Meal #61 – Cyprus

The Shakespeare-lovers of the group enjoyed the fact that the Cypriot restaurant was named after one the Bard’s greatest tragedies which, for the most part, is set on the troubled island. With inappropriate quotes from this play (such as “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is topping your white ewe” and “Your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs”) we set forth to enjoy this meal – the girls hoping that the Shakespearean theme didn’t extend to an Desdemona-like ending to the night.

Othello Greek Restaurant
6 Riverside Quay, Southbank
9699 5600

Cyprus is a small island with identity issues, is it Greek or Turkish? The answer to this question is that it’s both; and so is Othello Greek Restaurant, a Cypriot restaurant where the food is Greek and the entertainment was very, very Turkish!

Othello is a popular restaurant with a long queue of people waiting to get in, luckily we had remembered to book this week! A queue of waiting patrons was still there when we left too. There is a large, undercover, outside eating area that lets the diners enjoy the warm spring evening along the Yarra River. Unfortunately, this meant that we were also exposed to a bad cover band located on the boulevard outside the restaurant that serenaded us with the ‘best’ of soft rock all night – if the bass wasn’t turned up so high, they might of actually been bearable…

This week’s collection of cute Cypriot culinary critics were: Sai, Marty, Nick, Paul, Deb, Rami, Caroline, Priyanthi, Rick, and new-comers Susie and Nyk.

The Menu:

Skordado – Fresh garlic bread.

Cypriot Grill – Grilled chicken souvlaki, lamb cutlet, sieftalies (traditional Cypriot delicacy of pork & beef sausage, fresh parsley and herbs), pastourma (sausage mildly spiced) & loukaniko (Cypriot sausage) served with tzatziki.

Mixed Frill (for two) – Lamb cutlets, lamb and chicken souvlaki, sieftalies, pastourma & loukaniko served with Greek salad.

Kleftiko – Traditional dish of Spring lamb cooked slowly in its own juices served with Spunta potatoes.

Spanakopitta – Triangles of crispy pastry filled with spinach and Greek fetta cheese on a Modern Greek salad.

Moussaka Vegetarian – Oven baked eggplant, zucchini, potatoes in a béchamel sauce topped with tomato coulis & salad.

Smoked Salmon Salad – Mescalin lettuce, roasted red peppers, red onion, capers & smoked salmon tossed in a Neptune dressing.

Spaghetti Marinara – Fine selection of fresh seafood in a light tomato salsa & a hint of chilli.

Seasonal Vegetables – Lemon, olive oil & oregano drizzled with dressing.


The Meal:

The Cypriot Grill and the Mixed Grill (for two) were very similar, offering a great selection of different, traditional meat dishes. All the varieties of sausages were enjoyable (although the pastourma could have used some more spice), however most were served as a single slice or cut in half – giving these meals the feel of a sampling plate rather than a full grill.

The Klefiko was advertised as “The Chef’s Pride” and “This is a must.” This dish is a bowl of random lamb parts (including bones and cartilage) served in the oily juices of the lamb, with added lemon juice. Unfortunately, the natural flavours of the lamb were drowned out by the over-use of lemon which detracted from the wonderful tenderness of the meat. From the appearance and flavours of this dish, it is not hard to imagine a traditional Cypriot sheep-herder eating this dish for dinner.

The Smoked Salmon Salad had a list of specific vegetables that were to be included. This list was not followed. Although some additions were appreciated, such as the kalamatta olives, others were not, such as the cauliflower. The exotic sounding Neptune dressing ended up being a mix of lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar, which although not very sea-like worked well with the salmon and salad vegetables.

The Spanakopitta was a mixed bag, with one diner highly recommending it, while another was only moderately impressed by this dish.

The Moussaka Vegetarian was one of the highlights of the evening. By the time this dish was finished, the plate looked like it had been cleaned with a cloth (although we expect it was cleaned with a tongue…)

And yes someone (not naming names…but it was Marty) ordered a very un-Cypriot meal: Spaghetti Marinara! He was so ashamed of ordering an Italian dish, he wouldn’t let us take a photo it.

Overall:

Othello’s is a popular restaurant, and it’s easy to tell why. The food is reasonable, and is reasonably priced, especially for a restaurant in Southbank, at around $20 for a main; and the atmosphere is fun – especially with the belly dancer coming to each table for a personalized show. Just make sure you pre-book a table, otherwise you’ll be waiting in a queue with nothing to entertain you except the soft rock cover band on the boulevard.