Greek food, probably one of the healthiest, fresh and divine cuisines in the world. I have just recently arrived back from living in Greece, so it is safe to say I know good Greek food when I see it. Voula’s café located on King William Road is a mix of Greek/Cypriot home style cooking; so authentic I felt I was back in the Mediterranean.

Voula cooked us up a huge storm, sampling a wide range of their divine dishes. You can’t have a taste of Greece without trying a traditional; Yiros: Slow cooked marinated shredded lamb served on a Pita with lettuce, red onion, tomato, homemade tzatziki and a serve of lemon and oregano potatoes. This was by far my favourite dish that we sampled, some of the best slow cooked lamb I have ever had. The vegetables were incredibly fresh and the homemade tzatziki was creamy and to die for. Traditionally Greek ‘chips’ are fat potatoes with a light seasoning and Voula has replicated this very well.

Next on the juicy menu was the Burger: Brioche bun, tomato, caramelised onion, cheese; gourmet lettuce served with lemon and oven baked potatoes. The patty on this burger really caught our attention with the succulent meat and the herby seasoning. The caramelised onion gave the burger that extra sweet kick, which worked well with the fresh vegetables and sharp cheese.

You can’t go wrong with the famous Voula’s Mousakka: layers of eggplant, potatoes in a mushroom walnut sauce with a soy béchamel sauce served with chickpea salad. Sounds delicious right? Well it is, and it is Vegan too, and a dish that you will not forget. The vegetables were seasoned extremely well with the unique flavours of walnut and soy béchamel to give it that difference.

We then tried one of my favourite Greek dishes ever, Pastitsio: oven baked Greek style lasagne served with Greek salad. Think, macaroni bake topped with lashings of béchamel sauce and chunky mince bits, and that’s what pastitsio is all about. Promise you will not leave with an empty stomach after eating this.

Another vegetarian option on the menu is the Rice Filled Capsicum: served with Greek salad and a choice of either roasted veggies, or lemon and oregano baked potatoes. I ate a lot of this dish in Greece, as it was incredibly healthy and filling. The bright red capsicum is stuffed with a soft and flavoursome white rice. The most flavoursome-grilled vegetables you will try also, accompanies this divine bright plant.

We certainly could not leave without trying the Marinated Lamb and Chicken Skewers: served on a bed of cracked wheat with lemon oregano potatoes, homemade tzatziki and Greek salad. Lightly seasoned, these skewers were tender, juicy and filling, and paired well with the creamy tzatziki. The salad was all types of delicious, and just as good as any that I tried in Greece, if not better.

We finished off with the Oven Baked Chicken in a lemon and herb sauce on spanakorizo (spinach rice), briam or roasted vegies. Out of all the dishes this one made me feel most at home, because of the warm delicate flavours. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and worked superbly with the ratatouille vegetables.

Thank you to Voula and Nick and their beautiful staff for inviting us along to try their menu. If you want a true taste of what Greek and Cypriot food is all about then visit Voula’s.

Words by Tomika Salerno

WHERE: 333 King William St, Adelaide