Kafeneion

1^st Floor, 161 Spring St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
https://www.kafeneion.com.au/

I haven’t been here since it was the Melbourne Supper Club. And it still is, but now if you show up before 11pm, you will be treated to home-styled Greek cooking at Kafeneion in one of the most iconic dining venues in Melbourne, with its large, round window at one end showcasing unbeatable views over Spring Street and the Parliament Building. The focus here is on rustic cooking, the likes of which you probably wouldn’t get unless you have access to a yiayia, paired with the warm, informal, yet knowledgeable hospitality Melbourne is known for. The food here may not be groundbreaking, but dining at Kafeneion provides such a sense of leisure, of slowing down, that in the speed of our modern lives, is worth its weight in gold.

Rating: 14/20 – slow greek supper.
The x-factor: unbeatable vibes. and tripe soup at 2am.

We were both pretty hangry, so the Spicy Cheese Croquettes ($22) were a godsend. These were exactly what they say on the packet – golden fried balls of oozy cheese, mixed through with chopped chillies. It is salty, spicy, creamy, and crunchy – everything you could want in a snack.

I’ve heard great things about the Pork and Leek Loukaniko ($17), and these pan-fried sausages lived up to the hype, with a juicy but not too fatty middle, and a moreishly chargrilled casing. I would’ve like to have it as a whole sausage, or even just thicker slices, so as to really appreciate the meaty texture.

If you didn’t order lamb, did you even go to a Greek restaurant? It’s hard not to get the classic Lamb with Potatoes ($38, small), which comes slow cooked on the bone until the collagen becomes sticky, and served with a side of roast potatoes. It is simple, hearty, and exactly what’s needed on a cold night.

Just as hearty is the Chicken, Greek Pasta from the Oven ($27, small). Light on the tomato and heavy on the cinnamon, this saucy baked orzo is full of warm, soothing flavours, and just begs to be monopolised and downed by the spoonful.

Because of the cheese croquettes, I decided to bypass the traditional feta-heavy Greek salad for the Lettuce, Spring Onion, Dill, and Lemon ($18) salad, on recommendation of our waitress. This was just gorgeous, the thin ribbons of vegetables and soft herbs drenched in a vigorous amount of lemon, making for a salad that is fresh without being sharp.

I was pretty very full by that point – the ‘small’ mains were rather generous – but when I was given unsolicited advice by our waitress (who by this point has well and truly proven herself) to get the Orange Filo Cake ($18), well, would be rude not to. And like everything else, this was simple but utterly wonderful, with a hearty crumb infused with orange, and drenched in syrup. The only thing that would make this better would be a cup of tea on the side.