Wishing you could plan a Greek Island escape but have approximately £0.01 in your bank account? We’ve been broke af more times than we can count, but just because you can’t afford an exotic trip to the land of the ancients doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy its culture. The Real Greek aims to bring an authentic Aegean experience right here to London, complete with aesthetic blue and white decor, plenty of amazing food and incredibly friendly, more-is-more service. Completing the whole experience is their brand new wine menu, boasting 19 varieties of Greek wine.
Coming from South Australia, where all the good wine in Aus is made (definitely not a biased opinion), we were intrigued by this new wine menu in more ways than one. Other than Ouzo, which isn’t really wine, we hadn’t tried any Greek vino before, so we headed along to the event to find out what it’s all about.
Each of the wines on the menu is from an artisanal winery, so only the best grapes are used to make these wines. The most famous red grape variety in Greece is Agiorgitiko, with two of this style making an appearance on the list. One of these bottles is from a small selection of wines produced by The Real Greek itself, made by locals in the Peloponnese. Other varietals within their own range are the Athiri White, Moschofilero White and Xinomavro Red.
A fun story behind one of the wines is the Abaton Agioritiko White, produced by monks at the St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos using grapes from a site only they can visit.
In any European culture wine and food go hand in hand, and you’d be kidding yourself if you came to The Real Greek and didn’t try any of their incredible dishes. We think we tried almost everything on the menu when we visited, which is no easy feat as it’s a massive menu! After literally rolling out of there like giant dolmades, we’ve picked our three favourite dishes we’d recommend you to try. The Grilled Octopus with Fava was always going to be a go-to pick, featuring large grilled octopus tentacles simply dressed with olive oil, garlic and oregano. Prawn Saganaki is a wonderfully rich dish that takes tiger prawns and serves them in a rich tomato sauce with spinach, pickled peppers and feta to create a plate that’s hearty and satisfying. Anything with filo pastry is always good in a Greek kitchen, and the Spinach Tiropitakia has a crispy filo outside with a hot and creamy leek, spinach and feta filling. Start the meal with some Tzatziki and finish it with Kristen’s favourite dessert, Baklava, and you’ve got yourself a proper Greek feast.
To celebrate London Wine Week, The Real Greek will be offering an amazing special on Tuesday 14 May from 5pm-11pm. With every bottle of Greek wine purchased off the new menu, you’ll get a bottomless mezze plate including Flatbread, Crudites, Dolmades, Green Pea Fava, Tzatziki, Houmous, Feta and Olives. With 15 locations all around London, it’s the perfect way to try the new menu and chill out on a Tuesday night.
