Kefi Greek Tavern

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The word 'Kefi' in Greek can mean a whole lot of things from joy to passion, feeling good or excitement, having fun or just having great mojo. That is exactly the dining spirit you will receive here at .



For Greek food lover, you might remember Xanthi in Sydney's Westfield. Well, after its closure, Xanthi's chef - David Tsirekas has swapped fine dining for casual comfort street food.



I heard that owner David Tsirekas and his team had opened up Kefi - a fancy Greek tavern in August this year and I was keen to see the new $1.5 million Greek restaurant located in the sleepy suburb of Kingsgrove.



Add a master cook, some charcoal BBQ, a souvlaki takeaway bar and a hip Greek restaurant to a quiet town and you will get buzzing excitement and keen diners to congregate around the area. Unlike the crowded CBD area where the daily parking fee is too excessive, Kefi have its own underground parking in Kingsgrove with a private lift to take you up to the restaurant.



The restaurant looks contemporary and modern with large glass window panels. The ambiance is warm, inviting and relaxed with a view of the tavern's open kitchen. This is a perfect setting for a meaty feast with cold beverages while watching the kitchen roasting some smoky juicy lamb and toasting up fluffy Greek pita breads.



Greeks love their food and Kefi's menu clearly reflects this and considering Tsirekas's impeccable reputation as the Master for authentic Greek food, we knew we were in good hands. We were ready to taste anything that Tsirekas was to dish out in front of us.



When in 'Greek', do as the 'Greeks' do. So we started our meal with a number of delicious appetisers to share.

We ordered Mixed Mezedakia ($8) which consisted of Taramasalata (pink fish roe); Tzatziki (white tangy cucumber yoghurt) and Tirokafteri (spicy capsicum) dips.



They were creamy, flavoursome and addictive. They tasted so much better than the washed-down version of the pre-made dips. After some dips, we craved for some cheese and the BBQ Haloumi ($16.50) was a great choice.



We all loved the meaty texture of grilled haloumi. Kefi barbequed the cheese well with definitive grill marks on them. It was served with olive paste and honey peppered figs. It was a pleasant appetizer.

YiaYias Chips ($9.50) was extremely appetising. I absolutely loved this dish and probably would travel miles to get it.



These deep fried chips were seasoned well with salt, pepper, dried oregano, topped with crumbled feta and an oozing fried egg. The taste, texture and flavour were spot on for me. It was like a match made in heaven. This definitely one of the best chips in Sydney.



Who would think chips with crumbled feta and fried egg would blend so well together?

Kefi's Pita Bread ($1.50 each) soon arrived. They were warm and dusted with dried Greek spices. They felt satisfying in our hands.



The signature char grilled meat skewers were the next dish to come. The chef skillfully cooked these souvlaki skewers on hot charcoal spit and spiced with varies Greek seasonings. The meats were nice, moist and smoky.



We wrapped the souvlaki in the warm fluffy pita bread, added some dip and had ourselves some delicious gyros. The combined flavours sent our tastebuds soaring.

We also ordered a Mixed Roasted Lahanika ($16.50) to balance out the last meaty dish. The grilled Spanish onion, field mushroom, peppers, eggplant and zucchini were slightly spicy and have a good smoky taste. They were seasoned with good quality olive oil and that brought out all the delectable flavours of these grilled vegetables.



Greek tends to include a lot of seafood in their diet, and this Prawn Saganaki ($18.50) was highly recommended by the staff.



Fresh large prawns were baked in oven in a rich tomato sauce, with crumbled feta and fresh coriander. It was absolutely scrumptious! The blending of rich tomato aroma and salty feta was just mouth watering and so satisfying on so many different levels.

We should have ordered another batch of pita bread to mop up all the delicious sauce, but we wanted to save some room for Tsirekas's signature dessert.

The Caramel Baklava Ice Cream ($12.50) was the long awaited dessert we had been waiting for. This was one of Kefi's exciting dishes. There were 3 slices of original layered vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with pale caramel fudge and baklava nuts. The blending of the vanilla ice cream, pistachio nuts, cinnamon powder and caramel just melts in your mouth.



It was a sweet delight and very very decadent to say the least.

Finally a nice sooth hot Peppermint Tea ($4) to end this lovely feast. We left the tavern with a feeling of satisfaction and happiness.



This Greek feast was truly tasty, flavoursome and innovative. Have a meal here and you will be convinced there is more to Greek food than just Greek salad!

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