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Please note, Greek Larder has now closed. Time Out Food editors, August 2019.
Theodore Kyriakou seems to have the Midas touch. He founded The Real Greek and sold it on for expansion. Before this he did the same for the now-defunct Live Bait. And now he’s set up The Greek Larder, on a site just north of King’s Cross, around the corner from Granary Square and The Guardian offices.
It certainly looks good, with the warehouse interior evoking Greece, with its Aegean-green details and shelves lined with produce like a Greek periptero (kiosk).
Wine is served in the anodised aluminium beakers that in Greece are used for ‘krasi varelisio’ (wine from the barrel, often plonk), the glasses are tumblers. Although channelling the rustic charm of many simple Greek tavernas, this does the wine list no favours. It’s a pleasure to see so many boutique Greek wines in one place, championing indigenous grape varieties such as moschofilero, assyrtiko or agiorgitiko, but served in wide-brimmed tumblers, their aromas are lost. And those 100ml tumblers (all £3-5) add up quickly.
The meze dishes are delightful, but like the wines, a few little plates (£6 or thereabouts) can soon run up the bill. The Lamb’s tongue was a highlight, the pungent roasted meat offset by the red pepper and feta spread called htipipi. Rabbit legs were breaded and fried like chicken wings, and served with a parsnip version of skordalia, a garlicky dip.
Simple classics are pimped up. The giant white bean and tomato stew called gigantes is served as a dollop topped by an artichoke heart and neat triangle of sharp feta. Shaved ribbons of fennel garnished a few dishes, including a slice of filo pie with tzatsiki. Even desserts showed invention, with strained Greek coffee poured over mastic-flavoured ice cream, like an Italian affogato.
Kyriakou seems to have systematised the menu so it can be assembled with relatively little skill, or even masterminded from a central kitchen. Expect to see a branch of The Greek Larder on a high street near you soon.