Food and wine: Retsina Taverna - Truth behind a Greek myth.Byline: KEVIN O'SULLIVAN Regent's Park Road, Primrose Hill - the epicentre epicentre Point on the surface of the Earth that is directly above the source (or focus) of an earthquake. There the effects of the earthquake usually are most severe. See also seismology. of fashionable life North (of course) of the river. At the heart of this pretty avenue full of independent shops and decent restaurants is Lemonia, surely London's most successful Greek joint. How then does a smaller and dingy-looking Greek diner only two doors away also manage to thrive? I assumed the reason Retsina ret·si·na n. A Greek white or rosé wine flavored with pine resin. [Modern Greek, probably from Italian resina, resin, from Latin r was usually packed was due to an overspill of hungry people who couldn't get into the excellent Lemonia. I was wrong. After three years of walking straight past this little family-run affair I took the plunge and bravely walked right in to try the goods. I should point out that this was 9.30pm on a Tuesday and, not having booked, my friend and I just secured the last available table. Just up the road Lemonia was awash with space, so my overspill theory bit the dust. And almost as soon as we sat down it became apparent that Retsina could hold its own with the best of places. The walls are dark wood panelled, the furniture is basic and at first it all seems a bit dark. But the longer you're there the more the decor warms on you. It is exactly right for an unpretentious establishment that makes no secret of the fact that all it wants to do is provide you with a damned good meal. The service was a combination of efficiency and just the right amount of that friendly attention which, for some reason, only family restaurants can provide. For starters we ordered various dips and hot fresh pitta bread pitta bread or pitta Noun a flat rounded slightly leavened bread, originally from the Middle East [Modern Greek pitta a cake] - houmous, taramasalata ta·ra·ma·sa·la·ta or ta·ra·mo·sa·la·ta n. A paste of fish roe, olive oil, lemon juice, and potatoes or moistened bread crumbs. [Modern Greek : taramas, preserved roe (from Turkish , tsatziki and tahini ta·hi·ni n. A thick paste made from ground sesame seeds. [Turkish t . All great at pounds 2.50 a shot. I'm no expert on Greek food but all the usual Hellenic stuff seemed to be there - kleftiko, moussaka mous·sa·ka n. A Greek dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce and baked. [Serbo-Croatian, from Turkish mussakka , soutzoukia, dolmades etc. And the charcoal grills looked especially mouth-watering mouth·wa·ter·ing or mouth-wa·ter·ing adj. Appealing to the sense of taste; appetizing: the mouthwatering aroma of a baking pie. Adj. 1. . I had kleftiko - a huge knuckle of lamb roasted to perfection with spices and falling off the bone. It came with roast potatoes and a crisp salad bathed in light, lemony dressing. A bargain at pounds 7.50. If I hadn't have kept my appetite up by personally drinking a bottle of really nice red (Montenero, pounds 9.50) I don't think I could have eaten it all. My vegetarian girlfriend loved her meat-free moussaka (pounds 6.40) washed down with a couple of glasses of Greek white wine retsina. We were full. But that didn't stop them bringing us a plate of fresh fruit, on the house. Nor did it stop the waiter insisting on us having an after-dinner liqueur. Once again, on the house. Another brandy plus a couple of strong Greek coffees and we were just about ready to go. The waiter saw us to the door and waved farewell. "Come back and see us soon," he cried. We will. The food was superb, the service impeccable, and for two people the bill came to a digestible digestible having the quality of being able to be digested. digestible energy the proportion of the potential energy in a feed which is in fact digested. digestible protein see digestible protein. pounds 39. So now I know the real story: Regent's Park Road has two first-class Greek restaurants. And if Retsina happens to be full you could always try Lemonia! THE A LIST FACT FILE RETSINA TAVERNA ta·ver·na n. A café or small restaurant in Greece. [Modern Greek taverna, from Medieval Greek tabern 83 Regent's Park Rd, Primrose Hill, NW1 (020 7722 3194) Hours: Daily 6pm-11pm (not open at lunchtimes). High Points: The food, the service, the atmosphere. Low Point: The first impressions of the dark decor. CAPTION(S): WELCOMING: Just don't let the dingy exterior put you off |
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