Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill, Sydney
squishies
17 February 2010
Dessert, Dinner, Mediterranean, Sydney, CBD
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Being able to peruse a restaurant’s menu before you even get there is, I think, both pretty awesome and terrible. Awesome because you get all hyped up with what you’re going to eat and terrible because a) you can’t wait to try that enticing dish or b) you can’t decide between 2 mains and hope that your eating partner will choose one of them.
Georges is one of those restaurants who’s menu online has what their physical menu actually offer. So I was pleased that what I had planned could be carried out. I was thinking of sharing 2-3 mezedes plates (kind of like small plates), then a main and naturally a dessert, but somehow after discussing with Gary what he was going to order, we ended up ordering 7 mezedes… and no main for either of us. After all that planning! I can’t say that I regretted the decision though.
Seared Scallops with Fennel & Confit Tomato Salsa ($17.50)
Shamefully I just realised that the seared scallops didn’t come out as what the menu said it would (no fennel and confit tomato salsa!). I was too busy licking my lips in anticipation of having that wonderful, soft scallop in my mouth. And how wonderful it was! I tried to savour each perfectly seared bite and was sad when it was gone all too quickly. Gary and I both agreed that this was in the Top 2 of all our plates.
Pan-Fried Cyprian Haloumi Cheese with Grilled Eggplant, Tomato & Basil ($13.50)
While the haloumi was awesomely flavoursome, with the tomatoes being a fresh and bright accompaniment, it was missing its famous squeak. It felt odd eating it without the squeak – kind of like not slurping ramen. I liked how it wasn’t oily, despite being fried, or too chewy.
Gary thought that this was the best haloumi he’s ever tasted and I’d say it ranked quite highly for me too, squeak or no squeak.
Grilled Queensland Calamari with Lemon, Parsley & Olive Oil ($17.50)
This was a simple dish that packs a punch of flavour. The calamari was scrumptiously soft and had a slight chewiness you come to expect from it and a squeeze of lemon added the perfect touch of acidity in balancing out this dish.
Patatas Bravas: Chat Potatoes with Herbs, Garlic & Chilli ($9.50)
The well-seasoned chat potatoes were moist and soft, fragrant with herbs and had a slight bite to it from the chilli that even this non-spicy eater can handle. I love my potatoes all buttery and for me, these would have been perfect with a bit of butter.
King Prawns wrapped in Kataifi Pastry with Lemon & Dill Aioli ($17.50)
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I know it wasn’t this. The delicately thin but super crunchy vermicelli-like pastry encased deliciously succulent prawns. I loved it on its own, though Gary loved them with the tangy and creamy aioli.
Spanakopita: Spinach & Feta Filo Pastries ($9.50)
These pastries were gorgeously flaky and crunchy with piping hot spinach and feta filling. I almost burnt my tongue on the filling actually and was resorting to that inelegant puffing on the food with an opened mouth to cool the filling down. Gary had a bit of a laugh at my expense and wisely cut his in half and letting it cool naturally.
Once I managed to cool it down to a reasonable warmth level to taste it, I loved how the feta added a beautifully creaminess the spinach.
Organic Lamb Kefta with Tzatziki & Parsley Salad ($9.50)
The lamb kefta was quite moist and well-seasoned, while the tzatziki added a really refreshing and light component to the dish. The only thing I could gripe about this dish was that I wished it had more tzatziki! The touch of lemon was a nice touch, as it brightening up the meaty flavour a bit.
Gary, on the other hand, thought something was missing (“Salt?” he mused) and half expected the kefta to be more of a rissole than a meatball (i.e. with small bits of onion or what have you embedded in it).
However, I have to confess that neither of us touched the parsley salad for some reason.
Galaktabouriko with Caramelised Strawberries & Mascarpone Cream ($13.50)
Not knowing what Galaktabouriko was (let alone pronounce it), I was pleased to see it involve pastry and custard. Yum! You can’t go wrong with that combination, I don’t think. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the Galaktabouriko is served warm.
The pastry was akin to the spinach and fetta pastry in that it was super flaky and had a very nice crunch to it, though it was a bit damp on the bottom from the custard (that in itself is expected I suppose). Even though we were stuffed to the brim, we found ourselves still spooning the delectably sweet-but-not-too-sweet custard into our mouths.
The Galaktabouriko was, hands down, our favourite dish of the night and could be pretty much summed up by Gary’s description: “full of win!!!”.
View from Georges at King St Wharf... kind of, just minus the plants
Georges was originally established in Double Bay and since then the Vardis family has opened a cafe and a restaurant in the CBD: Georges Cafe in The Picadilly Centre and Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill at King Street Wharf.
Gary and I ate at the Georges on King Street Wharf, where the wait staff are impeccably polite, friendly and attentive. I’ve been to this Georges before, several years ago, and I’m glad to say that their level of service and standards of food has not dropped one bit. If anything, I’m tempted to say that it would seem they have gotten better over the years.
Georges Mediterranean Bar and Grill
The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney
Ph: (02) 9295 5066
Web: http://www.georgesrestaurant.com.au/
technorati : V9NGARYKR4CS
Phuoc
joey@FoodiePop
or been to Georgers for a while either. Hmm maybe time for a revisit cos I want some of that Galaktabouriko!
FFichiban
Sydney Hotels
squishies
Belinda
MissDissent
so if the scallops were one of the top two, what was the other top dish?
just going purely on looks, i think id have about 8 top dishes haha.. looks all sooo delicious