Vanessa: Ending a busy working week catching up with friends always makes for the start of a good weekend.. add great food in the mix and you’re winning! This particular friday night hubby (Mr M) and I dined with our friends at Medusa Greek Taverna. I had been here before but it was a first for Mr M, which considering his Greek heritage and 5 minute walk from his work is surprising 😉
Medusa Greek Taverna, centrally located in the CBD, boasts a modern atmosphere yet much emphasis has been placed on portraying the Greek culture of the restaurant. From Greek wait staff to picturesque images of Greek landscapes, they have done a good job of showcasing the culture of a taverna whilst maintaining an upmarket feel.
There were four of us dining that night so we opted for the set banquet ($55pp/4 or more) which thankfully eliminated any decision-making! First up a vibrant mezze plate was set down before us.
This colourful spread included haloumi, stuffed vine leaves (dolmades), sausages, olives, tzatziki and probably one of the best taramasalata I’ve ever tasted..and yes I have been to Greece!. This delightful smorgasboard was served up with an ample amount of warm pita bread and really got the taste buds going.
Next up was the crowd pleasing prawn saganaki. This was delicious with its rich, tomato based flavour and baked prawns topped with crumbled feta. Served up with crunchy warm bread to mop up all that saucy goodness.
We also had a large Greek salad with a slab of feta on top set down for us to share with our mains.
The set menu allows each person to choose their own main which was great as it allowed us to try a few dishes. Our friends chose the mousaka and the arni souvlaki plate.
The mousaka was a generous serve of traditional oven baked layered potato, eggplant, lamb mince topped with bechamel sauce.
The arni (lamb) souvlaki was a single souvlaki accompanied with tzatziki, chips, salad and pita bread. A lighter alternative to the lamb shoulder however the lamb shoulder may cause food envy.
Because Mr M and I couldn’t decide we both ordered the Medusa Greek lamb shoulder…and boy I wish we had shared it! This very generous, tender lamb shoulder falls away from the bone and is just delicious. It is just a very big serve of lamb so I recommend sharing this dish unless you are super hungry. It is served up with soft, lemon potatoes and peas. The waitstaff are clearly used to people not finishing this dish as without question they packed the lamb up for us to take home..waste not want not!
The final piece in our set menu puzzle was a serve of Galactobouriko. This Greek sweet made from semolina custard and crispy filo pastry was served warm with a scoop of ice-cream. It may have been our state of fullness but we were a little underwhelmed by it, also possibly because we are spoilt with home-made versions from Mr M’s family.
Definitely pop this on the radar to try if you are after a good feed of Greek cuisine. With substantial set menus at reasonable prices it’s a good place to come with a group of people. Do make sure you book though as word has spread about that lamb shoulder – they are always busy!
Enjoy!
Vanessa
Lurve Greek food. Shame the Galactobouriko was a let down – I could eat my weight of this!
Me too, love Greek food and I was not exaggerating about the lamb!
Argh I looooove galaktoboureko! And too funny that you both ordered the lamb shoulder and then ended up with too much. I think I would have done the same!
That salad is EXACTLY how I loved them in greece!