Panos Kalamidas, the chef-owner of the newly opened Santorini Steakhouse, estimates 100 of his compatriots live in Hong Kong, enough to fill his new Wan Chai restaurant.
You can fly directly from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu to the Greek capital, but Hong Kong lacks direct aerial access. Greek culture, and more importantly Greek food culture, has never taken Hong Kong’s interest. Just don’t blame My Greek Wedding for that.
Formerly, Panos worked with his business partner operating Santorini Greek Cafe in Central and Wan Chai, the former now shunning its stereotypical white and blue design for a grill restaurant and the latter metamorphosing into a steakhouse. The new concept is backed up with a menu of solid flavours that harness familiar recipes but travel beyond the stereotypes.
Dinner at Santorini Steakhouse must begin with an order of the Eat Like a Greek – assorted dips platter (HKD198) to share. Plated with sharings of pita, tzatziki (Greek yoghurt), taramosalata (white cod fish roe), melitzanosalata (smoky eggplant with tomatoes), and hptiti (feta cheese smoked peppers), each scooping of these signature Greek dips bring smokey and salty flavours to the front.
I was especially fond of the taramosalata with its frothy texture and sea-salt bit, whilst the tzatziki helps balance the taste of other dips with its cooling mix of mint, cucumber, and garlic.
Another Greek classic – one cannot do without ordering the familiar names – comes with the spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese pie) (HKD128). The cheese-vegetable mix doesn’t arrive in its crispy shell like a puree but clumpy for equal enjoyment of the salty feta and iron-rich spinach.
It is evident that the Greeks love their feta. Ripping apart the gooey bougiourdee (baked feta cheese with tomatoes & peppers) (HKD168), there are solid reasons why this is true.
Apart from a Greek salad (HKD168) we enjoyed for a green balance to the meal, this baked cheese dip brings sweetness to the salty cheese with the natural sugars kept within cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers.
The meat and potatoes of the meal arrives with the Australian pure Black Angus rib eye (HKD498/450g), a hefty cut of meat delivering a suitable ratio of juicy meat and fat to the plate.
Served with Greek oregano for a smoky and herbaceous hit, the steak is evenly dusted with salt and pepper amping up its meaty flavours. The accompanying Greek fries are perfectly made, soaking up the olive oil it’s cooked in and the salt dusted over it.
Our verdict of Santorini Steakhouse by Panos
We appreciate the rebirth of a Greek restaurant into a concept that looks to the future of a changing restaurant scene with the introduction of a steak-focussed menu, whilst remaining true to its Greek identity. The steak selection will have us coming back for more and more, ordered alongside dishes that have made Greek food popular the world over.
| Order this: assorted dips platter, spanakopita, bougiourdee, Australian pure Black Angus rib eye Menu: à-la-carte menu Price for two: HKD600 – HKD750 | Atmosphere: convivial, welcoming, and quite Greek with its hospitality Perfect for: a meal exploring a part of Europe not patronised enough by Hong Kongers |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
