Greek classics
Since the beginning of the Mediterranean package holiday business, Greece has been a firm favourite with British tourists. A restaurant theme set around Greece is bound to bring back happy memories of sunny holidays and the relaxed style of eating and drinking for which Greece is loved.
The ingredients can be costly or inexpensive, but are always cooked and served simply, allowing the flavour of the ingredient, not the complexity of the cooking, to win the heart.
Ingredients which immediately say "Greece" include sardines, red mullet, dorado, bream, squid, lamb, olives (and their oil), meatballs, peppers, chick peas, tahina (crushed sesame seeds), aubergines, lemons, pitta breads, tomatoes, yogurt, vine leaves, honey, feta cheese and aromatic oregano and rosemary.
These appear in such popular "tourist" dishes as hummus, moussaka, souvlakia, taramasalata, pork-stuffed cabbage leaves, keftéthes (minced lamb meatballs), dolmathes (stuffed vine leaves), stiph do (rich beef stew) and the honey-sweetened dessert baklavs.
Yet there is another side to Greek food, that of the non-touristy foods which have their roots deep in the rural history of Greece. Kaccavi , the traditional fish soup; ghíghes me arní, a lamb stew with white beans, tomato and ground cumin; oktap¢thi krass to, octopus or squid braised in red wine.
Greek wines do not enjoy a good reputation. Resin-flavoured wines are a highly acquired taste. Ouzo might taste fun on a sunny hilltop terrace in Corfu, but falls down to earth on a rainy night in Slough. Since Greece entered the EU, standards have improved and some wines of acceptable quality are beginning to filter into the UK, but it will need a specialist supplier to find them. The exceptions are the sweet muscats which are good.
To create the right atmosphere for a Greek theme, look to the holiday angle. Consider a joint promotion with a travel agent who may wish to offer holiday brochures.
Contact the Greek national authorities well in advance and ask for help in sourcing posters. Use the Greek national colours of blue and white to make paper decorations.
The music has to be bouzouki. Live bands are available, but expect to pay at least £200 a night. Tapes or CDs make more financial sense.
Customers may want to get up and dance, but remember the terms of your licences. If customers are very boisterous, tell staff to watch out for any attempts at plate smashing and don't encourage it - you could end up with a claim for personal injury. To put some fun into the proceedings, you could "stage" a row in the kitchen with some plate smashing and "angry" chefs shouting at each other.
