Greek food at the Apollo
I’ve had the good fortune lately of meeting a group of ladies who are massive foodies and we get together in fairly large groups to try out (aka, share every dish on the menu) at various restaurants in Sydney. Most recently, we checked out The Apollo, a fantastic Greek restaurant in one of Sydney’s trendiest food areas. We got a table at the back right in the kitchen and essentially ordered everything on the menu. It made me want to eat more Greek food in general because I enjoyed all the flavours so much. It was not the healthiest meal I’ve ever had (well, far from it) but it was utterly delicious. For a mostly vegetarian, I totally pigged out on the pork, lamb, and chicken dishes. Since I’m not actually very good at all at cooking meat I have a huge appreciation for expertly cooked meat, and this restaurant has a huge wood and charcoal grill area where they roast all the meats for hours. It was a big departure from my veggie meals but sometimes you have to enjoy a totally indulgent experience 🙂
For starters, warm pita bread and olives with various dips…yum
It came early but this is the star of the meal: saganaki – which is cheese served with a honey and oregano sauce in a hot skillet. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t really like cheese platters or cold cheese, but this dish was 100% to die for, especially paired with the pita bread. I can barely describe with words just how good it is. And I don’t like to think about just how bad it is for you…because really it is just that enjoyable
Seared kingfish with charred lettuce
Grilled calamari with capsicum and a salad over the top of quinoa and microgreens – I liked this more than the kingfish. When calamari is done right it doesn’t need to be fried at all and I actually prefer it grilled.
Pork belly with onions and chili. For someone who eats vegetarian most of the time, let me just admit that I LOVE pork belly. It is just so fattening and utterly delicious. In the background is iceberg lettuce with shaved sheep’s milk cheese. This was a huge surprise for me because I am normally not a plain iceberg lettuce eater, but with the way they shaved the cheese I wanted to gobble down the entire plate. I loved this innovative take on a wedge salad of sorts.
Barbequed chicken with lemon
Another star – slow cooked lamb with lemon and Greek yogurt. So classically Greek and so fantastic – the lamb was falling off the bone.
Always a little room for dessert when it consists of honey doughnuts in a pomegranate yogurt sauce with pistachio crumbs
The great thing about going out to dinner with a group of 10 ladies is that you actually can get all these dishes and not die, although I must admit I was pretty stuffed by the end. Although I do like going out to dinner with just one or two people, there is so much appeal in going out in a huge group so you can try this much amazing food, particularly at a restaurant like this where the emphasis is all on shared dishes. I highly recommend no matter where you are in the world that you find a sharing-focused restaurant and coerce at least six people to come along with you and try everything!
merrifood 