After not going out for months, I wasn’t sure where to start when my boyfriend and I decided to go out to eat in Hull.
So I was relieved when she recommended we try a new Greek restaurant on Newland Avenue – The Aegean Taverna – which recently moved from Anlaby Road and promises promise “A piece of Greek sun with a real tavern feeling and a lively atmosphere with space for almost 100 people”.
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It was a Wednesday evening and admittedly we got to our table a little late. Luckily it was pretty busy in the middle of the week, but it wasn’t full.
The new restaurant is spacious and airy with lots of tables and has a relaxed atmosphere. Shutters on the wall reveal quiet Greek spots, while an open kitchen at the back of the restaurant allows you to soak in the action.
But once you sat down, things began to be less encouraging.
See before and after pictures of your home in the video above.
The tzatziki from The Aegean Taverna
The waitress brought someone else’s drinks. And she didn’t seem to know the wine when we ordered ours. It turned out that our choice was not available after all. Two tap water that we had ordered with our spare bottle of wine were initially forgotten.
In the meantime we tried several times to place our food order and were told by two waitresses that this would have to be done by another member of staff. There was no urgency to take our order and we kept falling back on each other.
The waiting and asking seemed to go on and on.
At this point we were already full, after we finally placed our food order, we were later informed that our starters and main courses would all come at the same time. Not exactly ideal and not what we – or our bellies – wanted to hear.
The waiter apologized for the starters mix-up (we had made it clear we were unimpressed by this point) and were told that we would not be charged for the starters. At least that was something.
The Aegean Taverna’s spinach pies
Our first dish arrived on our table over an hour after we stepped through the door. At some point I thought about whether we should just go out.
The waiter had to pull up the table next to us, as we would have found it difficult to bring the mountain of food to our table for two at once.
But finally we had food on the table, we were actually served and it looked delicious.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
The portion sizes were also generous – but we had definitely over-ordered.
After trying Saganaki cheese a few years ago, I knew it would be a solid addition to their common entrees.
In Greek cuisine, saganaki refers to a dish that was fried in a small pan, and in this case it was a crispy, fried block of halloumi-style cheese.
Served with lettuce and lemon, the saltiness goes incredibly well with the tzatziki and was as good as any saganaki cheese I’ve eaten before.
The Aegean Taverna’s saganaki cheese
When I searched the entree menu for more dishes, I looked for spanakopita – a traditional dish made from spinach and feta, wrapped in puff pastries.
Usually a large pie is made and then sliced, but at The Aegean the “spinach pies” were served individually with three pieces, similar to samosas.
Again, a foolproof addition to any meze, but the ratio of filo to filling was too high for my taste, and although the taste was still authentic, I prefer the spanakopita slices.
The tzatziki – a dip made from yogurt, cucumber and garlic – was spicy, creamy and garlic-like and was excellently distributed on the flatbread that went with it, as well as on all other dishes.
The calamari from The Aegean Taverna
A restaurant can always be judged on the freshness of its products and the knowledge of the chefs through its calamari.
I’ve been eating fried squid rings for as long as I can remember, mostly devouring them on a Spanish beach or at the port.
A plate full of these crispy and gold rings arrived, with a side salad, lemon and a pot of aioli.
After the obligatory lemon squeezing, I carefully bit into the first piece and waited for it to melt in my mouth or to look like a leather shoe.
Luckily it was the former, with a perfect crunch on the outside.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
While the squid was well cooked and incredibly tasty, I noticed a lack of tentacles which, when fried, are the best part.
I have two schools of thought as to why restaurants leave out these gems: the squid is bought pre-made, cut into rings, or there are fears that customers will not appreciate it on the plate.
The calamari got high marks in my book for its juiciness and crispness, but it would have scored extra if fried tentacles had made it onto the dish.
The great Greek salad from The Aegean Taverna
The Chicken Souvlaki – chicken grilled on a skewer – is a classic that justifiably made it onto our mammoth order. A huge pile of thinly sliced chips was accompanied by two delicious skewers, fresh salad and refreshing coleslaw. At first I couldn’t see the soft pita sitting underneath. If you are a fan of gyros then, while not to be confused, this might be for you.
We also decided to have a large Greek salad with our main courses but definitely didn’t need it.
With a reduced bill and an unexpected apology from the chef for the starter / main arrival mix-up, our bill came in lighter than we expected at £ 44.40.
While the food was impeccable, the service was disappointing and, if I’m honest, a little stressful.