Gyros Party At Home

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

It was my niece's 10th birthday a few months back (Happy birthday M!) and I was so impressed with the house party her parents threw for her.  They managed to feed a crowd the size of a small army (I estimated at least 50 people) and managed to do this without seeming too flustered or resentful (as I tend to get in a similar situation).

The clever parents decided to serve gyros which they cooked over coals in the backyard.  The meat itself (chicken, lamb, beef, pork - all domesticated animals were well represented) were purchased pre-skewered at the Greek shop, salads and accompaniments were easily pulled together from the supermarket.  The tzatziki was bought - and voila! - a fun meal where everyone can assembled their own gyros to their liking.

Is there anything better than the smell of chargrilled meats? Wait, yes there is - chargrilled cuttlefish! Cuttlefish on the open flame is the ultimate in smell-unami.  It is reminiscent of holidays in South East Asia, strolling pass street vendors selling their wares on a balmy night.  Put a few cuttlefish on the barbie and it would blow your mind.  My brother in law, two of his friends and I quickly snaffled up the coveted crispy cuttlefish between us before anyone else gets their paws onto it.

An incredibly meat-ccentric gyros assembled by Kiddo. 

A more balanced gyros

 Anything goes...

I have been informed that the spit is purchased from Bunnings for $80 or thereabouts.  I found YouTube clip of the spit in action by Vinygee if you would like further details.



In summary - a great idea for feeding a crowd.

Until next time...

Lefkas Taverna

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Lefkas is one of my favourite Greek restaurants in Brisbane.  When I first discovered the place a few years back, it was all about simple but well cooked meals, generous in size and cheap in price.  Back in ye ole days, you had to go next door to the bottle shop to get your drinks, it was that pared back.  

Flash forward to today, Lefkas has undergone some changes.  The restaurant itself is two to three times bigger post renovations and has a more up-market feel.  The meals are half the size and twice as much as it was yester year but fortunately the taste is still the same.   Continue reading...

5five

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Eaton Mall in Oakleigh on a Sunday is quite the unexpectedly happening place.  After a very satisfying visit to Meat Me Souvlakeri a few weeks back, we decided to stroll down the mall again to see what else takes our fancy.

This time we went to "5five".  At first I was a bit reluctant to dine there.  After all we are in the Greek heartland in Oakleigh and it seems like a cop out to eat at a burger place.  But I'm glad we gave it a shot.  This is what we ordered:

A main sized calamari salad to share as an entree.  This was totally divine.  The calamari was nice and tender and in satisfyingly big chunks.  The crummage was light and well seasoned.  It seemed like a popular order for other diners as well.

Ok, so we got a bit carried away with the calamari....kiddo also ordered it as part of a kid's meal.  It came in a dinky little chip basket with fries.  She was very happy with it and vacuumed the whole thing up.  It's nice to see a place use real calamari for the kid's meal and not reconstituted faux calamari.

I ordered the chicken parma which was a big tender piece of breast.  It was surprisingly juicy and the Greek salad was very much appreciated as a side.

Last but not least, in a burger joint, you have to order the burger.  This is the "classico" and came on a brioche bun...yum!  They had the tiniest wee pickles. It was a juicy patty and the relish had a nice buzz.

I gather 5five does a lot of the baking on site.  They had a mezzanine section in which a few staff members were busy baking cakes and desserts.  Here is their dessert cabinet - very drool worthy.  If I wasn't so stuff from downing that big chicken parma, I would have loved to try their eclairs or carrot cake or vanilla slice...

The staff were really friendly and even though the place was very busy during Sunday lunch, they still made the time to chit chat.  On a side note, the above meal cost $68 to give you an idea on the costs.

I will definitely be going back.  I've decided I would try their sliders and maybe chase that down with a strawberry tart on my subsequent visit.  Forward planning!



Until next time...

Meat Me Souvlakeri

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Melbourne has the biggest Greek community outside of Greece and I'm lucky to have access to some great Greek restaurants.  A recent Greek discovery is Meat Me Souvlakeri in Oakleigh.  We strolled down Eaton Mall on a Sunday and the whole precinct was buzzing with al fresco diners and people just enjoying the music and sunshine.

For entree we ordered the fried calamari and grilled octopus.  Continue reading...