In our never-ending quest for experimenting with different cuisines, we made a pit stop at Euriska; to satiate our hunger for Greek food. Euriska means new discovery and rightly so. It indeed was a discovery of greek cuisine in Pune and a good one at that.
Ambience: The minute you enter the restaurant , you are transported to the beautiful Greek island of Santorini. The colour scheme is white making the place look ethereal. Beautiful paintings adorn the dome shaped white washed walls and the high top tables arranged close to the DJ console, illuminated in neon blue and pink; ensure you a wonderful Greek dining experience. The restaurant is inviting and the ambience is a spectacular 4.5/5.
Food: We were welcomed by the staff who showed us a table for 4. As we made ourselves comfortable on the seating area on the inner side, we were a little confused looking at the elaborate choice of drinks. Seeking the waiter’s help, we started off with the “Pornstar Martini”, “Zorba the Greek” and “Watermelon and Chilli Collins” .
As the name suggested, the porn star martini looked delicious and was made with an aged Greek brandy called Metaxa aromatized with passion fruit.
The next drink was ‘Zorba the Greek’ which was also prepared with Metaxa and aromatized with rose petal and cherry. This too was our firm favourite and went down pretty well between us.
The watermelon and chilli Collins was spicy and refreshing and we thought it would make a perfect summer drink.
Entrees : For the entrees, we were served a vegetarian platter or veg mezthes comprising assortment of Dolmades, Domathokeftedes, Spanakopitas, Queen olive puffs to the accompaniment of dips like Hummus, Melitzanosalata, Tzatziki. We loved the spanakopitas which were stuffed with spinach and feta cheese and the dolomades which was an interesting confection of rice and vegetables rolled up in vine leaves that had a good kick to them.
The mezthes is generally served with pita bread. When paired with the Tzatziki dip, the flavours of the pita bread are elevated to a different level as the powerful mix of yogurt , cucumber, garlic, salt and olive oil run riot in your mouth.
The Non veg mezthes comprised an assortment of Lamb meatballs, chicken cafreal, Beer batter calamari and prawns, Honey wine prawns and Mini chicken bastille.
The crispy crunch of the beer batter calamari and the prawns was an instant hit. We lapped it between us in no time and were left craving for more. This dish was definitely a star on the menu.
The chicken cafreal was coated with a pepper rub. However, it was a little chewy and did not impress us much.
Another gem on this extravagant Greek menu was the chicken bastille comprising minced meat well cooked in spices.
The prawns glazed with honey and wine tickled our taste buds and we devoured it no time.
Delving more into the Greek cuisine we laid our hands on the souvlaki which is Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer. The souvlakis looked vibrant and appetizing, neatly arranged on a platter. The Chicken souvlaki was prepared with the adobo rub comprising paprika, oregano, garlic and vinegar. Simple in presentation but bold in flavor, the chicken souvlaki quickly won us over. The muted flavours of the Snapper ras-al-hanout were elevated with the Dukkah rub that is a mix of nuts, coriander and cumin seeds.
The Harissa Prawns were medium cooked and buttery. Every bite into the prawns, yielded its freshness and the well balanced flavours.
Keftedes is a greek appetizer that is served as a part of the meze platter. Chicken keftedes was more like a sausage marinated in spices while the Lamb keftedes was made of minced meat and melted in our mouth.
Though we did not have much room left for any more food, our hearts craved for more of Greece. So there we were trying the Veg Pastitsio and the Lamb Moussaka. The veg pastitsio was a mish mash of macaroni cooked al dente with vegetable stuffing. The confection was smooth, soft and flavourfully fantastic.
The lamb moussaka did not impress us much and the flavours of the egg plant, argula and the minced lamb were all over the place.
Though we were running into a food coma, the mention of the desserts got us hungry. The drool worthy Berry and candied citrus Pannacota and the moreishly delectable Baklava impressed us in no time. After one bite it was hard to put the spoon down as the buttery, sweet flavours of Baklava garnished with nuts made us fall in love with this Arabic sweet.
Service: The waiters are well versed with the greek cuisine and can answer most questions with ease. The chef, Mr Ajay Thakur, also visited us between rounds of our entrée and the main course and appraised us about each dish. The menu is pretty challenging. Hats off to the chef for acing it.
Recommendation: If Greece is on your mind or you haven’t been there yet, there is nothing more rewarding than heading to this chic restaurant situated in the heart of Koregaon Park, the party destination of Pune. There is plenty of decadence to be found and the place lives up to its promise of good food and a great ambience.
Ambience: 4.5/5
Service : 4/5
Food: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Must try: Beer batter fried prawns and calamari, the chicken bastille, spanakopita, prawn harrisa, veg pastitsio and the baklava
moipalateblogs 