Olympus, the new Greek restaurant in Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane precinct from the team behind The Apollo, describes itself as “a bustling village-style taverna”.
In my experience, few village-style tavernas seat 200 or get their centrepiece 50-year-old bougainvillea tree lifted in by crane, but no matter. Set your expectations to “stylish Athenian Riviera hotel” and you’ll be closer to the mark but more importantly, set them to “a very good time” because that’s what you’re going to get.
Things kick off with libation, the ancient Greek ceremony of pouring water to the gods. Here, your still or sparkling comes in a hulking great Dinosaur Designs jug, swirled with the blues and whites of a Mediterranean wave. Then, you’d do well to whip up a round of dips; like a voluptuous cod roe taramasalata that’s so addictively briny and lemony that you’ll fill up on far too much of it, smudged onto psomi (village bread).
You must follow with what is possibly the best dish on the menu, the shimmering avgolemono soup with its frisky scattering of boukovo, or dried chilli flakes, Aleppo pepper and mint. It’s basically medicinal – Greek penicillin – so you’ll soon be cleansed and ready to rally.
Spanakopita might follow, presented on a raised stand like a pizza and looking like it could feed an Olympic team. “Don’t worry, it’s very thin. And it’s so good you’ll want 10 of them,” says our server and despite the fact I am at least 75 per cent tarama and soup at this point, after one bite of its fennelly, minty crunch I’d have to agree. The wood-fired meats are less consistent – grilled octopus is a touch dry and the pork kalamaki could do with more oomph – but the milk-fed lamb is savoury and fatty in the best possible way.
Head chef Ozge Kalvo (formerly Ester and Baba’s Place) knows her way around this cuisine, and her best moments are when she cooks the marquee Greek classics. It’s top value too – with three banquet options starting from $77 per person – and it all begs to be paired with Dionysian lashings of gutsy retsina and assyrtiko.
After a second visit, I realise that Olympus does in fact share something with a humble taverna; somehow it’s already bursting with conviviality and happy chaos, despite only being open for a short time.
Everyone’s feasting and frollicking, there’s not a frown in the place. In a tough-to-please city, that’s a Herculean achievement.
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