Meraki

Meraki is a contemporary Greek restaurant and bar in the heart of Fitzrovia that celebrates the cuisine, welcoming hospitality and vibrant atmospheres of restaurants across Greece.

Meraki Restaurant | London | Fitzrovia | Greek Cuisine

http://www.meraki-restaurant.com

Meraki Restaurant | London | Fitzrovia | Greek Cuisine

Meraki Restaurant | London | Press Reviews | Fitzrovia | Greek Cuisine

Contemporary Greek restaurant Meraki, the latest restaurant from the Waney family (Roka, Zuma, The Arts Club), opened on Great Titchfield Street in July 2017.

Loosely translating as ‘the love and soul someone puts into their work’, the restaurant has been

Meraki review: We delve into the set lunch menu at Greek restaurant ...

That isn’t mezze, it’s a choice of dip served with pita, including taramosalata, hummus and my personal favourite, creamed spinach and feta with shards of crispy filo.

A choice of two salads to start, Mykonian Greek and baby gem.

The mains are grilled keftedes meatballs, courgette and feta spaghetti, parcel-wrapped seabass or chicken thighs barbecued up souvlaki-style.

There are four great veggie alternatives though, and the courgette and feta spaghetti is a big fat Greek beast of a dish.

Oregano-scented seabass sitting on a bed of sliced courgette, potato and capers, was a highlight and the Athens mess, adorned with spiky meringue sticks, may look like a modern art sputnik, but is a surprisingly classy way to finish.

London Reviews: Greek-Chic Dining at Meraki – The Foodie Diaries

Situated in the heart of Fitzrovia, the new restaurant sets out to champion a modern twist on classic Greek fare, mirrored by the inimitably-warm hospitality characteristic of the Mediterannean… There’s flair and panache in stylish spades too, this being the latest restaurant from the Waney brothers behind Zuma, Roka, La Petit Maison and The Arts Club… Expect to be greeted by an achingly-trendy reception team, dressed by Athens-based designer Yvonne Bosnjak; and a resident DJ on the decks from Thursday evening through the weekend!

There’s also a passion crackling behind the open-plan kitchen helmed by Dimitrios Siamanis, a Greek chef whose resume is peppered with Michelin-starred restaurants such as Zafferano, the Square and the Grill at the Dorchester.

This triumph of a dessert is definitely the sort to be had with a strong Greek coffee, but in this case the tonka bean ice cream served on the side was an inviting bedfellow too.

In case you’re wondering (I know I was), the word ‘Meraki’ is the Greek term for the love and soul that one pour’s into their work.

We thought it a fitting name for a restaurant in which the passion and dedication of the staff – including most notably, our Greek server Manos – proved to be a stand-out factor of an enjoyable evening here!

Fay Maschler reviews Meraki: Lost in translation | London Evening ...

The assumption on the part of the nubile greeters dressed as nymphs (satyrs are in the open kitchen) and the solicitous floor staff, many of whom, not being Greek, seem flummoxed by the menu, is that the pricey little dishes — two people are advised to choose five or six to share in the first course — will be some sort of revelation.

Leading the kitchen is Dimitrios Siamanis who, in London, has worked at those well-known Greek restaurants Zafferano, The Square and The Dorchester Grill.

Bread tends not to be offered as if rationed in restaurants in Greece but, as with the section of raw dishes including ceviche (!)

The menu neglects to state how many the shoulder will serve… Wrapping vine leaves around cod gives a less good result, as despite the uplifting presence of a few peeled broad beans and a halved infant artichoke, the fish comes across as dressed in a wet school mackintosh.

Something grievously missing from this demure, self-conscious rendition of Greek cooking is the fire and ice that should be palpable in its soul: ice to keep fish perky before weighing and pricing accordingly and fire to blister its skin and that of grilled meat self-basted with flavourful fat.

Meraki | Restaurants in Fitzrovia, London

Meraki takes the sun-drenched flavours you might find on an island in the Aegean and serves them to businessmen in Fitzrovia.

From my little blondewood table I could spy into the gleaming open kitchen and anticipate all the light, Grecian flavours I would soon be consuming in luxury.

Barrel-aged feta was insanely good, served with chilli pitta crispbreads and sprinkled with a little red ‘secret’ dust that tasted a bit like dukkah, but more seductively sour.

Like that aged feta dip.

I can’t stop thinking about that dip.