REVIEW: Greek Olive, Faringdon Road

Err, well, not exactly that last bit. We settle back to watch as the traffic thunders past Faringdon Road Park, in fact - the sea lapping the shore is sadly just a picture on the wall - but in every other way being at the Greek Olive is just like being on holiday on one of the dusty Greek islands.

Better, even – there aren’t those pesky wasps.

As we enter holiday season, a trip to Greek Olive is just the things to get you in the mood. Run by a father and son team from Kos – dad does the cooking, while son is the cheeriest front of house man you’ll ever meet – they came here after years of running a kebab house on the island to try their hand in the restaurant trade.

Authentic, traditional Greek cuisine is what they promise and that’s just what they deliver. No frills, no fuss; just honest, proper family food and loads of it.

Anyone who has ever spent a fortnight in the Greek sunshine will instantly recognise some of the names on the menu. There’s every kind of souvlaki (meat on a stick) you can think of, gigantes (giant butter beans in a sauce), dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves) and soutzoukakia (meatballs), not to mention the slow-cooked kleftiko (lamb in a parcel) and beef stifado (a tomatoey stew).

Unaware that complimentary appetisers were on their way (yes, free!) we order starters of keftedakia gemista for him (meatball stuffed with mozzarella, £5.85) and feta Dimitris (fried feta wrapped in filo, £5,45) for me. Although the restaurant appears to be full with Australians - here for the Air Tattoo, we guess – our food is quick to arrive and really hits the spot.

My cheese parcel, about the size of a £20 note, is crispy on the outside and gooey and tangy on the inside, doused in a sticky honey sauce with added crunch from a liberal sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. It’s so, so good.

The meatballs come as a trio, each the size of a golf ball. The meat is packed tightly around a ball of stringy cheese, which oozes out as my partner cuts into them. Perched on a bed of salad, they make for a mighty meaty meal, and he’s a very happy man.

While we wait for our main courses, I take a proper look around me. The décor is fresh and clean, with a green and white scheme, but pretty basic. Just like a modern Greek taverna, in fact. Pictures of sun-kissed islands hang on the walls to reinforce the theme, and there’s a (fake) red rose in the centre of every table. Best of all, the place is almost full, creating a fantastic buzz. A quick look at the reviews on TripAdvisor shows why it took me a couple of attempts to get a table – with 79% ‘excellent’ reviews, clearly we are late to the Greek party.

On a holiday to Kefalonia a couple of years ago, I ordered lamb every evening for a week. There is something about the way the Greeks cook this meat that raises it to another level – none of the fatty chewiness I get when I cook it myself, just juicy, fall-off-the-bone gorgeousness.

So I already knew before I went I was going to order the kleftiko (£15.45), and I wasn’t disappointed. It might not have been the most elegant of presentations – a foil parcel plonked on my plate – but what was inside was heavenly. Huge chunks of melt in the mouth lamb, vegetables galore, and gooey chunks of feta binding it all together. With Greek-style roast potatoes and a fresh salad, it was, dare I say it, even better than I have had in the homeland.

Beef stifado (£14.45) was the dish of choice across the table, with chips and rice as his sides (weird, but oh-so-very Greek), and it came in a large earthenware pot packed with meat and caramelised shallots in a rich red wine sauce. The meat fell apart at the touch of a knife and the rice served to mop up all those ruby juices. And the chips? Well, who doesn’t like chips? They certainly disappeared, that’s for sure.

With a Mythos and a red wine under our belts on a school night, we were ready to call it a day on the alcohol front. And then came the offer of a (free) shot to go with our (free) dessert of baklava. “It’s very rude in Greece to say no,” said our waiter with a twinkle in his eye, and who were we to cause offence? On his recommendation we went for a traditional ouzo, and… well, the rest of the evening is a blur. That’s what a 37% proof liqueur will do to you.

I think we took a romantic stroll along the seashore back to our whitewashed apartment on the water’s edge. Or something like that…

GREEK OLIVE

141 Faringdon Road

Swindon SN1 5DL

Tel: 01793 534064 thegreekolive.co.uk

Parking: at the rear in Cambria Place

Disabled access: Yes

Adver ratings:

Food: 10/10

Choice: 9/10

Décor: 7/10

Customer service: 10/10

Main course prices: £12.95 to £18.95

TripAdvisor rating: 4.5 out of 5