MAHA

After the wonderful experience I had at Hellenic Republic earlier this year of course I was keen to try another of the jewels in the crown of the Calombaris empire, Maha. Situated off Flinders Lane, Maha has a more sophisticated feel than the laid-back vibe of Hellenic Republic.

I was dining again with two of my loveliest female friends, and we opted for a 5 course banquet. First off, one of the things I love about the place was that we didn’t have to spend any time at all mulling over the menu, we just ordered the banquet, gave our dietary requirements, and sat back and watched the delicious food start rolling out of the kitchen and onto our table!

Each ‘course’ was a banquet in itself, comprising of multiple generous dishes. The first course was a lovely soup. Seemed harmless enough. Then came course 2 which was a selection of dips, olives and butter beans in tomato and olive oil. All delicious. Then came mussels with chick peas and shaved coconut, zuchinni and chick peas with goats cheese and a large bowl of garlic mushrooms. OK, so even just these two were a huge meal in itself and we’re only up to course 3? Shit! I had stupidly worn tight pants to the restaurant, what a rookie mistake!

So after all this, course 4 comes out, consisting of SEVEN (albeit small, mezze size) dishes! Amazing Kingfish, ravioli, lentils, rice and salads. Oh dear lord I was full to bursting!

Of course you always have to leave room for dessert when you go to places like this! It was divine. The popcorn with salted caramel was my favourite. I loved how all the flavours combined when you ate the three layers of the dish all at once to create, and I’m sorry for saying this, a party in my mouth. And no you’re not invited!

The presentation of the dishes was beautiful, I especially loved the decorated tiles. You also leave with a parting gift, which I have in a box somewhere not yet unpacked. The service was impeccable, my only complaint (and it is a minor one) is that several times our conversation was interrupted so we could be told (at length) what each dish was, and where it came from. And yes I know we spent mere minutes mulling over the decision but thought it was a bit of an intrusion. Although it seems to be a growing trend so I’d probably do best to just get used to it.

Anyway, definitely recommend this place, get the banquet and come prepared. Eat very little during the day and wear loose clothing. I was in a food coma for several days after this one!

HELLENIC REPUBLIC

434 Lygon St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
(03) 9381 1222

So I was pretty excited when I heard George Calombaris (of Masterchef and before that, Ready, Steady Cook fame) had opened a new taverna-style restaurant in Brunswick. I was also pleased to learn that the prices were a lot less than the Press Club, thereby making his food more accessible to people like me who scrape by on a stipend (while the company I work for charges me out to clients at ridiculous rates, but that’s NOT for here!!) Anyway, I decided to get a group together and go to Hellenic Republic for my birthday recently.

Not only does this guy make amazing food, but he really knows how to run a business. He doesn’t miss a thing. When I called to make my group booking the people I spoke to were knowledgeable and friendly, and were more than happy to accommodate special dietary requirements of the group. The restaurant itself is laid back and relaxed, which appealed to me as I like good food but hate pretentious or wanky surroundings (the Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney is a perfect example of what I mean).

The overall dining experience at Hellenic Republic was outstanding. In fact I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. Hang on, I need to go and get something to eat. I can’t write about this on an empty stomach.

OK I’m back, and I have a box of pizza shapes beside me to mitigate any pangs of longing I may experience while writing this. So, to pick up where I left off, our group had the banquet. Started off with some olives, dips and pita bread. The taramasalata was made with white roe and was divine. Next we had some mezze, consisting of fish croquettes, saganaki with fig jam, some kind of chick pea and cuttlefish stew, dolmades and greek salad. The saganaki was simply superb and should be mandatory for anyone who goes there. It’s probably the best saganaki I’ve ever had. The chick pea dish was also great, unassuming yet very tasty.

Next up we were served a ridiculous amount of barramundi, which was freakin’ delicious. Our group was disappointed that we couldn’t eat it all. It was so good, but we were already getting dangerously full and still had a lot of food to come out (TIP: watch your pita bread consumption….hard to do but essential for pacing yourself at a banquet of this size)!!

After the barramundi a big plate of imam bayildi and a selection of meats from the spit came out. The meat was gone within seconds, and was deliciously tender and moist. I was keen to try the Imam Bayildi, as I do a not bad version of my own and wanted to see how it stacked up. George’s recipe wiped the floor with mine and I realised how bad my delusions of grandeur in the kitchen are. I am nothing compared to the mighty George Calombaris! We also had another green salad, which was deceiving as it looked quite plain but still managed to be delightful. As well as good to nibble on in between courses……thereby still eating but not filling yourself up. Some bowls of chips came out, and they were the best chips I’ve ever had. I was so disappointed I could only manage 3 chips, I wanted to eat so many more but was full to the point of bursting by this point in the banquetL

So after all this, I had to ask the waitress to give us a little break before dessert, because we were all beginning to feel sick and I was heavily pregnant with a food baby. So after an hour or so out came dessert. The watermelon and fetta salad was a revelation. Normally I’m very wary of mixing sweet and savoury in a dish, but the combination of the fetta, watermelon, mint and almonds in a light dressing (that maybe had a rosewater base?) worked perfectly and would silence any doubter. There was also baklava, Turkish delight, donuts and biscuits.

Our group ordered an assortment of Greek wines, which were all lovely and suited the style of the food very well. The house wines were also served in cute little metal carafes, a nice touch. The staff, while young, were polite, agreeable and knowledgeable. They have obviously been trained well and enjoy their job. I really can’t fault Hellenic Republic - like I said before Mr Calombaris really has his finger on the pulse when it comes to service and dining experience. This combined with his skill in the kitchen mean there’s little question why this guy is one of the most successful chefs in Australia right now.

Our group was seated near the grill and we saw some pretty tasty morsels going out to other tables so I’ll definitely be back soon to have a crack at the a la carte menu. At $70 a head, I thought the banquet was great value - especially considering the amount of food that was served and the variety of dishes. It’s been years since I ate that much and I could barely eat for several days afterwards. Definitely wear loose and comfortable clothing when you go – no tight jeans!! I absolutely loved Hellenic Republic, so far it is my number one Melbourne dining experience. And I think it’s going to be a tough one to beat.