things. 

Anyway, back to Greece. The Risotto was very nice, tomatoey, creamy and a nice taste of Pepper. The seafood was nicely selected with, Prawns, Muscles and Oyster rings. The only thing I found was that the Risotto was quite heavy, which I guess can be expected. Al;though not traditionally Greek, it was very nice to have some and satisfactorily filling. 

Enigma

We walked past this pleasant looking restaurant a few times and it lookes so peaceful and romantice, we knew we had to give it a go. We sat on a beautiful outside terrace and got the real holiday feel. Over wine and Mythos we chose our meals, in a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

My partner went for Pork with a delicious Mash Potato, and I went for the Stuffed chicken, which was absolutely fantastic! Again, the food we chose wasn't really Greek, but was really satisfying and tasted wonderful. The mixture of flavours and textures in each meal was lovely.

Stuffed Chicken Enigma

Fish Taverna

Have I mentioned I'm a fish lover?

We'd walked past this restaurant everyday on our way to the beach and each time we did, agreed we would go there one day once on our holiday.

The restaurant was set on an outside terrace.nwe were sat on a quaint table for two and in our new found Greek manner, we both ordered a Mythos to help as we pondered the menu.

There was lots of lovely fish dishes to offer, but I wanted to go for something I wouldn't usually have. I went for Seabass (right), and my partner went for the swordfish steak (left). The two fish dishes came with vegetables and potatoes. In all honesty, the vegetables and potatoes were a bit naff, over cooked and bland. However, I was not too bothered as these were just for decoration, the main event was the fish itself. The fish was okay, not the best but not the worst. It wasn't a traditional Greek dish anyway, just fish is a must when so near the sea on holiday.

Pane de Cappo

Our very last meal on the Greek Island had to be Greek! We'd already sampled the ice cream and cocktails at this restaurant/ cafe, so with these to go by, we wanted to sample their food too.

So the menu consisted of standard touristy Food, burgers, sandwiches, chips, but also had a selection of Greek food. 

In true cater to the Brits style, both our meals were served with chips. I the Chicken Souvlaki (right
) , my partner the Lamb Gyros (left), both also served with pitta bread and tzatziki dip.

I was really glad this is what we decided for our last meal. It was tasty and Greek, just what we wanted.











We had an amazing week (in the Foodie aspect). We enjoyed some wonderful Greek food, some holiday must-haves, some lovely restaurants and tasty cocktails! All in all a result! After trying the local dishes, we knew for sure that we must try some of this at home. I love introducing food from a range of cultures into my everyday menu.

Sophie's Steak House

Sophie's Steak House, Covent Garden, London

Ah, London Covent Garden, where else to go for a good old steak dinner? This restaurant is highly rated by my group of friends, who enticed me into going for a celebration with promises of ' the best steak ever!' 

When we walked in the door, I was amazed by how big and grand the restaurant was, not only that, but also how busy it was. We asked the Host for a table, holding our breaths in a faint hope they could squeeze the 5 of us in, but we were told it was to be a 40 minute wait. Okay, not to bad (considering), the bar was beckoning us anyway.

They were true to their word and after about forty minutes we were seated in a nice booth table with view of the kitchen. The charming waitress came over with some menus, checked we were okay for drinks and presented us with a plate of nibbles. The nibbles were cooked meat, maybe salami, and was very original and very tasty! Perfect hint of salt and lots of flavour.

Although, it was a Steak restaurant, the menu consisted of a wide range of options, including favourites such as Fish and Chips and a meaty and mighty Angus Burger. Although there was a selection of fine Steak on offer I decided to go for the Pork Ribs, my partner ordered Steak, so I knew I could have a taster of his, for research and blogging purposes of course.

We ordered a Terrine Board to share as a Starter, which comprised of a selection of pates, pickles and bread. It was very tasty and just the right amount to get us started. They offered extra toast on demand too, which is always a bonus!

 

The Steak arrived perfectly cooked and was a large and exquisite cut of meat. The meat was tender and very flavoursome, one of the best Steaks I’ve tasted, which is a bold statement considering I was only having a taster.

My Pork Ribs were also fantastic. The BBQ sauce was delicious, sweet and tangy and the meat just fell off the bone. I sometimes find in restaurants that Ribs can be particularly hit and miss, and sometimes fairly fatty and chewy but these quite honestly, just melted in my mouth.

 

They both also came with an individual bowl of hand cut chips.

The price of the menu was at the higher end of my budget. However I am a firm believer in you pay for what you get, so even though this was more pricey, the quality was unrivalled and you really do get the high standard that you’re paying for.

I would highly recommend this place for a special occasion, or even just if you fancy a bit of meat! Check out their website at; http://www.sophiessteakhouse.co.uk/covent-garden.php

Ditchling Tearooms, East Sussex

Afternoon tea? A lovely and elegant tearoom situated in the quant village of Ditchling in East Sussex.

We entered a dainty looking cake shop, with windows and display counters deliciously decorated with a wonderful selection of cakes. We followed the building round and entered a room, which felt like I was in my grandmother's living room. It had a cosy cottage-like feel, with a warm friendly atmosphere. We sat by the fireplace in the back room and looked at the menu.

The cosy, traditional fireplace we sat next to.

The menu consisted of what one would expect from a tea rooms. Afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes, scones, but also cooked food such as fish and chips. I decided to go for my favourite Sandwich; Prawn Cocktail. The sandwich came with a nice salad garnish and a handful of Sweet Chilli flavoured Kettle Chips. My partner enjoyed a Coronation Chicken Sandwich, described as ‘lovely’. I enjoyed my sandwich too, I must admit you can’t really go too wrong with a Sandwich, but this was very tasty.

After our Sandwiches, we just couldn’t resist going to select a slice of cake. We went back out to the shop front and we were met with a difficult decision, which cake? I decided to choose a tempting slice of Sponge cake.

It may have become clear by now that I am a fan of cake. The picture may actually say more than my words, but the cake was exquisite, obviously home made and well produced. The cake had three delicious layers, illustrated with tasty butter icing and jam. We enjoyed this gem, with a pot of good old British Tea for two.

My partner and I served a very dignified afternoon with pleasant conversation over afternoon tea, in atmospheric tearooms, and I couldn't be more relaxed. The service was good and the food excellent, a really good choice for a nice quiet spot of Afternoon tea.

Ditchling Tearooms

01273 842708

6 West Street


Ditchling


Hassocks


BN6 8TS

Fancy an Indian? Banana Leaf Restaurant, Sevenoaks.

For a friends Birthday we went out for a curry. It was a big table with 15 people. 

The menu was fairly extensive, had all the favorite and regular curry dishes, as well as a whole extra menu dedicated to the house specialties. 

 

A friend and I shared a selection from the menu, Chicken Korma, Pilau Rice, Onion Bhajis, Peshwari Naan and Poppadom and Chutney selection.

The Pilau rice wasn't its usual bright yellow shade so as I dished some into my plate I wondered whether it had been mistaken for a plain boiled rice. I cautiously piled my fork with the rice and as soon as I gave it a taste and it had all the taste and aroma of Pilau rice, just not the colour. It made the rice taste and appear more wholesome; to have the nice Pilau taste and perhaps no added colours.

Chicken Korma is a standard, mild, creamy curry, and as much as I like my curries, I'm not a fan of the spiciness, which is why a korma is my perfect and always a regular choice. This Korma had the generic, yellow and creamy look to it. Some curries can be quite heavy, but despite the creaminess of the curry, it was really light and was full of the mild coconut flavour.

I myself used to work in hospitality waiting on tables, so I know how challenging big tables can be but the staff were efficient, attentive and very friendly. The Birthday girl was happy claiming, "it's the best Indian I've ever had. I’ve never been to Sevenoaks before, but the restaurant seemed to be in a nice area, away from the town, but with plenty of on-street parking. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you fancy Indian Cuisine in this area.

Feel inspired? Or hungry? Visit their website;

http://www.bananaleafcuisine.com/

All pictures copyright © 2012 Banana Leaf Indian Restaurant | Seven Oaks | Kent | United Kingdom