Hellenika restaurant review: Is one prawn worth $25?

CAN a single prawn really cost $25? That’s what we asked ourselves, when we looked at the menu of one of Brisbane’s hottest new restaurants. Well, yes it can. But was it worth it?

Is this prawn at Hellenika Restaurant Brisbane really worth $25?

CAN a prawn really cost $25?

That’s what we asked ourselves, then the waitress, as we studied the menu at Brisbane’s new Hellenika restaurant.

Yes, it can, if it’s a relatively uncommon deep red “carabineros” flown over from Western Australia.

We had to try one, and the ruddy specimen soon arrived curled insouciantly on a platter with a wedge of lemon.

After divesting it of its sizeable head we estimated that the prawn had cost about $5 per centimetre of actual meat.

But yes, itwas good; succulent, slightly sweet, and very possibly the best prawn either of us had ever tasted.

IS THIS MARATHON MEAL WORTH $225?

The crustacean delicacy was the most extravagant option on the daily changing “fresh fishmarket” section of the menu, along with Queensland king prawns ($12 each), ocean trout from Tasmania and King George whiting from South Australia.

Hellenika at The Calile, Fortitude Valley. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

Hellenika, perkily positioned beside the pool at the new boutique Calile Hotel in inner-north Fortitude Valley, is the big city version of the original restaurant by the same name, which has been operating at Nobby Beach on the Gold Coast for a few years.

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Here, Greek-inspired beach chic ramps up a notch into an elegant eatery crafted from concrete, marble and pale wood, with some of the seats grouped under a central dome softly lit by yellow globes. Copper urns of rosemary top plinths, and other sections of seats run along an area by the windows or populate the terrace near the pool. Wait staff wear pink blazers, complementing the pastel and white crockery.

The Bougatsa (filo custard w lemon syrup) at Hellenika. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

Our waitress is personable and across the menu and on a cool, rainy night the complimentary tasting glasses of well-seasoned and deeply flavoured fish and lemon soup were very welcome.

After seeing off the prawn we plunged wedges of sourdough into creamy taramasalata ($16) and then turned our attention to batons of soft, delicious, simply grilled calamari ($34).

King George whiting ($42) arrives deboned, grilled and topped with a shower of finely chopped oregano and a scattering of fried capers, enhancing the flavourful fresh flesh.

It’s just right with a Greek salad ($26), a profusion of crisp vegetables topped with a slab of herb-scattered feta.

The Kritharaki (orzo pasta w spanned crab (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

The zucchini chips ($16) are not to be missed under any circumstances besides an imminent cardiac arrest. Thin, lengthways slices are fried to crispness and then scattered with finely grated kefalogravieria cheese. Kritharaki, orzo pasta, with Fraser Coast spanner crab and a couple of chunks of prawn, ($32) is also gorgeous. Meatier options might be a 1.2kg baked junee lamb ($80) to share, pastitsio of Wagyu beef with tubular pasta and béchamel sauce ($32), while vegetarians could opt for spanakopita ($24) or eggplant moussaka ($28). Alternatively, four banquet selections ($38-88pp) remove the onus of decision-making.

The global wine list includes an extensive portfolio of Greek wines and a couple from Queensland’s Ballandean Estate amid the impressive lineup that includes everything from châteauneuf-du-pape to Californian zinfandel.

Outdoors at Hellenika at The Calile, Fortitude Valley. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

The sommelier is flat strap – the place was packed on a Monday night a few days after opening – with the maitre’d stepping in to offer tastes so we could decide which Greek by-the-glass wine to try.

A sweet conclusion might be a scoop of vanilla ice cream with halva ($5), bougatsa($14), a crisp filo pastry filled with custard and warm lemon syrup, or rizogalo ($10), a bowl of warm, creamy, cinnamon-scattered rice pudding that felt like a grandmother’s hug.

Kikikithia (Zucchini Chips) (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

The experience was seamless, with simple Greek fare fashioned from the best of ingredients, served by well-drilled staff. It can be expensive but not all dishes are in the stratosphere, and the food is so delicious that it helps anaesthetise hip-pocket pain.

HELLENIKA AT THE CALILE

The Calile Hotel

48 James St,

Fortitude Valley

BOOK [phone]

hellenika.com.au

OPEN Breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days

MUST TRY Zucchini chips

VERDICT

Food 9

Service 9

Ambience 9

Value 8

OVERALL: 9/10