Advanced Search  
 
       
 

Greek food for games
By Pamela Shookman ( City Weekend)
Updated: 2004-08-09 09:40

Greek food for gamesLet's be upfront about two Greek food facts.  1.  Real Greek cuisine is fantastic. It's a simple, healthy cuisine based on an abundance of fresh ingredients. 2. It also suffers from many restaurants serving flavorless fare.  I headed to Athena, conveniently located in Sanlitun, wondering which category it belongs to.

On a humid weekday evening the restaurant was virtually empty.  Several diners sat at outside tables but inside was cooler and benefits from a hand-painted wall mural of the Parthenon, photos of Greece and pleasant Greek music.  The small bar area sparkles in a blue and white mosaic design. 

The menu is long, laminated and lacks any mention of olives, a sure sign that something is amiss.  Appetizers include traditional mezedes  - stuffed vine leaves, filled pies, fried cheese - but each comes separately instead of as a convenient sampler plate.  Soups, salads and pastas are uninspiring and meat rules over seafood. Lots of lamb is lovely but how does Veal Zurichnoise fit into a Greek menu? And Baked Prawns with Provencal herbs?  What's wrong with Greek ones?  And where are those olives?

Small details like bread reflect a restaurant's attitude toward food and sadly Athena's stale bread rolls forewarned of the imminent meal. 

First to arrive was the Greek Salad - a colourful combination of chunky cucumber and tomato, thinly sliced onions, olives and oregano dusted feta cubes.  Despite excellent olives available in Beijing, these were bland and the feta's cream cheese texture and one-dimensional saltiness was a far cry from crumbly feta that bursts with the goodness of sheep's milk. The salad dressing, inexplicably based on a tasteless vegetable oil instead of olive oil, enhanced nothing.

Grilled Octopus with Lemon and Vinegar had potential. Large pieces of tasty octopus were tossed with oregano and a tiny dice of red and yellow peppers alas all drenched in the tasteless oil. The sad Spinach Spanikopita - triangular parcels of spinach stuffed inside a wanton wrapper and deep fried - was closer in flavor and texture to a bad spring roll than to the stuffed pastry parcel of its name. 

By this time one thing was clear.  The cooks do not understand the vital role of olive oil, olives and fresh produce in preparing Greek cuisine.

My theory was confirmed by the mains. Like the starters, the mains lacked the delicious flavors of authentic Greek cuisine. 'Grilled' Snapper on a mountain of couscous tasted sautéed while the lemon and oil sauce failed to perk up the not so fresh fish. The moussaka hovered like a huge hockey puck in a sea of bright red tomato sauce. Thin shavings of eggplant disappeared between layers of chewy meat topped with a solidified cheese sauce. The saving grace was the lively tomato sauce garnish, traditionally cooked with the meat. 

I was ready to forgo dessert, but my dining partner rightly convinced me that a complete review required sampling the baklava.  The syrupless portion - enough for 4 - was desperately dry while the cavity inducing sweetness overwhelmed the nuts. The filo pastry lacked the requisite richness from brushings of butter. Luckily the orange segment garnish cleansed the palate. 

The drinks list was comprehensive yet the wine list void of the stellar Greek wines made today.  We ordered a glass of the Greek red but the waitress steered us away saying it wasn't very good.  Instead she recommended a French merlot (Vichon 2001) that was the best part of the meal.

The service was friendly and helpful but they did miscalculate the bill by Y20 in their favor. 

Real Greek food is simply superb.  What a shame that Athena hasn't yet discovered the essential ingredients. 



 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         

| Home | News | Business | Living in China | Forum | E-Papers |Weather |

|About Us | Contact Us | Site Map | Jobs |
Copyright 2005 Chinadaily.com.cn All rights reserved. Registered Number: 20100000002731
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久亚洲精品国产亚洲老地址| 分分操这里只有精品| 亚洲国产欧美在线人成北岛玲 | 亚洲国产福利精品一区二区| 男人桶女人j的视频在线观看| 噜噜噜在线观看播放视频| 97在线公开视频| 国产精品免费_区二区三区观看 | 老师的胸又大又软真好吃| 国产在线观看网站萌白酱视频| 1000部啪啪毛片免费看| 撞击老妇肉体之乱小说| 人人妻人人妻人人片色av| 网友偷自拍原创区| 国产中文字幕视频| 麻豆福利视频导航| 国产男女猛视频在线观看| 一本之道在线视频| 无遮挡a级毛片免费看| 久久综合九色综合97手机观看| 欧美一级片免费在线观看| 冈本视频老版app下载安装进入口| 荡公乱妇hd在线播放| 国产孕妇做受视频在线观看| 人人爽天天爽夜夜爽曰| 国产精品成人免费视频网站| 91精品久久国产青草| 在线观看永久免费| www.波多野结衣.com| 富二代国app产下载| 一本大道高清香蕉中文大在线 | 久久亚洲AV无码精品色午夜麻豆| 日韩色视频一区二区三区亚洲| 亚洲ts人妖网站| 欧美一区欧美二区| 亚洲午夜久久久影院| 欧美孕交videosfree黑| 亚洲国产精品综合一区在线| 欧美日本中文字幕| 午夜国产大片免费观看| 羞羞漫画页面免费入口欢迎你|