Greko, the new Greek-cum Mediterranean take-away joint, stands out in a lane crowded by over two-dozen restaurants. The food is deliciously different and the price, happily affordable, finds Dhiman Chattopadhyay
Every time a new eatery opens on Carter Road, we wonder anew at the ability of this stretch of suburban Mumbai to attract new options where food is concerned. Many disappoint, shut shop and move away, while some old favourites live another day. We hope Greko falls into the second category. Though operating only as a takeaway joint, the food here is worth trying and good value for money.
Homemade traditional Moussaka
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On a rainy evening, we land up at this small inconspicuous eatery, a short drive from home. Suraj and Rueben, the two owners, are already busy serving cutomers while two others get busy taking ourorder and dealing with it. We have a quick look at the menu on the wall (their paper menu cards are not ready yet) and start with the Fatoush salad (Rs 170), a refreshing mix of salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, juliennes of onions and cous cous. It’s tossed with chopped parsley, mint leaves, lemon zest and a light tossed lemon vinaigrette. The result is a healthy and surprisingly delicious salad, a great start to our Greek meal.
As we sit in the car, it starts to pour. But the food keeps coming. Greko boasts a number of pita wraps, with various types of vegetarian and non-vegetarian stuffing and our Chicken Gyro wrap (Rs150) is a warm pita, filled with strips of chicken, crispy lettuce and French fries, tomatoes, onions and a homemade Tzatziki. The sauce is oozing as we take the first bite and continues to do so till we finish the wrap. Definitely not stingy on ingredients, we must say.
The other wrap we opt for is the Athenian (Rs 210). It has chicken Gyro and souvlaki, with a generous amount of Greek feta cheese, French fries, lettuce, onion and tomatoes, all stuffed into the pita. The sauce, however, is similar to the first wrap.
While both wraps are tasty, perhaps the French fries can be omitted from the filling. They do not add much to the taste (only empty calories). And they are soggy.
But for the price, both wraps are quite filling and can work for a working lunch, a quick bite on the way home from in the evening or even a midnight date on theu00a0bandstand.
Since a visit to a Greek eatery is incomplete without the traditional Moussaka (Rs 270), we get one packed. This dish has a mix of baked layers of potatoes, minced tenderloin and eggplant, topped with grated parmesan and a Béchamel sauce. It’s packed in a neat box with a portion of French fries and salad. Though the meat is perfectly done and tasty, the topping has congealed a bit by the time we unpack it at home and start eating. We scrape a fine layer off it and voila! the Moussaka becomes as enjoyable as the rest of the meal.
There is only one real complaint about the menu at Greko -- there are no desserts on offer. When we question Suraj and Rueben, they look at each other, while the chef says the Greeks have Baklava, but Greko doesn’t make any.
But no, we shouldn’t be mean. The food is genuinely good and all the four items cost just R800. It took three healthy adults to finish it. Greko gets our vote!
greko
At: Union Park, off Carter Road, Bandra
Call: 9870505737
Food: Excellent
Service: Good
Value for money: High u00a0
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