Greek is a cuisine at its best when recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and The Olive Tree is a real example of this. Walking in to this taverna and seeing the fresh white walls, flowers everywhere and amphora depicted on the walls, whilst the waft of fresh pita, garlic, lamb and mint hits you, and the gentle plucking of a guitar plays over the PA system tells you everything you need to know about this place; it's traditional, and it's done very very authentically and well without a detail left missing.
The Olive Tree is owned by the Klappas family who hail from Kalamata & Thessaly. They bring a real family feel to this restaurant and this is something imbibed in all of their staff too who were incredibly friendly and welcoming. The joy that the proprietors enthuse into the taverna is evident to see at one of their Taverna Nights too, which in pre-Covid times would have people up from their seats and partaking in a bit of Greek dancing. Fingers crossed this returns in good time!
Greek food is all about mezes - small sharing dishes, which Olive Tree suggest you have 2-3 per person. Whatever you do though, make sure you get the mixed dip and bread while you wait- because there is nothing better than warm pita with hummus and other dips. The only danger is you could fill up before the meal arrives! The hummus is earthy and silky in texture, the taramasalata was salty, briney and smooth, and the aubergine dip was smokey, coarse and mellow.
We were luckily dining out with friends of ours and their two children so we were able to sample quite a lot of the menu. We ordered (deep breath...) spanakopita (spinach & feta filo pastry), mixed souvlaki (skewered meats), slow roasted lamb leg, kolokithokftedes (courgette & feta balls), keftedes (meatballs), psarokeftedes (cod and salmon balls), greek salad, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), and halloumi chips. Phew! Everything arrived as it was ready so we had a steady stream of food coming to the table which enabled us to graze, drink and chat away at a wonderfully leisurely pace.
The leg of lamb was the standout dish for me. It was soft, succulent and just melted in the mouth. In fact (sorry veggies) all of the meat was fantastic, exactly what you'd hope for in Greek restaurant. The souvlaki was incredibly well seasoned and cooked to perfection with a perfect char on the outside.
All of the pastry items were so crisp, golden and light with fresh fillings. The spanakopita was salty and creamy inside and the kolokithokftedes were also light, fresh and creamy. The halloumi chips were another favourite of mine; they were crisp outside, creamy and soft inside and served with a swwwt chilli jam- not spicy at all but almost like a quince. That salty/sweet contrast is an immediate hit for me!
The portion sizes were fair; 2-3 meze dishes per person would be about right, but there's certainly room to share one of their bigger dishes. I think next time, the piadakia will catch my eye (hello succulent lamb cutlets!) Over all we certainly ordered a good amount of food for all of us to share and I'm so glad we got to try a lot of the menu. Everything we tried was perfect and presented so beautifully. We will certainly be back, and you should probably join us!
Service:
Friendly and swift, and very knowledgable about the menu. This also includes good reassurance for our friends' allergies and about the dishes.
Price & Value:
£130 covered 4 adults and 3 children. We were all full and satisfied by the end of the meal so I'd say it's good value!
Quality:
Fresh, juicy meats, crispy pastries and crusts where they should have been vs soft, oozy molten centres where they should have been. couldn't fault it.
Overall:
EXCELLENT- The Olive Tree is a seriously fun place to dine. It is easy-going and the good is excellent and traditional. It's greek food done seriously well.
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