Tagged: Menu

Fabulous winter warmers at George’s

Posted on June 15, 2019 by - News & Reviews

The chill of a Sydney winter is the perfect time to indulge in a little comfort food, while enjoying the crisp beauty of the Sydney harbour.

At George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill our menu is designed to sooth the soul and warm the heart throughout these cooler months.

Here’s an insight into some of our favourite winter warmers to take the chill off the cooler months ahead…

Winter seafood sensations

Seafood might be a summer favourite, but there’s no denying its soul-soothing appeal come the colder days of winter. And a personal favourite at George’s is the warm and welcoming comfort of King Prawns Saganaki. Cooked using the traditional method of a clay pot, our recipe features feta and tomato.

It’s a heart warming, soul soothing staple any day of the wintry week.

Magnificent mains

Whether it’s lamb, pork, chicken or beef, there’s nothing like a traditional main meal to bring some comfort to those cold winter days.

Our personal winter mains of choice are grilled pork cutlet, with fennel, dried figs, chickpeas and roast pumpkin; and Greek style lamb, featuring lemon and oregano potatoes.

Using authentic Mediterranean ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, they summon the comfort of family and childhood to bring brightness to any grey winter’s day.

Sharing the winter love

The days might be a little be colder and the nights a little crisper, but when you’re looing to add some festivity to the sometimes sombre mood of winter, nothing beats a shared meal with family and friends.

Our absolute pick for any shared occasion is a Greek feast banquet. Suited to a minimum of two people it features all the traditional favourites like zucchini fritters, and grilled haloumi along with the hero of many a Greek meal – lamb.

Meanwhile, if it’s a casual work week lunch or an after hours gathering with friends, the Mezze banquet is equivalent to a tour of the Mediterranean, summoning all those summer images of Greece on a faultless beachside day.

Boasting offerings like stuffed green olives and red peppers; Spanakopita Filo pastries filled with spinach, feta and spring onion, and chicken souvlaki or beef kefta, the full flavour of Greece is effortlessly complemented by stunning backdrop of a Sydney winter occasion spent overlooking the harbour.

 

A big, heart-warming breakfast

Few things beat a heart-warming breakfast on a chilled weekend morning. Every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, George’s serves up a breakfast featuring all the traditional favourites.

Kick-start a spectacular Sydney winter’s day with options like:

  • An American breakfast including pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and maple syrup
  • Poached, scrambled or fried eggs, served with bacon, roast tomatoes and sour dough toast
  • A feta cheese and oven roast tomato omelette
  • Eggs benedict with ham and hollandaise

If that’s enough to whet your winter appetite for a bright and cheerful weekend breakfast, there’s a so much more to our brekky menu, which you can view here.

About George’s

Located on the King Street Wharf amidst the beauty and excitement of Darling Harbour, George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill is renowned as one of Sydney’s premier eateries. Come share the Greek hospitality for which we are renowned as we serve up harbourside dining in simply stunning surrounds.

You can learn more about our function facilities here, or contact us directly for further advice.

Four famous Greek desserts

Posted on May 31, 2019 by - Uncategorized

There are few things more comforting than a sweet treat to complete a meal, and Greek cuisine offers an array of delectable desserts designed to offer the perfect finale to any dining occasion.

Like most traditional Greek recipes, the finest desserts encapsulate and showcase the favoured ingredients of the Mediterranean including nuts, honey, yoghurt and pastry.

Here’s an insight into four famous Greek desserts…

Baklava

Since the 1950s when Greek milk bars first began popping up throughout Australia, the local love for baklava has steadily grown.

This traditional Greek recipe sees honey-drenched nuts sandwiched between layers of filo pastry. Arguably, baklava is considered the most famous sweet treat to spring forth from Greece, although its actual origin is a little more complex.

It is believed the Assyrians were the first people to combine layers of pastry with chopped nuts and honey, but the Greeks perfected this with their wafer-thin filo making technique, which was developed in around 4BC.

Bougatsa

Like baklava, bougatsa is one of the most readily recognised sweets heralding from Greece. In truth, bougatsa can actually be either sweet or savoury, but when served as a dessert it most often features a sweet, custard-like filling wrapped in filo pastry.

The filo is then baked, dusted with icing sugar and served hot or warm. It is believed that bougatsa originated in the north-eastern Greek region of Macedonia.

Luokoumades

Akin to a small sweet donut, which is drizzled with honey syrup, spiced with cinnamon and sometimes sweetened further with a dusting of icing sugar, luokoumades are a perennially popular sweet treat of Greece.

Luokoumades is likely to stem from Turkey, however as researchers note, “it is a traditional Greek dessert with roots in deep antiquity”.

Almond cake

Greece features a plentiful array of natural produce like nuts and seeds, which make their way into a variety of recipes. Although nuts were frequently used in chopped form in desserts like baklava, they were also often ground down into flour, due to a shortage of wheat and grain in the region.

When it comes to desserts, one of the most popular to feature ground nuts is almond cake. At George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill we continue to serve this receipt today, combining it with candied orange and contrasting it by incorporating yoghurt.

George’s desserts

The George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill menu features a section of traditional Greek desserts designed to perfectly complete any meal. We feature all the renowned favourites including bougatsa, baklava and almond cake, offering guests the ideal sweet finish to any dining occasion.

About George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill

Located on the King Street Wharf amidst the beauty and excitement of Darling Harbour, George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill is renowned as one of Sydney’s premier eateries. Come share the Greek hospitality for which we are renowned as we serve up harbourside dining in simply stunning surrounds.

You can learn more about our function facilities here, or contact us directly for further advice.

 

For the love of Greek lamb

Posted on April 15, 2019 by - News & Reviews

Right about now, countless Greek households across the world are preparing to celebrate Easter with the very special meal that is roast lamb.

It will be a dining occasion infused with both flavor and love, featuring a whole lamb or leg of lamb which is designed to bring all members of the family together to celebrate a special event with one of the nation’s most popular meats.

But why is lamb such a staple of Greek cuisine? From roasts to ribs and souvlaki, lamb is a meat inherently associated with Greek dining.

So, let’s prepare to carve deep and tuck into a little history about the Greek love of lamb.

Why is lamb so popular?

The Greek love of lamb dates back centuries, if not millenia and it has its basis in the foods which were most widely available locally. Quite simply, the Greek climate and topography favour the grazing of sheep rather than cattle, which is why lamb is such a central component of many Greek meals.

That’s also the reason why Greek cuisine features a general preference for game meats such as poultry, pork, rabbit and veal, along with seafood. Depending on where people resided in Greece, they could readily farm, fish or purchase these items.

That said, meat wasn’t traditionally consumed every day, due to its expense. Rather it was eaten once or twice a week, accompanied by pasta, vegetables or grains.

When it came to celebrations, however, lamb has long been considered a staple, and its uses extend from souvlaki to moussaka, roasts and beyond. Served with the contrasting flavour of Greek yoghurt in tzatziki it’s a combination that has taken the world by storm.

Lamb at Easter

At Easter, lamb takes on a special significance and many households spend the day prior to this religious celebration carefully preparing the meat for cooking.

Whether its whole lamb or leg of lamb, the preparation involves massaging the lamb with lemon, herbs, spices, and salt to allow the flavor to infuse. While many families roast their lamb whole on a spit (or souvla) to mark the Easter celebration, oven roasted leg of lamb or grilled leg of lamb is also common.

And it’s a hugely anticipated meal as the Easter celebration follows the 40 days of fasting for Lent. Some families even eat their lamb in the early hours of the morning directly after he Holy Saturday church service, while others wait until later in the day to share the meal with family and friends.

How we do lamb at George’s

At George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill, lamb is one of the heroes of our menu in testament to our authentic Greek roots.

And here are just some of the succulent options available…

  • A main comprising Greek style lamb, lemon and oregano potatoes
  • A souvlaki plate of lamb souvlaki, pita bread and tzatziki (available with four or six pieces)
  • Mezze of lamb ribs, wild honey, thyme and almond sauce

About George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill

Located on the King Street Wharf amidst the beauty and excitement of Darling Harbour, George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill is renowned as one of Sydney’s premier eateries. Come share the Greek hospitality for which we are renowned as we serve up harbourside dining in simply stunning surrounds.

You can learn more about our function facilities here, or contact us directly for further advice.

Autumn dining in Sydney

Posted on February 28, 2018 by - News & Reviews

With the end of summer drawing near, dining in Sydney shifts a gear. The days are just that little bit shorter, the evenings bring with them a touch more chill, and a mix of summery specials and hearty meals intermingle on the seasonal menu.

Autumn is the time of year when a bevy of fresh produce readily abounds, ranging from grapes and pears to potatoes, eggplant and carrots.

So, let’s wine and dine our way through autumn with our favourite meals to suit the flavours of the changing season.

Crystal clear warm days

We often talk about the magic of Sydney Harbour, but autumn offers a unique feel on the water. Some days cast the mind back to the heat of high summer, while others have that familiar nip of the winter to come in the air.

The early days of autumn are still all about the great outdoors as Sydney-siders seize the final chance to enjoy the long, languid sunsets offered up by daylight savings.

Our meal suggestion? Why mezze of course, served amidst the festive vibe that the final days of warmth offer.

The best delights to encompass the flavours of early autumn include a mix of seafood and the heartier additions of chicken, lamb and pork.

Served with? Agiorgitiko Rosé or NV Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut.

A touch of chill

As daylight saving becomes but a memory, a chill creeps into the Sydney air. Now the meals become a little more hearty, the lights on the harbor twinkle earlier and their hues are just a little more bright.

This is the time of year for a meal that satiates the palate and satisfies the soul.

Our meal suggestion? Greek-style lamb, with lemon and oregano potatoes or King Prawns Saganaki baked in a clay pot, complete with tomato and feta.

Served with? Kir-Yianni Paranga Xinomavro Merlot Syrah with the lamb and Mahi ‘Twin Valleys Vineyards’ Chardonnay to accompany the prawns.

When the sun seeks refuge

Even a city of perennial sunshine like Sydney has the occasional cloudy day. And when autumn sees these moments more frequent, a meal shared with family and cooked with love is the definite order of the day.

These overcast days are the opportunities to revel in fulsome flavours, to bask in comforting warmth and to seek cuisine infused with care and comfort.

Our meal suggestion? Grassland sirloin, chat potatoes, and Dutch carrots, the grilled pork cutlet, fennel, dried figs, chickpeas and roast pumpkin or a full Greek feast banquet.

Served with? Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot, Polin & Polin Shiraz, or Alpha Estate Xinomavro Reserve.

About George’s

Located on the King Street Wharf amidst the beauty and excitement of Darling Harbour, George’s Mediterranean Bar and Grill is renowned as one of Sydney’s premier eateries.

We’ve long been established on the waterfront and welcome Sydney’s change of seasons with an array of fresh produce, seafood and intimate dining ambience.

Come share the hospitality for which we are renowned as we serve up harbourside dining in simply stunning surrounds.

You can learn more about our function facilities here, or contact us directly for further advice.