Located in the heart of Newtown, along the dynamic King Street strip, 3 Olives is a hidden star that offers a fusion of Australian and authentic Greek cuisine.
The restaurant has an unpretentious decor injected with a beautiful Mediterranean charm. The white and olive green interior is adorned with cracked wall stones, wooden table furnishing, cushioned sofas, and a graceful white stone statue placed besides the kitchen, the relaxed design generates a comforting appeal to the eye. Owing to the great experience that I had during my last visit, I willingly introduced the restaurant to my friends.
Pita bread and dips
We decided to go for the seafood set menu in order to get a chance in sampling a wider variety of food.
The first appetiser served was pita bread with three dips - crushed olives, Tzatziki, and Taramosalata. The marinated olives had a hint of vinaigrette taste, while included in the Tzatziki are the right amounts of garlic, yoghurt and cucumber, jazzed up by a faint acidity from the lemon juice. On the other hand, Taramosalata is a common dip provided in Greek or Turkish mezze, which refers to dishes that are comparatively smaller than main courses. Made from salted and cured roe of cod, the pink dip carried a smoked fish flavour, and nevertheless was something new and quirky to us.
Haloumi cheese, filo pastry and beans
After the pita bread, we relished some Greek style finger food. Savoury Haloumi cheese with crushed beans has been a clever creation by the chefs at 3 Olives. Despite that beans might sound like an average side dish, they were actually spectacular. Without being mashed until mushy, tiny bits of beans could still be found in the mixture, forming an impressive characteristic.
Mixed seafood plate
Bouncy Calamari, crispy fried white bait, spicy octopus and sweet prawns, all together composed the delicious plate of Mediterranean specialty. Garnished by two seafood skewers on top with the bright reds and greens from the capsicum, the presentation was truly enticing. In fact, it was what I would consider as a "healthy indulgence" with all the fresh seafood going on.
Muscles
In addition to the mountain of seafood were muscles with tomato dressing. Tender and flavoursome, the muscles were perfectly cooked, and the accompanying tomato condiment added a little sweetness and tang to the muscles.
Baklava
Just as I was about to call it the night with all the mezze and sizeable seafood mains, Baklava came into our minds instinctively. Indeed, dessert is a good way to end a satisfying meal. Yearning for Baklava, we straight away ordered the sweet pastry to share.
The two layers in between the filo pastries were entirely filled with chopped nuts, spiced and sweetened with honey. Generously sprinkled with cinnamon, the wonderful aroma of the lovely condiment filled my senses with joy. In fact, the Turkish classic could have had a slightly lighter texture. Nonetheless, it was still a successful attempt that tied in the flavours thoroughly.
On top of the amazing food, I must give credit to the professional services provided. The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful, which further enhanced the dining experience. In addition, the place was great for catering group functions on weekends.
I am sure that I will pay another visit in the future.
