Then in my teens I had a part-time job at Cambridge Arts Theatre and the backstage crew used to eat before shows at a Greek restaurant called the Eros. It was basic and cheap but very good, my introduction to Greek food and the beginning of a lifelong love of that country's cuisine. The city also had a more up-market Greek restaurant, the Varsity, extremely popular with students and dons alike, to which I used to take my girlfriend on special occasions (birthdays, end of exams). Sadly it is no longer there.My first exposure to native Greek tavernas came in Crete in the early 1970s when tourism was still a primitive affair. There were no menus, nothing in English, and if your Greek wasn't up to speed (which mine wasn't then) you'd get ushered into the taverna's kitchen to look at whatever country fare was cooking and you'd make your selection, go sit at a table and wait for whatever to arrive, to be washed down with retsina (another abiding love). It was there that I first tasted artichokes and aubergines, gigantes (like baked beans only bigger and better...I had them for my tea tonight), avgolemono (egg/lemon soup), weed pies, goat stew, fresh figs and so much more.By the time I went off to university in the Midlands, a bit of a desert as far as Greek restaurants were concerned, Coventry's curry houses became the main port of call for a good meal out, and Indian food joined Greek in my flavor hierarchy. I love a good curry. And curiously enough, the best curry I've ever eaten was at an Indian restaurant in Skiathos town in Greece, providing authentic Bangla dishes cooked by chefs from the sub-continent, with dining outdoors in a beautifully lighted garden.
As I mentioned at the outset, I've worked quite a bit abroad and that has provided an opportunity to go to some really quite good restaurants in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA on expenses. (The workers must be fed!) French, Italian and Georgian cuisines have joined Greek and Indian in my list of culinary favourites.
Vincent Van Gogh's rendition of a French restaurant, 1887
What I hope to find in a restaurant is good food cooked simply, some decent wines, a relaxed atmosphere and a welcoming experience. It's important not to feel hurried. It's meant to be restorative. I don't like pretentious or faddy establishments, nor places that are so noisy it's impossible to have a civilised conversation or so quiet that everyone can eavesdrop on what you're saying.When my children were young we used to holiday in France, Greece or Italy where there was always plenty of choice and the food was invariably good. When they were a bit older we had some fun holidays in the USA but eating out could be a bit of a let down, mostly fast food joints, pizza parlours and burger bars, okay occasionally but not all the time.
That top ten then (in purely alphabetical order), are mostly rather special but all are well worth a visit (if they are still in business, post-Covid):Bombay Garden - Skiathos, Greece served the best curry I ever hadBulot - Gothenburg for traditional Swedish cookingLa Coupole - Paris for excellent French cuisine and art deco surroundingsIberia - London for excellent Georgian food without having to get on a planeLes Armures - Geneva if you like a really good fondueMasa - London does the best Afghani food I've ever tastedPizza Express - London, the one in Coptic Street to be precise, the best pizzas outside Naples Tamam - Xania, Greece for perfect Cretan dishes and local winesTrippa - Milan for great Tuscan cookingU. Pirosmani - Moscow for absolutely wonderful Georgian recipes and wines
And what about the jewel of the north, you may enquire if you don't live in these parts? Well Blackpool has a couple of quite passable Greek restaurants, a few good curry houses and an award-winning pizza restaurant (though not a Pizza Express anymore, sadly it didn't survive lockdown), plus some really rather good fish and chip restaurants with not a formica topped table in sight.
And there's always Greece every summer. I've just renewed my passport for another ten years!
Alex's Restaurant, Aghios Georgios, Corfu, 2024
I don't have a poem on theme, sad to report. However, I did write something while in Corfu recently, and that was about mosquitos, who decided to make a meal of me, despite all attempts to deter the little bastards. I've never had a problem with mosquitos in Greece before. Maybe Corfu, being so far north (relatively speaking) is cooler and wetter than the islands I've been to in the past. It was my first visit to Corfu and though it was pleasant enough and a much needed break, I won't be returning there.Anyway, here's my poem. The title is a nod towards the famous RAF wartime 633 Squadron, made up of De Havilland Mosquitos, whose heroics are subject of a feature film called '633 Squadron '.
666 Squadron - CorfuDear God, sometimes I wish I was less attractiveto mosquitos. They've been the absolute bane ofmy bedroom hours. As soon as lights are out, soare they, scrambling in persistent hordes wingingwith insidious whine and bloody intent guided by some scent, or maybe carbon dioxide plumes but I can't not breathe and all the patent oils or spraysfailed to give relief from wave after sodding wave of little bastards set on gorging themselves stupidon my finest A positive until bloated like currants. They must be one of your most devilish creations!Dear God, sometimes I wish I was thicker-skinnedor at least had a tail I could swish. So how about it?Thanks for reading, S ;-) Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook