Scorpios Taverna

Slokky’s mum has been raving about this restaurant for ages and ages, so I was pretty excited to go along…

Food

This is very traditional Greek stuff, with nothing out of the ordinary on the menu. We started off with 3 starters, but because of their small sizes, actually had to order more. One of the things that was raved about was Tzatziki - natural yoghurt, garlic & cucumber dip ($8), accompanied by aniseed bread. Before we’d even got the dish though, the waiter asked if we wanted more bread to go with the dip, so they obviously knew that there wasn’t enough bread included. Why do people do that? Why don’t they just supply the right amount of bread? The dip itself was good, with a tangy hit of yoghurt and fresh crunchy cucumber. The bread was excellent, fragrant with aniseed and fresh from the oven.

As we’d polished off that dish so quickly, we ordered the Taramosalata - fish roe and potato dip ($8), this time with added aniseed bread ($3.50). This one was actually my favourite, not too salty and also not too fishy either, it has a creamy taste.

The rest of the entrees were made up of marithes - white bait seasoned and lightly fried with oregano & extra virgin olive oil ($12) - the batter was average, the whitebait not that fat, but the serving was very small. The BBQ Octopus - marinated octopus barbequed ($15) was chargrilled just right so that there is a bit of "char" coating the outside. It’s nice and juicy, not too chewy inside.

The mains were not as good as the entrees. Another rave dish, the Scorpio's Greek Lamb - tender portions of seasoned lamb slowly roasted served with lemon oregano potatoes, vegetables and a side serving of tzatziki ($24), was a disappointment. I was expecting some very soft lamb that fell off the bone, instead, I got some soft lamb in an average tasting sauce. I wasn’t a fan of the lemon potatoes – what’s the point? The rest of the vegetables were sweet.

The Oregano - chicken pan fried with white wine, lemon & oregano served with grilled eggplant with a cream and mushroom sauce ($23). Well, the chicken was totally overpowered by the very creamy sauce. It wasn’t too bad as the chicken wasn’t that special and the cream sauce was nice. I prefer my food to taste more like chicken than just the sauce though. The eggplant was soft and melting.

The best of the bunch was the Moussaka - layers of eggplant, zucchini, potato, minced beef, béchamel sauce and kefalograviera cheese served with side salad. It was simple, classic stuff, and I could taste the "Greek" in it.

We had no room for dessert, after the birthday cake. We sampled their cappuccino ($3.50) which was nothing to write home about.

Rating - 6

Atmosphere

Situated at the end of the shopping strip in Annadale, I really like the fitout of this place. The place is modern yet warm, with candid pictures and random objects scattered around the room. Apparantly it has been newly renovated, and it shows. There is a small but smart bar at the front, also a semi-stage where they have a band playing on Friday and Saturday nights. On this particular Tuesday the restaurant was about a quarter full, with locals and small groups. Everyone was having a very good time and there is certainly a buzz about the place. When the band plays though, you can’t hear a thing as the room is only small.

Rating - 2.5

Service

I don't know if it's the Greeks or what, but this is definitely not a place to go to if you want some privacy. It’s a family run restaurant, but they were trying just a little too hard. I don’t think it’s appropriate to not only ask my age, but all the other personal details on the first meeting. They were way too enthusiastic on the birthday singing, and managed to get themselves in about five of the “family photos”. There was definitely major sucking up going on, and I can tell Slokky’s mum lapped it up. Of course she liked them because they kept praising her on her family and work. I, on the other end, can see through their ploy. I can’t stand people who are not sincere.

Rating - 3

C-factor

It’s a neighbourhood restaurants, but the prices are certainly not cheap. I just can’t believe I travel all that way for Greek when I could have got much better closer to home. If it was my local though, I would go there occasionally, when I don’t feel like driving somewhere for better Greek.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 12

Info

125 Johnston Street
Annandale
NSW 2131
Phone (02) 9660 7245
Website