Platia is the greek word for town square and taverna means a small restaurant. Well, Platia Greek Taverna for me and my friends is a place that brings back our Greece memories especially after a lil bit of chat and feasting on their authentic food.
Without further ado, let's jump straight to their appetizer! We started with their Mezze Plater for sharing several of these satisfying bits and bites while we wait for the main course to come. I guess this platter is an absolute must as we'll get a little taste of everything from the grilled halloumi, country sausage, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), the thick and rich tzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber dip), tasty brilliant pink tarama (salted and cured roe dip), some olives, peppers and grilled pita bread.
Don't stuff yourself up with the platter no matter how good it is as this Grilled Octopus is another thing you must order! I am used to be scared with octopus when I see it on the menu as it's often found too chewy and rubbery. But, this place has changed my mind as their octopus is so nice and tender on the inside with a deep caramelised char on the outside.
Moussaka is such a great classic Greek dish - a well known crowd pleaser that looks like potato lasagna at first glance. Layers of potato with lightly spiced lamb mince and eggplant in a rich tomato sauce, topped with bechamel sauce - it's definitely one of my comfort food!
I notice that almost on everyone's table there's always this Cyprus Lamb! One bite.. and I know the reason why it's so famous! The lamb rump remains succulent but it's so tender you can cut it with a spoon. It's impossible to get wrong with a juicy and fully-flavored meat when it's paired with the creamiest dreamiest mashed potato, tasty grilled halloumi and mushrooms, and spoon-licking good paprika sauce. Together they complete the flavour burst this dish gives from the first bite till the last spoon of the potatoes.
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| Chicken Santorini: Oven Baked Chicken Kiev Stuffed with Spinach, Feta & Pepper |
As if oven baked chicken isn't good enough, Platia stuffs chicken breast with spinach, feta and pepper and bake till it becomes a decadent dish in all its glory! The chicken is succulent and tender, packed with one of the best filling combination, baked to perfection, and finished off with creamy buttery white wine sauce.
Go on with their Dessert Tasting Plate no matter how full you are especially after the big feast (note that the portion size here is quite huge)! This plate basically cover almost everything on their dessert menu and save indecisive people's time (read: me) especially.. LOL!
My favourite one and I'll order it on its own the next time I dine here is the Strawberries Platia. The rose water gives the fragrance to the luscious and creamy custard base. It tastes rich but not overwhelming and light at the same time. Topped with fresh strawberries cut, sesame pastelli and drizzled in pomegranate coulis, this pretty looking dish is already good to start with but the addition of strawberry fairy floss brings this dish to the next level of beauty.
Of course, the night won't be complete if we leave without eating the well-known Greek dessert, Baklava. Sticky, honeyed sweet, buttery, nutty, this dish goes along way as it's served with Honey Greek Yoghurt to balance out the total sweetness.
Filo pastry is an important ingredient in most of Greek dessert. Starting with classic baklava, another popular version of the syrupy filo dessert is called Galaktoboureko! It looks like a custard pie made from semolina between layers of buttery thin filo and doused in citrusy syrup. Served cold with halva ice cream on the side, the combination taste like caramel with slight nutty tone.
Last but not least is the Baked Pear! The large white serving dish somehow emphasize the deep gold colour this dish gives. It tastes like poached pear but stuffed with nougat and served with Frangelico ice cream simply because it's not dessert for Greek if it's not sweet and nutty! LOL!
Platia Greek Taverna
Address:
Top Ryde Shopping Centre, Corner Blaxland & Devlin Street, Ryde, Sydney, NSW
Opening Hours:
11.30am - 3pm and 5.30pm - 11pm daily
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