Xanthi: Greek, $30 Lunchtime Express Menu, Westfield Sydney (12 Apr 2012)

Level 6 Dining Precinct, Westfield Sydney
Cnr Pitt St Mall and Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9232 8535
http://xanthi.com.au

Express without cutting corners

A casual monthly club lunch with friends brings me back to Xanthi to try their Lunchtime Express Menu for only $30 per person. It’s served between 12 and 2 pm and includes a glass of house wine or beer making it very good value. Started with some fresh crusty bread and Dips selection which was good. The Tarama (salted and cured cod roe) and Tzatziki were my preferred favourites although I wondered if a small dish would have been handy to pour the Creta Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil into for dipping the bread. The fresh Greek salad had decent sized pieces of feta and a flavoursome dressing although a spoon with the supplied fork would have been handy to help serve it out of the bowl perhaps. I enjoyed the BBQ Haloumi last time and this time it’s served with figs which works well in the dish. The Vine Dolmathes had nice flavours with melt-in-your-mouth soft texture. I really enjoyed the tasty white sauce it was served with too.

Last time the Fried Calamari were a little bit disappointing but this time they’re thankfully very tender and flavoursome with noticeable pieces of deep fried onions working a treat in the dish. I thought the tiny tongs were a bit stiff and awkward to use so perhaps a small fork and spoon would have been easier to use for me. The main dish of Lamb Skaras was very tender and flavoursome and very much enjoyed by our table. I thought some tzatziki on the side would have perhaps gone well with it to add some extra moisture. For dessert the Caramel Baklava Ice Cream I had last time was good again but perhaps a smaller spoon would have been better to eat with and maybe a fork to help scoop up from the plate. If served in a bowl a spoon would have been fine though. Chef-owner David Tsirekas was in the kitchen and mentioned they’ve discontinued their twitter account and getting back to old school kitchen dedication without the distractions. Also plans to reopen Perama are back off the cards to better focus on Xanthi which is probably a sensible decision.

Other visits to Xanthi:
• 12 Apr 2012 – Lunchtime Express Menu $30
• 25 Oct 2011 – Ouzomezedakia

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Flavoursome dishes, Quality ingredients, Lunchtime Express Menu was good value, Friendly and professional service (Rachel)

CONS: I thought some of the cutlery could be better chosen to be more user-friendly for the dishes, Toilets are located outside the restaurant

MUST TRY: Fried calamari, BBQ Haloumi, Revisiting to try other dishes like Seared Scallops, Xanthi Fried Chicken and Pork Belly Baklava

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Lunchtime Express Menu $30

2007 Lyrarakis Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Peza, Crete

Craft Microbrewery Red Ale

Bread and Creta Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dips selection - Tarama, Split Pea and Tzatziki

Greek salad

I think if the salad was served with a spoon as well would made it easier to serve

BBQ Haloumi

Vine Dolmathes

Fried Calamari

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Not sure about the tiny tongs which were a bit stiff to use — maybe just a small spoon and fork to serve?

Lamb Skaras

Caramel Baklava Ice Cream

Perhaps a smaller spoon to eat the ice cream would have better suited with a small fork. It just seemed to be at odds having such a big spoon to eat a small slice of ice cream.

Bill $120 for four

Chef-owner David Tsirekas in the kitchen

In case you're curious what Xanthi means: 1. Town on the north-eastern corner of Greece, 2. Mythological name given to the blond-haired, blue eyed children of Zeus

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