Hellenic Republic, Kew by Obelix

A few years back, I was very lucky to attend a masterclass on Hellenic Republic's signature dishes.  As much as I tried to replicate the recipes at home as close as possible, it was never like the real McCoy.


Cypriot grain salad

For a recent girls' night out, we revisited the iconic Hellenic Republic in Kew.  It was bustling on a Saturday night and we were lucky to obtain a table without a reservation with only 20 minutes wait time.


For entree, we ordered taramasalata to share.  It was so fishy but in a good way.  The serve of warm pita did not stretch quite far enough so we ordered another plate more.


K and P shared the saganaki which had a Hellenic Republic twist as it was topped with warm figs and a peppery drizzle.  Another one of those dishes with the sweet and salty juxtaposition for those who enjoy that kind of thing.


Mains consisted of grilled meats to share.  We could not go past the popular grilled chicken.  Not much to look at but so flavourful.  There was a carapace of crispy burnished meat on the outside and tender meat on the inside.  I could have never executed this at home.  Mine would have been either charred to a dry husk or undercooked.


The lamb sausage came with a pairing of skordalia.  It was probably my least favourite of the mains.  The sausage was slightly sweet (probably honey and lamb combo?) which I found a bit off putting.  The skordalia was divine though, garlicky without being overpowering.


Vying for top spot on my favourite grilled meats was the kalamaki.  These were cubes of the tenderest lamb with a melt in the mouth fatty (but in a good way) strata.  Greedy P and I wished there was more of it.  What made it special was the green dip it was paired with.  It was so noisy in the restaurant and we could not hear what the waiter said the green dip was.  When we tasted it on its own, we detected a slightly sweet mint flavour which was a bit meh.  However when you have it with the kalamaki, it was like a sublime dance of flavours in the mouth.  Here was a case where the whole was more than the sum of parts.

To go with the grilled meats, we had to have the iconic Cypriot grain salad (see first pic).  I've often tried to make a bastardised version of this at home but it's not quite the same.


Desserts came with a little gratis bonne amuse.  These were a sticky candy goo, the consistency of soft marzipan coating the end of a spoon.  From what I can gather, it was probably pure sugar.  The novelty factor was the teaspoon of goo was submerged in sparkling water.  This kept the candy the correct consistency.  One licks the spoon and dunks it back into the water in between.  The waitress explained that this was similar to the kind of treats one gets at yaya's house.


I'm a big fan of the honey drenched loukoumades (Greek donuts) as I find them less cloying than the regular ones.  These were a generous serve allowing for three loukoumades per person.  Yay!


K and P shared a rizogalo (Greek rice pudding).  I opted out as it contained dairy.


Mule


Bellini

K and P also indulged in a cocktail or two.  Bellinis and mules.  To compensate for the calories I expended on loukoumades, I opted out.

Our meal averaged $55 per person.

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

The Hellenic Republic is a Melbourne institute and deservedly so for upscale Greek cuisine.  A meal there would not leave you disappointed.

Find it at

Hellenic Republic Kew
26 Cotham Road
Kew Vic 3101
Phone: 9207 7477