The Greek Fisherman Restaurant

A Greek taste journey

I must've walked past the Greek Fisherman restaurant at the V&A Waterfront a thousand times, but to be honest never even noticed it, keeping my eyes down — so as not to alert the attention of hosts who tout their menus on the touristy strip.

Unbeknown to me, the Greek Fisherman has been around for more than 10 years and is something of an institution, which is an accolade in itself in this day and age — with great restaurants going bust all over the show.

At the Greek Fisherman, they are as big on family as tradition, and on our visit — the relaunch of the establishment after a 'modern with a twist' renovation — the entertainment included some traditional Greek folk dancing (with the dancers probably either family or extended family).

Owner Peter Protoulis welcomed us all to his refurbed eatery, tables packed to celebrate with an evening of entertainment, great company and of course lots of food.

'Found ourselves in meze heaven...'

This is where our journey through Greece started, the 'modern' version of the Greek Fisherman sported clean lines, mahogany countertops, with only a hint of the old-school fish-and-chip-shop-style décor visible (shiny new pink, lavender and white tiles on one of the walls). It felt like we were in a shimmering new dark-wood boat about to set sail for more traditional shores.

Accompanied by copious amounts of Asara's Cape Fusion 2005 — a delicious deep ruby wine with rich plum and black cherry aromas and subtle cigar box nuances — we found ourselves in meze heaven, perhaps at an Athenian feast, breaking homemade bread topped with olive oil or garlic butter, dipped in Tzatziki .

Apparently, the purpose of the meze (or meh-zeh) is two-fold: to complement and enhance the taste of the drink — in this case the Asara (think Grappa or Ouzo) — and to provide the backdrop for a social gathering. Quite appropriate.

Naturally one has to have a 'Greek' salad to accompany any traditional meal, and the Greek Fisherman does it just right: chunky diced tomato, cucumber and olives with a slab of feta on top, and a minimal amount of that horrid stuff called butter lettuce.

Then to Cyprus we went, where Haloumi cheese was served, sautéed with a touch of lemon and quince jelly.

Next we fought over the hot feta pastry rolls — molten feta cheese scented with fresh dill, wrapped in Phyllo pastry, crisp and golden brown.

My favourite on the starters list had to be the homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, although the mussels in tomato sauce with feta was a pretty close second.

The Biftekia — mince meat patty stuffed with cheese, grilled on open charcoals — tasted like braai meat, and was very tasty indeed.

'...the scent of salty seawater almost palatable...'

By this time it was getting rowdy and the music more upbeat, I almost imagined people getting up and doing Zorba's dance and smashing a few plates, but no such luck.

Time to try the mains as the journey reached its climax — more Asara please. What seemed like giant, succulent grilled calamari fresh from the sea was up first, with the scent of salty seawater almost palatable.

Onto the Aegean Islands, where we feasted on Aegean-style sautéed prawns stuffed with garlic, parsley, salt and paprika, flambéed with fresh lemon juice, and served on rice.

No main meal would be complete with hor-ta-ree-kah or vegetables and some rather solid buttery potato wedges (perfect heart attack material if you're looking to follow in MJ's footsteps) which were dangerously moreish.

I started to feel a little sea sick — a combination of too much red wine and food overload — which meant there was only one thing left to do, have dessert.

I managed to stuff down a few Loukoumades or Greek doughnuts — golden puffs of dough sprinkled with sugar, honey and cinnamon.

On the menu is also Baklava and ice cream; homemade yoghurt, honey and nuts ; double-thick homemade Greek yoghurt, drizzled with honey and roasted almonds; ice cream and chocolate sauce, crème brûlée, strawberries with Ouzo and more...

As we arrived back in Cape Town, and back to reality, a strong coffee was needed before our drive home.

All-in-all a wonderful taste of Greek culture and hospitality — and a lot cheaper than any other Mediterranean cruise.

There are a number of meze set menu's that you can have at the Greek Fisherman so you can try a bit of everything, starting from R164 per person to R325 per person, depending on your appetite.