If flying from Sydney to Athens for lunch isn’t quite within budget, 1821 is the next best thing. And this Greek restaurant has recently undergone a nip and a tuck, making it even more delicious.
Named after the 1821 Greek Revolution, this three-level restaurant indeed caused a bit of a revolution when it opened on Pitt Street in late-2016, giving Sydneysiders a place to appreciate all things Greece – from the dishes to the decor.
Two years on and 1821 has undergone an evolution, partnering with Greece’s Bluefish Restaurants to further bring to life owner Jim Kospetas’s ‘Made in Greece’ vision. The result is a new menu, new chef and new fit-out.
Celebrated Greek chef and owner of BlueFish’s trio of restaurants, George Economidis, has come on board as executive chef, creating a modern Greek menu with international influence. This is executed on the ground by head chef Luiza Gomes.
The grand restaurant with its high ceilings and towering columns has also been subtly renovated by the original Athenian designer, Dimitris Economou. New neutral-coloured tiled tables have been introduced, along with a private 10-seater chef’s table and an open bar underneath the giant chiseled-brick Greek flag. The concrete jungle of Martin Place feels like a plane ride away.
A Grecian menu of mezzedes and piata
The new 1821 menu is designed to be shared, with seafood dominating the line-up. And the seafood is ludicrously fresh – the saganaki scallops are like butter that’s been left out of the fridge for a day.
This Greek feast starts with small plates of hot and cold mezzedes. There’s ‘Greekslaw’ and salads, along with Greek san choy bau and grilled octopus.
For main course, there’s a cross selection of seafood, chicken, pork, lamb and beef to choose from. The lamb, of course, is a house specialty, served souvla-style, with crackling, potato purée and pistachio crumble – and it was special, says one lamb to another (ok bad joke). The snapper fricasse, with spinach, endive, avgolemono and fennel, is another hero dish.
If you want to fly the blue and white flag like a true patriot, there’s only one traditional Greek dessert on offer – it’s the galaktoboureko. Otherwise the pavlova, lemon semifreddo and cremeux all sufficiently tick the sweets box.
But there is authentic Greek coffee, as well as cocktails and aperitifs. There’s also plenty of Greek wines stocked in that new open bar.
Tarama, with halva, pickled cucumber, radish, crostini and olive oil ($17)
Kingfish carpaccio, with yuzu kosho, lemon juice, ponzu, olive oil, cucumber and ichimi ($28)
Saganaki scallops, with tomato coulis, sweet chilli relish and feta mousse ($29)
Lamb souvla-style, with crackling, potato purée and pistachio crumble ($38)
Galaktoboureko – filo pastry, with custard, vanilla ice cream and cinnamon ($18)
1821 is…
This Greek God is all class, serving a high quality feed that’s a combination of Hellenic roots and international appeal.
1821 | 122 Pitt Street, Sydney, New South Wales
1821.com.au
