W-Day (that would be Wedding Day) is around the corner, and PB and I are trying our best to eat well and take care of our bodies! So when we went to Souvla for dinner, that unfortunately meant no tasty, moist, tender meat from the grill or the oven. No baklava and no souvlakas. However, a Greek Salad would do just the trick!

Have you ever wondered why Greece is the only country that has a salad named after it? You would never come across an American Salad (burger bits, pulled pork, pumpkin and corn perhaps?), or an English salad (mushy peas, Sunday roast leftovers, asparagus and sausages?), or even a French or a Spanish Salad (I once asked for a salad in a restaurant in Granada, and they – quite literally – brought me a head of iceberg lettuce on a plate). But a Greek Salad is a perfect composition – and I was hoping that Souvla would have some nice salads to brighten up my fatty-meat-avoiding diet.

Our cocktails, the Sangria and the Souvla Sour (approx. HK$100 each)

We started off with some cocktails –  the Souvla Sour was recommended to me and made with fresh passion fruit, which I’m always a sucker for. It was a nice flavour-change from the Pisco Sour that I love, which they serve at sister restaurant, Chicha.

A beautiful way to serve haloumi – wonderfully flavoured, salty cheese, grilled with caramelised fennel (very tasty!), lemon and a bed of fresh dill and parsley (approx. HK$125)

Souvla really wowed us with their salads.  This haloumi dish was definitely my favourite of the evening, with this king of unmeltable cheeses stacked on caramelised fennel, and served with dill and parsley. The freshness of the herbs is really refreshing, and packed with flavour. Not chopped, mixed and dressed, but flavour direct from the source.

A gorgeous and appealing dish of salmon cured in ouzo, with beets, marouri cheese and dill (approx. HK$125)

This dish was just so bright and beautiful!  Us homo sapiens are programmed to be attracted to brightly coloured foods, because they are the most nutrient-rich. Well, some can also be poisonous, go figure. But, you are hard-wired to love this dish. The ouzo-curing creates a flavour which I’m not entirely convinced with yet – the aftertaste was … interesting. But topped with brightly coloured beets and a creamy manouri cheese, it’s definitely a winner.

The popular Cypriot Salata – a tasty combination of textures and flavours. (Approx. HK$75)

My eyes made a beeline for this, how could you possibly get more healthy than pulses, grains, nuts and currents, topped with honey, yoghurt and pomegranate?? The hard crunch of the grains, the sweetness of the currents, the occasional and pleasantly surprising POP from the pomegranate, and the creamy yoghurt to tie it all together – I’ll be ordering it again and again.

Our Mini Gyros – chicken and pork (approx. HK$55 each)

Next up, the mini gyros, served in a cute takeaway box and wrapped with evil eye paper – the first thing that stands out is the pita, so fluffy!!! These would be a perfect meal on the go if you’re standing on the street in LKF but have more sense than to eat something from Ebeneezers. You can order them up on the phone and go to collect them when they’re ready!

A close-up of these delectable pockets of goodness

These are the perfect little package for a lady – one is enough to fill you up, and maybe two for the boys. They also have goat and crab options – they sound tempting!

Golden Greek Time – there goes the diet! Fried ice cream, salted caramel sauce and a homemade Crunchie.

Well, after all that W Day diet fuss, PB goes and orders a Golden Greek Time while I’m in the bathroom, sneaky sneaky! (Secretly, I wanted to order one too). It’s made with mastic to lend a chewy consistency to the ice cream, which was very interesting. The salted caramel sauce was … well, need I say more? It’s salted caramel sauce! The ‘homemade Crunchie’ was awesome – the only thing I wasn’t convinced with was the batter.

Service is excellent, informative and comes with a little banter – all around friendly group of guys! The bill came to HK$820 (service not included) for the two of us – it’s a mid-range priced place, although if you start drinking it’ll start to get on the high side. The restaurant space is huge, and really a blank canvas for any occupant. Harrington’s, the tenant before Souvla, decorated in stark white, which was beautiful but maybe limiting in terms of the crowd it could attract in the evening. Souvla has done it in warm colours (reds, browns and purples), with a mix of mediums (wood, leather, stone). The bar area plays louder music, and is a more conducive to drinks with a bite to eat (or extra seating when the restaurant is packed!), and the dining area is quieter, the table format is pretty much the same as Harrington’s was.

Our first meal there was just a taste of what to come! The salads and gyros really whet the appetite to try more. See you soon for a big fat Greek feast!

Souvla

Address: 1/F, Ho Lee Commercial Building, 40 D’Aguilar Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2522 1823 or Text: +852 9285 8846