Hellenic Republic

434 Lygon St, Bruswick East

George Calombaris has become a house hold name across Australia as a celebrity chef and host of the hugely popular reality television series Master Chef Australia. But before Matt, Gary and the Master Chef contestants it was all about food and creating a dining experience full of passion, culture and heritage.  After bursting into the Melbourne culinary scene in 2006 when he opened the Greek inspired fine dining restaurant Press Club, in 2008, George took his traditional Greek heritage further and opened Hellenic Republic, a Modern Greek Taverna.

Hellenic Republic serves a mix of deliciously rich sharing dishes inspired by the dinner tables of family’s across Greece and the magical Islands that surround.  Walking into Hellenic Republic on a Sunday evening the place is a buzz with conversation, loud and hectic, with a steady stream of share plates from the open kitchen dispersing across the restaurant.

We are seated by the rotisserie which instantly takes away the chill from the icy winter evening and has us perusing over the menu in silence, eager to share in whatever is filling the restaurant with such inviting aromas.  The menu is large with plenty of options to satisfy but tonight we take the easy way out, opting for the four course set menu for $58 a person.

The service is quick and well-organised and before we know it we are tucking into our starters, a mix of small plates consisting of Tyri saganaki with peppered figs, pita bread, Taramosalata - white cod roe dip and Loukaniko - pork and leek sausages. The peppered figs are soft, sweet and act as a perfect complement to the hot salty cheese. The pita bread is the best I have eaten, soft and fluffy on the inside with a crispy pan fired outer, a perfect spoon for the creamy cod dip which to my delight is not overpowered by the roe. 

Our next course to arrive was the seafood.  The waitress clears our starter and instantaneously places in front of us crispy skin salmon fillets, crumbed hervey bay scallops presented in their shell and a Cypriot grain salad with freekah, coriander, almonds, lentils and yoghurt. The salmon is rich and the flavour delightful although slightly over cooked, missing the plump pink flesh in the centre of the fillet. The Cypriot grain salad is a refreshing combination of mixed herbs, almond, dried currants and crunchy grain. However the scallops are a little on the small side and are lost behind the crumbs in which they are served.

Our third course arrives, ahh, the one we have been waiting for.  The chicken and lamb comes sliced straight from the rotisserie, plated together with lemon and served with hand cut potatoes, cabbage salad and tzatziki.  The meat is tender and when squeezed with lemon comes alive in a burst of exotic herbs and spices with a tang of citrus. The chips are crunchy and perfectly golden; the cabbage salad gives the fresh sweet balance to the meal while the tzatziki ties it all together.

Thinking I couldn’t possibly fit in another mouthful the steaming hot Greek donuts arrived smothered in a sticky attiki honey and sprinkled with crushed walnuts… all of a sudden there is just enough room.

Leaving the Greek Taverna that evening I feel impossibly full but quietly content.  In my eyes Hellenic Republic has succeeded exactly what George set out to accomplish, bringing the traditional Greek family feast to Melbourne and serving it to eager customers with a the heartfelt love of a grandmother.

Rated 16 O's out of 20