Pireaus Blues

Pireaus Blues

Location: 310 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

Once you have gone Greek it’s hard not to go back. At least that’s what the Greeks say. We were recommended Pireaus Blues by a couple of foodies, so we went for it, even if the weather bureau recommended everyone stay home after a wild hail storm shut down half of Melbourne.

Pireaus Blues is smack bang in the middle of the busy, eclectic and popular Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. An original and typical older Melbourne suburb where the street has church spire sentinels at each end, and the pubs have names such as “Perseverance” and “No Pain No Gain”.

The restaurant is a friendly and welcoming family run affair. Luckily we arrived at 7pm before it filled up with loads of groups, many obviously regulars. The walls were filled with photos of Australian diggers and family, featuring an inspirational Great Aunt who died in 2003 aged 96. The restaurant is very proud of its strong ties to the past, and stays true to traditional fare and cooking methods, not to mention that at least two generations are involved in running the show.

The staff confirmed the advice provided by our foodie referees, so we limited the dishes ordered and shared goat, lamb, mousaka, hand cut chips, and of course a greek salad.

Mark wondered what Greek beer was like, and the waiter helpfully informed him that 12,000,000 German and English tourists annually convinced the Greeks that making their own beer was essential. Melinda had a “dry and light as the sun” Greek white wine.

The Food
Hand Cut Chips – disappeared very quickly into hungry mouths. Delicious, being lightly oiled and subtly herbed. We actually haven’t found a bad chip in Melbourne yet.

Roast Kid (not the human variety) – yummy, very tender, slow cooked on the bone with potatoes and a tasty sauce. A strong lemon flavour, with hints of fennel, dill and wild asparagus. Very interesting.

Baked Lemon Lamb – tender and tasty, but we reckon our version of slow roasted shoulder ranks just as highly.

Mousaka – Kids loved it - little did they know how good eggplant can taste. Greek lasagna with layers of eggplant, potato, and lamb mince, topped with cheese. There was also wilted fennel or dill leaf in the sauce too which gave this dish a nice flavour. And yes, the adults liked it too.

Greek Salad – Well a Greek restaurant should know how to make a decent Greek salad, and this one does. Simple, fresh, crunchy and a tasty dressing. No more, no less.

Dessert
We shared the combined dessert plate:
Baklava – traditional greek puff pastry with layers of honey and crushed nuts
Loukoumades – golf ball sized doughnuts, freshly made with honey, cinnamon and crushed walnuts. Tori said “If you didn’t like the donuts, you came here for the wrong reason.”
Halva Ice cream – Vanilla ice cream blended with halva and sesame seed with cocoa. Not a morsel was left.

Service
Very friendly and helpful. Not over the top, and gave some helpful hints about where to go in Greece. Apparently Rhodes is the island to go to.

Value
Good value and a very good experience overall. Family friendly and we would return.

Rating: Kids 7.5/10, Adults 7.5/10

Demitri's Feast

Demitri’s Feast

Location: 141 Swan St, Richmond

This week we decided to go out for breakfast to Dimitri’s Feast, a Greek restaurant which was very favourably reviewed in “The Age” in a feature article on cheap eats.

This restaurant has an energetic vibe and a strong line up of regulars heading through to doors for morning coffee. Demitri’s is situated near East Richmond station with trams, and parking handy. We were instantly welcomed, seated on stools made from olive oil tins and given menus (made of box cardboard to continue the recycling theme) listing favorites like French toast, or Greek gems like Rizogalo (Greek rice pudding).

We started with fresh OJ’s and coffee. They only serve regular size, so dad had to have a second flat white.

Lauren had Baclava French toast with walnuts, thick Greek yoghurt and orange honey syrup. She loved it, and was very disappointed that the final portion was whisked away while she was visiting the Ladies. Not the waiters fault, as he did ask if it was still going to be eaten, but mum and dad made an executive decision based on Lauren’s history. Next time they will wait to confirm.

Tori had Semolina Pancakes with rose jam, pistachios, thick Greek yoghurt and orange honey syrup. She thought the pancakes were spot on, being light and fluffy, and the edible rose petals and crushed pistachios were delicious. The orange honey syrup also went very well with the slightly sour yoghurt. Overall a very well balanced dish with just the right amount of different flavors and textures.

Morgan got the Rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) with spiced pear of top. This was excellent and the spiced pear went really well with the pudding, even though it flirted between sweet and savory.

Melinda had the Zucchini Fritters with dill and feta, bacon and baby truss tomatoes which were pretty delicious but the fritters were a little underdone and the dish needed some tomato relish.

Mark had Omeletto with potato, pork sausage, goats cheese served wth toast. It was well cooked and quite filling. This dish also needed some tomato relish. The head waiter said they had sourced some home made relish from a Greek grandma, and would soon have it on the menu.

Service
The staff were friendly and took on the feedback about the relish well. They had no hesitation recommending other restaurants for us to try, and we now have a restaurant known for its duck dishes situated in Collingwood on our list to try. The atmosphere was friendly and had a good energy, but there wasn’t a lot of space and is not set up for large groups. The food was good, freshly prepared and plentiful.

Value for money
Good value and a pretty good experience overall. We would return.

Rating: Kids 7.5/10, Adults 7/10