We decided to go and have lunch at Nostos as we had heard good things
If you knew the restaurant Spiro's in Hout Bay, which had to close in Covid,
you might be excited to know that Spiro Ragavelas and his wife Julie have now reopened in the same building
with a new name, Nostos, which means "A return home after a long journey"
They have only been open about a month and a half and are doing well
If you knew the restaurant Spiro's in Hout Bay, which had to close in Covid,
you might be excited to know that Spiro Ragavelas and his wife Julie have now reopened in the same building
with a new name, Nostos, which means "A return home after a long journey"
They have only been open about a month and a half and are doing well
They have taken the same space and dolled it up beautifully, with lots of indoor and outdoor space
Quite an eclectic and large menu with lots of choices, not only Greek
They have applied for a liquor licence and are hopeful that it will be granted soon
Service was excellent. Polite and enthusiastic
Good mains, something for the kids and even smoothies and mocktails
It was a damp, cold day, so we opted to sit inside, with comfortable chairs and tables for four
It was popular for lunch that day, so we were glad we had arrived at 12
They have knocked through to two back rooms and we quite liked the look, especially the lack of plaster in the next room
A reminder of the many purposely unfinished buildings we saw in Athens - a tax dodge there, apparently
We are sure, as the move was rather quick, that changes will happen over time
We decided to try different elements in the menu and share
First, two starters: we ordered the spicy Tyrokefteri dip of whipped feta and charred grilled red peppers with a hint of chilli,
which comes with good soft pita bread. It is very enjoyable and different
The keftedes (lamb meatballs) were moist and had good meaty flavours; herbs and onion are added
It paired well with the dip. Lynne had wanted to try the Spanakopita, a favourite but they were not on the menu that day
John had one of his favourites, Sardines, which come with a yogurt dip
Not Lynne's, she is averse to bony fish, having once had a fishbone stuck in her throat for days
We brought a great bottle of Chardonnay from our cellar, Chamonix Greywacke 2022
It is really a quite superb Chardonnay. Fermented and matured in oak barrels for 12 months,
with the wood just supporting the Chardonnay grapes, adding layers of flavour - crisp citrus, peach and pear
A great mouthfeel and it went perfectly with the food. Made by winemaker Neil Bruwer
We ordered two main courses to try - one small and one large:
the irresistible lamb shanks, in a dark almost marmite sauce with small potatoes, fell off the bone
and there was enough for us to share
and a smaller main of a Pork belly Yiro
We really like the texture of the Pita wrap and there was plenty of meat, tzatziki and herbs filling the dish,
which we also shared
And some of this even went home, as we had ordered rather a lot. It is the perfect take away
The back bar might be a good place to meet friends
Plenty of space for a big table
Our bill; we will be back
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