Is Taverna Greek Kitchen authentic?
Goodbye Left Bank. Hello Taverna. Another licensed Greek restaurant opens in Dubai – this time overlooking Souk Madinat’s waterway. Operated by Food Fund, the Greek-South African restaurateurs who also own Eat Greek (and Meat Company amongst other brands), chef Theo Rouvas moves across to Taverna – bringing some of his signature dishes like the prawn kateifi. The strapline: ‘Authentic Taverna Greek Kitchen’. Does it live up to its name?
Simple foldable paper menus highlight cold mezedes, salads, appetisers, seafood, grills, classics and sides – also translated into Greek. In a style typical of Greek tavernas, our waitress, who hails from Greece, brings across a pre-prepared tray of starters to help explain the breadth of options. Kitsch for sure, but it’s clear these dishes have been prepped just before service, so they certainly look fresh. Traditional pitta that is served immediately with a dip of extra virgin olive oil and some plump green olives is a tad too charred.
A taramosalata whipped to a super silky light texture, is dotted with liquid spherification of cold-pressed olive oil and salmon roe. I request a side of oregano and feta fries for dipping. We seem to be experiencing a trend for anything but classic allumette-cut fries (whether Belgian or French), and I wish restaurants would serve the real deal, rather than chunky roughly-cut chips, like at Taverna.
The Santorinia salad’s star ingredient is fresh Anthotyro goat cheese with a sweet creamy taste that is crumbled over tomatoes, caper leaves, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. The eye-catching ‘boat-shaped’ presentation is a chef Theo trademark replicated across several dishes.
I am torn between the ‘ksidato’ pickled octopus or the grilled version. The waitress recommends the latter and quite right she is. A slow braise before grilling over olive wood chips tenderises the slightly smokey tentacles to a soft perfection. Taverna elevates a simple dish with Santorini fava bean salad served two ways (diced and pureed), alongside a rare restaurant ingredient – salty and tangy samphire, or salicornia as referred to here.
It’s back to basics with a generous mound of fried whitebait. These are light and delicate, with a just a whiff of flour dusting to give a crispy golden armour. There’s a citrus mayo dip, but lashings of lemon is all it requires to wolf these beauties down whole.
A Greek restaurant’s test, for me, is the pan-fried cheese saganaki, which Taverna passes with flying colours. Chef uses Kefalotyri – a hard, salty sheep’s milk cheese – similar to Manchego. Flaming with ouzo in the skillet gives the Kefalotyri a distinct anise flavour on the first bite, which then quickly dissipates, as the saltiness of this sharp cheese comes to the fore, only for a chunky orange marmalade to add some tangy sweetness.
A classic dish in a Greek home is ‘gemista’ – stuffed baked veggies – in this case bell pepper, beef tomato and aubergine overflowing with a heady fragrant mix of rice, herbs and ripe tomato sauce. Only one sliver of a roasted potato though. Crumbled feta is served on the side, and you would do well to sprinkle it generously.
Like with any good Greek meal, we’re bursting, but the compelling dessert options inspire me to order the Greek yoghurt Pavlova. In a Hellenic twist of this Kiwi classic, slabs of meringue are layered with yoghurt replacing fresh cream, and are topped with berries, figs and a strawberry compote. Served with a delightful scoop of vanilla yoghurt ice cream, this makes for an incredibly moreish sweet ending. I don’t often rate desserts as a must-order dish, but I would happily return for this gem.
In a welcome change for Greek restaurants in Dubai, the Greek wine selection is ample and relatively well priced by local standards. A house wine from Glivanos Estate with a full-bodied Agiorgitiko grape is deliciously aromatic and velvety. In keeping with Greek hospitality tradition, mastiha liquor shots, an acquired taste for sure (something I have not acquired) are offered on the house. Please note – I am not recognised.
Service from our bubbly Greek waitress is slick and swift – with dishes leaving the pass almost a little too fast. I like that she asks for our preference with the sequence of dishes, unlike many sharing concept restaurants, which serve at the kitchen’s beck and call. And understandably, she knows the menu inside out.
The restaurant has been gutted from its Left Bank days. An open-plan kitchen and bar overlook the dining room with mock cavern-shaped whitewashed walls. The inviting interior is both rustic yet chic with an abundance of stone, wood and marble finishings. There’s also terrace seating overlooking the waterway for when ‘winter’ strikes. And the playlist is Greek. It’s a little quiet on arrival around 7.30pm on a Friday, but quickly picks up with a mix of Western and Arab guests, mostly tourists though, which, along with the bright lighting makes for a less than ambient experience.
Taverna’s differentiator from other new Greek restaurants in Dubai is its affordable price point. Expect to pay AED190 per person for three courses without alcohol, which is bloody good value for a licensed establishment in a prime location. Ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques stay true to traditional Greek cuisine, with a contemporary twist reflected in the striking presentation. Taverna IS an authentic Greek kitchen. Here’s to a high 4 out of 5 FooDiva knife rating.
So out of the plethora of new Greek restaurants on the block, where do you head to?
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
Am looking forward to trying as the dishes sound great.
Just a quick question, I know what you mean about the fries in Dubai but in Greece and Cyprus quite a lot of the time when they say fries/ chips what often comes out is big wedges of potato instead, so were these like that` or like the Eat Greek style ones?
They were similar to Eat Greek’s – chunky chips, but not as crispy, in my opinion. You can see a photo above 🙂 In Cyprus we sometimes see them roughly cut, but if so, they tend to be fried a little more to give a crispier shell. I should start a campaign to #bringbackfries!