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EATING OUT WITH OLIVER MIDWEEK WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 1997 Excellent: ***** Very Good: **** Good: *** Average: ** Poor: * FiveStarRatings Food: **** Value: ***** Atmosphere: **** Service: *****
The
Olive Tree is clearly a place where English tradition meets Greek Culture. Crisp
linen tablecloths sit comfortably in the sumptuous surroundings alongside rustic
style mismatched chairs, which trigger memories of holidays and Greek tavernas. Three
times a week, the restaurant bursts into life with traditional music and
dancing, but although we chose a quiet evening to sample its Greek delights, the
atmosphere was quickly whipped up by the warm humour
of the jovial staff. Immediately
seated at our table and handed the wine list, we selected a medium sweet Cypriot
wine called Saint Panteleimon which was reasonably priced at just under £10 Light and fruity, it
proved to be suitable and refreshing accompaniment for the feast ahead. Switching
our attention to the main menu and its array of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes
it was a real pleasure to see that all the Greek specialties were included. A
blackboard also offered additional tantalizing options. The
difficulty lay in what to choose. The answer, it seemed, was to opt for the
Seafood Meze, a selection of starters, middle courses and main dishes for £14.50
per head. Still
sorely tempted by the Feta cheese and olives, the staff kindly adapted the set
menu by swapping a seafood salad with a traditional Greek variety 'to allow us
to indulge our taste buds. The
salad came with a basket of warm pitta bread and a selection of deliciously
creamy Greek dips- humous, taramosalalata, tzatziki and aubergine. The mixed
dips were another slight aside from the proposed menu, which the staff
obligingly permitted. With
barely time to catch our breath, the empty plates were whisked away and replaced
with a hot dish of prawns in a deliciously spicy tomato sauce and topped with
crumbling feta cheese. It was
served with lightly battered squid a deep-fried filo pastry parcels wrapped
around a prawn filling. Already, our appetites had been well and truly tested -
but there was still much more to come. The main
dish, in fact. A huge plate of salmon steaks, swordfish and grilled sardines, a
separate serving of large shelled prawns and a bowl of rice rounded off the
feast. The fish was beautifully succulent, the rice light and fluffy and the
prawns were heavenly -but finishing every last scrap was impossible and we were
forced to admit defeat. Two
coffees accompanied with some Turkish delights rounded off the worthwhile Greek
experience, which came to an exceptional £46.55
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