Zeus Street Greek, Drummoyne
Sunday, September 07, 2014
Street food is my
kind of food. Sure, give me a beautiful, three course fine dining meal any day, but take me out for a bowl of
fresh, herby, zingy noodle soup or smoky, spiced satay and I'm a happy girl.
I've developed a kind of aversion to kebabs, though, because I often find them
too oily, big and altogether overwhelming for my stomach.
Zeus Greek Street
Food takes street food to a whole new level. Gyros, the much loved Greek
relative of the kebab, is tended to lovingly and given a gourmet twist, with
the addition of Aegean slaw, preserved lemon mayo and sides that stretch far
beyond the typical kebab shop menu.
Although it
thoughtfully offers a takeaway and call-pick-up service, the lines at this
gourmet street food restaurant stretch long on the weekends. A no booking
policy reiterates the eatery's ethos of serving high quality, honest Greek fare
- diners put their name down and wait to
be called for a table, both inside and outside.
You can't miss the
big, gold lightning bolt that adorns the top of the shopfront. Opening only a
few months ago, the restaurant has already gained a huge following, filling a
niche in the inner west for an alternative takeon everyone's favourite street food.
Order at the counter
once you've been shown to your table, grab a number and glimpse at what other
diners are munching into, or take a glimpse behind the glass window adjoining
the pass where pitas are being churned out at an inconceivable pace.
Our order arrives in
quick time, with everything arriving within a rushed couple of minutes. The
menu lists six types of pitas 'from the souvla': Uncle Tzimmy Classic, a
classic style served with chips wrapped inside, the signature Zeus Lamb,
Stavros Stavrou with grilled Haloumi, Papou Niko stuffed with Pork, Spartan is
Chicken and prawns in the Poseidon. Despite our willingness to sample a range
of the tempting pitas today we all feel like the Zeus, the signature slow
cooked lamb wrapped up alongside Aegean Slaw, smoked eggplant, parsley and
onion.
The gyros are stout,
cute little blanketed bundles, small in comparison to the mammoth-sized kebabs
one could typically buy. They are wrapped in Greek-style paper, sealed with a
coloured sticker and brought out on stamped wooden boards, some singular and
some in lots. Because they're so busy today some seem to be missing their
stickers, which hang in coils off the top of the pass.
The Zeus - Lamb ($10.50)
The pita bread is
spongy and fluffy, a texture I thoroughly enjoy, although this does make the
pita slightly more filling. Encased inside it are chunks of tender,
mouthmelting, tasty lamb, scattered hints of eggplant and strands of crunchy
carrot and onion. Some bites tend to be a little bit dry, but get a mouthful of
all of this at once and you'll be transported to Greece in an instant. The
bottom is a little bit oily, and the pita is deceivingly filling.
Iceberg Salad ($9.50)
Aniceberg salad cuts
through richness of the pita, with a sour lemon dressing, dill and golden fried
shallots. It gets very salty near the bottom, but is fresh and punchy.
Calamari ($12.50)
Tender morsels of
lightly seasoned, spiced calamari arrive with an accompaniment of preserved lemon mayo, this is wonderfully
zingy and a thoughtful alternative to a wedge of lemon. The tubes are light and
moreish, not oily at all, and go well with the iceberg salad.
Feta and Oregano Chips ($6.50)
We were umming and
ahhing about getting some chips to go with our meal, and upon glimpsing these
passing by we were instantlt converted. An innovative twist that marries Greek
flavours with the fast food favourite, golden chips are topped with a smattering
of salty fetta and dried orgeano. Perfect flavour combination and worth
visiting just to eat some of these.
So for a leisurely
weekend meal we walked out of Zeus feeling uncomfortably full but extremely
happy and satisfied, taking a menu on the way out for when we next need
takeaway dinner next. While waiting for our table we saw lots of hungry patrons
leaving with customised Zeus paper bags encasing a delicious meal, so buying to
take away seems like a pretty good idea if you're pressed for time or want to
enjoy Greek goodness in the privacy of your own home or for a picnic nearby.
Zeus Greek Street Food is definitely a local street food favourite that will be
kept in mind for future pita cravings to come.
Website:
2 comments
You can't beat a good gyros! And I love how feta and oregano on chips seems to be popping up everywhere too!
ReplyDeleteOh yum!! Looks so good
ReplyDeleteJulie
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