Hellenic Republic
| Where | 434 Lygon St, Brunswick East, 3057—View map |
Contact | 03 9381 1222 admin@hellenicrepublic.com.au |
Website | www.hellenicrepublic.com.au |
Open | Breakfast Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 11:30 am |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Unwelcome |
Greek goddess
Ellie Parker 8 March 2010
You are either going to love it or hate it. Thing is, there's so much to love about Hellenic Republic and really only one thing to hate about it. If you're the type to religiously order bacon and eggs with a side of hash brown, tomatoes and mushrooms, then you're doomed for the hate camp (and you're also a twit, for what its worth). They don't "do" that here. You're in Greece now, well Brunswick East Greece, so wake up and smell the kafe. Wise up or walk away.
George Calombaris, the celebrity chef and owner of HR, is proud of his Greek-Australian breakfast menu, "I have enjoyed mixing the traditional and the new, for example serving spanakopita with poached eggs, or making a spread with avocado, fresh tomato and feta and serving it on Dench Bakers toast - very Greek ingredients done in a new way." And when asked whether he would ever consider giving the crowd want they want (eg. the traditional Aussie fry up), he's firm, "I actually refuse to change the menu, so if they want a side of bacon, they're not going to get it."
So what's to love? Oh lordy. Try the salad of watermelon, feta, almonds, mint and rose syrup for a wack of something fruity, clean and Moorish. Then progress to the Gigantes Baked Eggs, a rich bubbly pot of native Greek beans that are truly "gigantic" in size and truly scrumptious with their messy eggy compatriots. The glamour girl on the menu would have to be the spanakopita with poached free range eggs. The individual spinach and cheese pies arrive with splendor: coiled up like a chubby doggyturd (I say this endearingly) they are a refreshing breakfast centerpiece. Novelty value aside, they are also a taste sensation, the soft, chewy texture of the filo pastry matches the creamy feta and spinach filling. And the addition of poached eggs is none other than an inspired Calombaris move.
Other highlights include the YUMMY coffee frappes and the option of diving straight into a Mythos beer and a souvlaki immediately afterwards. Oh yeah, back to back meals my friends. Bring it on. This is Greece, Calombaris style.