Having been unable to go on our Greek holiday this year we were definitely in need of a Greek food fix. With that in mind it was time to pay our first visit to the Hungry Donkey which is just a five minute walk from Liverpool Street station and only a couple of minutes from the popular spitalfields area. As our Saturday's are quite booked up it was also great to see that this restaurant was open on a Sunday so off we went. We actually arrived quite early but this wasn't a problem as we were given a warm and friendly welcome. With our masks on and our hands sanitized we were then shown to our table. We started with two fabulous Greek cocktails while we looked at the menu that really had a fantastic selection of greek dishes from hot & cold mezedes , souvlaki , smashing plates , souvlaki plates , salads , sides & desserts. It was also nice to see that all the wines were greek as well as the cocktails and digestifs.
We decided to start with a selection of three dishes from the hot mezedes section. They were the Papoutsakia ( roasted aubergine , tomato , onion sauce & feta cheese ) , Revithokeftedes ( greek falafel topped with tahini & sesame seeds ) & Spanakopita ( filo pastry filled with spinach & feta cheese ) This was a great way to start as each dish was delicious.
Now it was time to order our mains to which we chose first the restaurants specialty Lamb Kleftiko ( lamb shanks , peppers , potatoes , graviera cheese ) we also decided to have the Kid Goat Soutzoukakia ( meatballs , brown & wild rice , graviera cheese ). We accompanied these dishes with a greek salad and some hand cut feta chips. Everything was perfectly cooked and the flavours were amazing. To go with our mains we enjoyed two fabulous glasses of greek wine.
After a little rest it was time for desserts where we opted for the Kormos ( sliced cocoa loaf with berries & strawberry syrup ) and the Bougatsa ( warm custard filo pie with cinnamon and drizzled with icing sugar and more cinnamon ). I accompanied the bougatsa with a homemade Rakomelo which was boiled tsipouro , honey , cloves & cinnamon. This little cocktail was one I fell in love with straight away and was a perfect pairing with these amazing desserts.
We finished with a coffee and a complimentary glass of mastiha to round of a truly fantastic greek feast. The food was amazing and quite different in style to other greek restaurants. The service was friendly and also felt the staff were very knowledgable about all the food and drink as well. I would highly recommend a visit especially if your a lover of greek food and I definitely can't wait to return again myself.
Efharisto and look forward to seeing you all again soon