Agapi — getting Greek right

The new Agapi, in the thick of a prime food precinct, is getting it right.

Pita and salad at Agapi Greek Restaurant

The simplicity of Greek food leaves nowhere to hide. There’s little cover in the modest sides and sauces, so the fleshy content of this heavily meat- and seafood-driven cuisine has to be juicy, tender, charred, fall-about soft, and packed with flavour.

Hubbub, celebratory groups, and tables turning over show the new Agapi, in the thick of a prime food precinct, is getting it right.

The stars must have aligned for the owners who have been able to move in and concentrate on the food.

There will have been kitchen alterations, but the former tenant, Japanese restaurant Ichitaro, left behind a sharp decor of black walls with a spirographic weave of ropes and hanging polished tree trunks that serves the new gang well. And, Agapi was able to secure, temporarily at least, Alex, a front-of-house whiz.

You can also measure a busy restaurant by the way it handles a glitch. Our tardy main is dealt with so well, we barely give it a thought.

Time’s ticking, but we’re OK. On another waiter’s advice, we’ve grazed through enough starters so our slow-cooked main designed for two, will be enough for four.

Six-hour spit-roasted lamb shoulder with duckfat potatoes, at Agapi Greek Restaurant, Hyde Park

A squeaky panfried saganaki is unremarkable, but a satisfying start. Large zucchini croquettes, a smart serve of four, crunchy on the outer and soft within, are best swooped through spiced yogurt.

T’other also asks for chargrilled pork and leek sausage.

It’s not usually my pick, but the two chubby links are punchy morsels. We all want our share. They sit on a bed of pickled cabbage and crumbled feta that’s pretty tasty too. Alex carves, no, lifts the bones from our six-hour spit-roasted lamb shoulder. The luscious flesh seasoned with a classic Greek mix of garlic, herbs and lime, barely needs the go-with tzatziki and mint sauces. It’s a lot, but we don’t leave a shred.

We’re treated to traditional bougatsa, cigar-shaped semolina custard-filled pastries, just like every corner bakery in Greece. There’s clearly demand when no-fuss food is hearty, and the atmosphere is fun.