New Greek In Town
From the owner of Zuma, The Arts Club and many others has just opened recently a new Greek restaurant in Fitzrovia called Meraki that features modern Greek cuisine. As in his other restaurants the vibe is cool and minimal, with good crowd and the food is exceptional.
The chef is Dimitrios Siamanis, who has a robust CV cooking in some great restaurants in London and Athens. There is a concept of an open kitchen, where you can admire the chefs cooking up a storm and where the fresh fishes (and sea urchins) of the day are displayed on an ice tray, as they do in Greece. The restaurant also has a bar area, where the awarded The Clumsies from Athens took charge for cocktail week (voted in the top list of best cocktail bars in the world), and I didn’t miss a chance to try one, two, three cocktails…
A selection of starters are brought to your table on a tray where you can choose those you prefer, the traditional style. We went for tzatziki with traditional pita bread and the beetroot salad. One of the best was the rosti Greek style potatoes with egg and truffle oil. Some other suggestions are melitzanosalata, Santorini salad, Mykonian salad, baby fried squid, souvlakia or gyros mini tacos (fantastic) and lamb kebab.
For main go for fresh grilled fish, obviously from Greece, or the Ossobuco or some of the sharing plates like Giouvetsi with lobster or even Leg of lamb.
For desserts don’t miss the famous, and really tasty, Loukoumades, which come with different dips, like chocolate or honey.
A really great gastronomic experience and number one on my list of best Greek restaurants in the city; I should know… Meraki is best for dinner. Second option, Opso in Marylebone, is better for lunch or weekend brunch. It is created from the team of Funky Gourmet in Athens, which has won different awards. The restaurant features Greek style tapas great for sharing and really worth visiting.