Xanthi Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney CBD

Xanthi is a city in Thrace, North Eastern Greece. Generally speaking, somewhere down my Greek genetic line there is some ancestry there. Apparently, I come from a line of barbarian warrior Greeks of the North; fitting isn't it? Geography and family olive trees aside, Xanthi is the spectacular new Greek restaurant in the premium dining precinct at Westfield Sydney. It is owned and run by David Tsirekas of the legendary Greek Restaurant Perama. Lucky for the Sydney dining scene; David has forged his blood, sweat and tears in this new project.

You can say that Xanthi is a bigger, badder and better Perrama. It's unfair to draw comparisons between the two but if the restaurants were two rival warring Greek nations Xanthi would definitely be Sparta. Just rest assured it's pretty badass. Like Gerard Butler in 300 badass. Just look at that vertical spit; if that doesn't get you hankering for a mean meal, then stick to your yeeros mate.

So after a long and very strenuous day of shopping (suprisingly; it was me who came out victorious, and not the warrior princess this time around) we could think of nothing better than to go and enjoy Xanthi for ourselves. Now when Greek food comes to mind most people think of big banquet style meals that fill you, just like Sunday lunch at Yia Yia's. However; Xanthi has a menu where you can pick ouzomezedakia, small plates of food to pick on and share whilst sipping on some ouzo or wine. The thought just takes me back to the motherland. Of course we settled on the BBQ Haloumi $10.00, always a standard pick being a favourite Greek dish. Served in a small black bowl and garnished with oregano you can't go wrong. Make it swim in lemon and it's like you are back in Greece. Well not quite but it's nice to think that you are.

Our next small plate was the Fried school prawns $9.00. This was tossed in honey, fish sauce, sesame seeds and almond flakes - the combinations of flavours make it an absolute winner. This was easy to pick at and share; having a more complex flavour than your average salt and pepper school prawn offerings. Ouzo would've made a very nice accompaniment, an idea for next time. 

Feeling drained from the days activity's and the fact that it was still early on, we didn't have any ouzo despite the novel ouzo trolley standing by. It's a nice touch that Xanthi has one of the largest varieties of ouzo, tsipouro (aka lighter fluid) and Greek brandy. One can sit back and pick at some food, shoot back a shot or ten and flick those worry beads whilst going through a pack of Marlboro reds. Sorry, we're not in Greece. It's easy to forget while in Xanthi, so you can do everything except the last part. So instead of having ouzo we had some beautiful Greek wine, a glass of Notios Agiorgitiko for myself and Ramnista Kir Yianni for Gianna. We do love our vino here at the Empty Fridge and both wines were delicious enough for Diyonysus' approval. Another fun little fact is that Xanthi has one of the largest Greek wine lists and is well worth perusing. It's a different style of wine and I personally think that its the flavour that compliments the food which is the key for Greek varieties.

Fried veal sweetbreads $10.50 were one such dish that went well with the wine we were having. Little bundles of sweetbread crumbed and deep fried. Once again that wedge of lemon on the plate was there to drown those little bad boys. Crispy on the outside and full of soft juicy sweetbread goodness on the inside. My only complaint was that there wasn't more lemon, David had a laugh when i told him this and Gianna was quick to remind me that we were not at my grandparents place. There was no need to drown everything in lemon. Its a Greek mentality I think.

Fried Veal Sweetbreads

The kitchen has been designed to be open to view from the dining room so you can see the hustle and bustle going on as David works his magic with his team. He tells us that after working in the tiny Perrama kitchen in Petersham, he has finally gotten his dream kitchen.

The decor inside the restaurant is really nice. With a large Middle Eastern-esque rug taking up the floor space, drapes running the walls and the feature ceiling and gorgeous lamps. It feels like another world from the super bright and modern interiors of Westfield Sydney. You can definitely soak up the exotic atmosphere here.

The Angry Man's Lamb Pie & The Stealth Blue Sangria

"You made this? This Morning??"

Demos thinks that I am far from being domestic goddess worthy - and more lady of leisure than lady of the kitchen. But when the need arises  - I rise like a phoenix from ashes. Okay, thats a bit freakin' dramatic but the blog is The Empty Fridge for a reason.. and friends and family unfortunately have not associated me with culinary prowess in the past.

However, there has been a change in the air in the Demos and Gianna kitchen stadium. I have been cooking (gasp) quite a lot in fact. Dez is starting to get intimidated because (sorry) I am challenging his self appointed title of King of the Kitchen. Yes, he is a great cook, he won me over with food and is also very OCD in the kitchens, so I have always relied on him to feed me. Until Now. 

Consider this the first of hopefully many recipe posts at The not-so or maybe only-sometimes Empty Fridge. 

Lets start with the Sangria. The Stealth Blue Sangria which was made for the  Sydney Food Bloggers Spring Picnic. Why stealth? Because it was so deliciously sweet - it masked the presence of any alcohol. This drink was perfect for a nice spring picnic with thirsty food bloggers...and then BAM! The alcohol stealthy sneaks up.  So so so very easy to make and perfect for any upcoming spring or summer get together!

Ingredients

1 Bottle of Sweet white wine - I used of Lindemans Cawarra Porphyry

300 mls or more ;) Cointreau

1 Punnet Fresh Strawberries

1 Punnet Fresh Blueberries

2 Large Oranges

1 Litre Bottle of Lemonade - I used Schweppes

Method

1. In a deep container or punch bowl, mix the Wine and Cointreau with the blueberries, sliced strawberries. Slice one of the oranges into thin "circles" and then into quarters and mix it in.

2. Let the fruit soak in the alcohol for a while, I left this fruit in the freezer for an hour and a half (while I made the pies)

3. Squeeze the juice from the remaining Orange - approx 3/4 cups of OJ - into the mix it goes too.

4. Pour in the Bottle of lemonade and yell out "Arriba" because its that simple - you are done!

I added only a few drops of blue food colouring to fit in the Blue theme of the picnic, but because it is a white wine sangria you can make it pink, purple or green. Im convinced though that blue makes everything taste like bubblegum. I did not specifically choose the white wine - so I'm sure any sweet white will do. It was 9.30 am, I was at my local liquorland, and to avoid looking like an alcoholic I accepted the help of the shop assistant. He picked a good one! 

And now for the pies - The Angry Man's Lamb Pie. Why angry? It's my homage to Demos, I suppose. He's always ranting about and yelling, but that's because he is Greek and its a standard way of communicating - I have grown to tolerate love it. Greekapino is a made up word that describes our Kitchen - with Demos coming from a traditional Greek and Italian household and my background of Filipino food. Its just an explosion of culinary possibilities!

So yes..the pies. I usually make these with different fillings but its a great party idea because it is hearty, and easy to eat! I came up with the idea of the filling the night before - something a bit Greek to impress my man?

Ingredients (for the filling)

2 kgs Lamb Mince

1 small container / 500g of sliced kalamata olives

1 small container / 500g of sundried tomatoes, sliced

200 grams Pine nuts and slivered almonds

1/2 tbsp dried Oregano

200 grams Dodoni Feta

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove of garlic finely diced

1/2 large red onion finely diced

1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Salt and Pepper

9 Sheets of Puff Pastry

1 small egg, beaten for use as an egg wash

1. In a wok or saucepan heat the oil and then add the garlic and red onion.

2. Once brown, add the lamb mince, oregano and some salt and pepper.

3. Let the mince cook, and in a separate small pan toast the pine nuts with a tiny bit of olive oil.

4. Once the mince is cooked, place it in a mixing bowl. There will be a pool of juice in the bottom of the wok/pan - leave it there, you do not want soggy pies. Use tongs and drain as much liquid, don't fret you wont be loosing flavour at all.

5. Dont throw the liquid away just yet, add a bit of cornstarch to this and some cracked pepper. It forms a thick gravy - mix it well and set aside.

6. In the mixing bowl, add the olives, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts to the cooked meat. Add just enough gravy - 3-4 tbsp's worth to bind it all together.

7. This is the filling. Mix it through while playing Greek music in the background. Do the Zorba and break some plates if you must.

I used store bought puff pastry this time. Lies. I use it all the time. One day ill make my own buttery pastry the way Demos' grandmother does but for now Pampa's puff pastry will do. 

To construct these pies, thaw the pastry - its much more co-operative and workable at room temperature.Cut the large square pastry sheet into 4 smaller squares. Out comes the muffin pans (12 per pan), which has to be oiled lightly so that the pies don't stick. Stretch the smaller pastry square, lay it over a muffin crater and use your fist to press down to create a pastry "bowl". As the filling is placed into this "bowl" it sinks into the muffin crater and I crumble some feta on the top.

Gather the corners of the pastry to create something like a money bag - see the photo above. Brush the pastry with the egg was to create that golden sheen and in it goes into a pre-heated 190 degree oven - for 20 mins or until the pastry is golden brown.

Let it cool before munching into them of course! And make sure that there are no holes when you seal the pie parcels so that the juices or molten feta do not leak out. Easy Peasy and makes about 30 pies!

At the picnic, I served it with some Pukara Estate Garlic Mayonaise.

For my fellow bloggers at the Picnic, hope you enjoyed it as I much as I enjoyed cooking them. I have received some great comments on both dishes so I'm feeling very happy that they were well received by such awesome people - Thank you!

So friends, expect to see some random cook-offs here at The Empty Fridge - it should be entertaining! Happy Eating Everyone!

The Wine Library, Paddington

Please don't get the wrong idea about me because for doing two consecutive posts on Wine Bars.. its not like that, really.. I promise - I have a valid explanation!

And if thats not enough, I actually visited the new Wine Library in Paddington twice in one day. All in good reason though..its was a Friday (hooray) and I celebrated my birthday last Sunday the 12th of September, so this was a kick off to the epic birthday weekend that was to come. Thats the excuse i'm going with.

The Wine Library is a new addition to the Woolhara end of Oxford St. The beauty of Paddington is that a place which would seem like a tiny shoebox from the frontage actually expands further and further back. They worked their work magic on this property - a well designed space that has a serviced bar, a few tables in the back section, an awesome cured meat closet (you'll see what I mean later..) as well as access to a garden courtyard. 

I've driven past on numerous occasions at night and wondered "What is that new place, why is it always busy and why haven't I been??" Luckily for me, its a hop skip and jump from the office - a perfect venue for a quick friday birthday lunch with my lovely G-Star girls! They are just as excited as I am to try this new place and to get away from our desks!!

Lunchtime was not busy at all, we grab a table in the back section with the awesome view of the "Meat Closet". A small tiled room displaying the imported cured meats and tempting everyones tastebuds! One can only guess that this little tiled room used to be a bathroom.. creative indeed! 

The photo on the right..wow where do I even start? My Epic birthday lunch aka everything Gianna could wish for on a plate - A stracchino and black truffle quesadilla. This right here made my birthday. It was ridicuously creamy, but with the right amount of saltiness. My fellow eaters were baffled as to how I could consume a dish so rich on my own! I love truffles - the smell, the flavour - I would order anything with truffles if it was on the menu. This is Wine Library's version of a truffle grilled cheese sandwich. If someone asked me what I would have as a final meal, this quesadilla would be on the list.

We were impressed by the quality of the wine list (finally, a place for proper wine in Paddo!) as well as the super friendly service. Maybe it was the midday red wine, the excitement, or it may have been the quesadilla that I didn't even think to take any more photo's at lunchtime. I figured I would be back soon, "Ill make my mental notes and take more proper photo's then". 

Fast Forward to 6 or so hours later. After some after work Birthday drinks and pizza at the London Pub on William Street (another Paddington Favorite) I was back, and this time with Demos in tow. I simply could not resist going back and to share the excitement with my other half. We were worried that we would'nt be able to get a seat because the small space was completely full! The bar simply transforms at night, dimply lit by the lights behind the bar and the bottle cut outs on the wall and ceiling. I absolutely love the attention to detail that was put into the interior. After a 5 minute wait we were seated at the bar with a perfect view of the wine selection and the open food prep area. 5 minute wait on a Friday night? Pinch me i'm dreaming!

We start off with the Sweet Potato Crisps ($5.00) and the bowl was empty in about two minutes flat. Such a morish snack, a tastier but probably an equally naughty version of the Smiths Thins chips - but not as salty of course! It went so well with the wine we chose. Demos tried the Delas Cotes du Ventous 2007 a red wine from Rhone Valley, France ($10/glass) and I wanted to try the Moric Blaufrankish 2007 from Austria ($14/glass) 

I spotted "Truffles" on the Menu again and this time its with the Chicken Terrine with Truffles and Pistachio and Pickles on the side ($13) A small portion, but still enough for two people to share and have a taste. The bread that comes with it is delicious - and looking around I notice that every dish comes with a different type of bread. This particular sourdough compliments the dish, which is packed full of flavour unlike some of the terrines I have tried before. Im glad we ordered this! Good things come in small servings!

Looking over the Menu, I still am a little bit confused as to what cusine this restaurant serves. Wine Library is the little sister of the very popular Buzo Italian restaurant in Woolhara, so there is a strong Italian presence. However, there seem to be a few mediterranean and spanish influences as well. One of the specials this evening was a Lamb Kafta with traditional Tzaziki ($3.50 /each). With Demothenis aka Iron Chef Greek proclaiming that this had to be one of the best Tzaziki dips he has ever tasted we knew we were on to a good thing. 

The night is never complete until the Jamon comes out. Wine Library does a mean Salumi selection - The Embuditos Y Queso ($20) is a selection of cured meats with a cheese. It also comes with a serve of Pan Con Tomate, a crunchy toasted sourdough soaked in tomato, garlic and olive oil. The meats were sliced   tissue paper thin and we received a selection of prosciutto, salami and coppa. Delicious indeed, although I would avoid this place if you are anti carbs because there is so much bread EVERYWHERE! No doubt we'll be back again - most likely this friday. It was a perfect start to an awesome birthday weekend.. and there will be more birthday meals to share. Its wednesday night and I still havent fully recharged (and digested) after the weekend of fun and food! 

Its only mid-week and I find myself counting down to Friday. It feels like a longer than usual week, but at least I have another visit to The Wine Library to look forward to! If you are in the area, feel free to drop me a line - I will love any excuse to run over for a glass of red..or two. 

Hey, don't judge me - i'm still on Birthday mode. 

The Wine Library, 18 Oxford St Woollahra (02) 9382 1600 

Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Late

Demosthenis and Gianna get their Greek on - Hellenic Republic, Brunwisk, Melbourne

Yiasou! Ti kanetai? - Hello how are you all? I can't help but feel inspired to try my Greeklish out recapping on our outing to the suburbs of Melbourne to visit Hellenic Republic - George Calombaris' East Brunswick eatery. Being the good Greek boy that I am I have never ventured out to try Greek food. Im pretty lucky to have my beautiful yia-yia and papou cook all manner of things Greek so the need has never arisen. However with Melbourne having one of the world's largest Greek populations outside of Greece, I felt that maybe it was time to give it a go. With Gianna in tow we decided that it would be Hellenic Republic that would go down as the first Greek restaurant where we would eat, just don't tell my grandparents.

It was a bitterly cold day and stepping inside Hellenic Republic was nothing short of amazing. The place was bustling and buzzing with atmosphere. Painted wooden chairs hung on the walls, tables with marble tops, a long bar with countless bottles of Ouzo, it was like being whizzed away back to Greece. After being promptly seated we were given a bit of assistance with picking some wine. We picked a bottle of Oenos Red, a Barberra Tempranillo ($45.00 bottle) , a very smooth and easy drink that would quite easily get the better of you without you realising. We perused through the menu and decided that we would take our time with lunch, after all it is one of the most enjoyable meals one can partake in. We picked the 'Trapezi' ($55.00 pp) or table spread as it loosely translates in English. Basically the Trapezi is a 3 course meal that samples most of the foods on the menu. By this stage I was thoroughly impressed not only by the sound of the menu, but on the basis that they had Greek rock salt on the table.

The first course or 'Meze' consisted of a few small entrees. Sauteed squash with yoghurt, melitzanosalata (eggplant taramasalata) with pita bread, cured Hellenic meats, salmon served on crunchy brown bread and "telia" (lastly) Kefalograviera saganaki - a traditional pan fried cheese served with peppered sweet figs. Just so you know, Gianna stopped talking for a good 20 mins whilst eating the cheese. Simply put it was amazing. All the meze dishes were beautiful. Perfectly presented and flavours that complemented one another. The eggplant taramasalata was a standout for me, silky in consistency and just plain tasty. But the Kefalograviera oh my. Words just can't do it justice. I'm sure Gianna would agree.

The second course of dishes to follow were the Psari kai Magirefta - Fish and oven baked dishes. There was a Cypriot grain salad - freekah, coriander, almonds raisins and yoghurt; a baked dish with kritharaki (orzo) and mixed seafood and oven baked Kingfish. The seafood kritaraki dish reminded me of what my grandfather used to cook when I was younger, although instead of being forced to eat it as I was in my youth I rather enjoyed it. Usually kritharaki is cooked with meat in a red sauce, but with seafood I found that the combination worked and it was nice to reminisce about my youth and the times my grandparents would chase me around and force me to eat all these Greek foods against my will. The Cypriot salad was also very nice, although Gianna couldn't have any with her allergies to coriander and all. Lucky for me because it was a mix of fresh flavours and textures that I have never tried before. But I have to admit that I am not a big seafood fan, however the Kingfish was heavenly. A decent portion of fish that was cooked to perfection and drizzled with a lemony herb dressing. It melted in your mouth. A serving of Lahanosalata - a shaved cabbage salad dressed with olive oil and lemon also came along. By this stage we were somewhat content with the food we had consumed and it was getting to that boozy stage after the 3rd glass of wine. But there was still more to come!

The third course was the meats. Psita or cooked chicken and lamb complimented with a serve of Tsatziki and hand cut Tiganites patate -  potato chips cooked in olive oil and oregano. Simple, tasty and very filling. Eating this took me back to sitting at a taverna overlooking the Mediterranean ocean, sipping on ouzo without a care in the world. The tzatziki was very tasty and creamy and different to the taste I was used to growing up, not having that strong garlic hit but rather a subtle undertone. As I've said to Gianna, a good Greek girl needs to be able to make homemade tzatziki. The meat was tender and well seasoned and after trying to get through it all we were full. Full-stop, shut the gates FULL. Our lovely waitress reminded us that we actually asked her if everything in the banquet  "would be enough". But there was still desert to come..and we had to mentally prepare ourselves. 

Desert was Loukoumathes - Greek donughts drizzled in Attiki honey and walnuts. A Greek treat that my grandparents used to buy for me when we would go down to the shops. It was a nice way to end such a wonderful spread. Im glad that we went to Hellenic Republic, you cannot fault the service, the atmosphere and the value. I would have to say that it would have to be a definite stop over for anybody travelling to Melbourne.

Hellenic Republic

434 Lygon St, Brunswick Melbourne VIC 3055‎ (03) 9381 1222‎

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