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Vrisaki
This large suburban restaurant is accessed via a poky kebab shop that belies a dining room brimming with happy families – but the contrast only adds to the charm. Vrisaki’s enduring popularity with north London’s Greek-Cypriot community is testimony to its authenticity. Time seems to stand still here. Delightful, old-school moustachioed waiters, poised to dispense a joke or debate the abiding ‘Cyprus problem’, are a key feature of this vibrant venue. You might be in Cyprus. The food is standard, robust Greek-Cypriot fare. The appetisers, consisting of dips, tsakistés, Greek salad, loúntza, halloumi, kalamári and dolmádes, were superb, though arrived an hour into the meal and followed too many unnecessary ‘fillers’ such as prawns, scampi and tinned tuna. Field mushrooms drizzled in warm olive oil and lemon were fleshy and succulent, and the tsípoura (grilled sea bream) was lovely. Chefs here clearly don’t subscribe to the ‘less is more’ school of cuisine, and by the time the mains (sheftaliá, souvláki and quails) arrived, three hours into the meal, we were full. Yet what Vrisaki lacks in consistency of quality and timing, it makes up for in a wonderful atmosphere.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008
Services:
Booking: Booking advisable; essential weekends
Child facilities: Babies and children admitted
Takeaway service: Takeaway service (8881 2920)
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