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Restaurant Review: 1821
Last night we had the great pleasure of dining at 1821 #madeingreece! A gastronomic journey into some traditional culinary fare of old Greece coupled with a modern fusion twist, some to die for cocktails and an interior space that makes you gasp!
Now this is seriously one of the biggest and most stylish venues that Sydney has to offer. With its soaring ceilings and beautiful architecture this million dollar fit-out is reminiscent of the Parthenon itself but its cool, its edgy and its oh so comfortable.
Part of this comfort comes from the service. Gone is the attitude that we've experienced at so many other hotspots in this city and instead they offer friendly unassuming professional service that makes you feel instantly at home and ready for a great experience.
Whilst everything is unmistakably "Greek" (reference the enormous flag on the right side wall) it doesn't feel like a themed restaurant; the party vibe is still in place. As soon as we stepped into the restaurant we felt instantly relaxed and ready to enjoy.
The staff were very helpful with some great recommendations. The cocktails kicked us off in just the right way! I went with none other than the APHRODITE BELLINI: Solitaire sparkling Greek wine, Ouzo ‘mini’, pear purée, lemon... I love ouzo and it was a perfect balance. Leo enjoyed MASTIHA MOJITO Mastiha, lime, mint, soda - fresh, fragrant and the perfect palate cleanser to prepare for the delicious feast ahead.
The items we sampled on the night were (and believe it was a hard to narrow them down because the menu is divine!)
GREEK SAN CHOY BOW
Smashed roasted tomato filled with herb & vegetable rice served in iceberg cups, yoghurt lemon dressing. Surprisingly this is a very old school Greek dish and very comforting way to start the meal. The zing of the lemon and the yoghurt was a perfect way to freshen it up.
Photo credit @iatemywaythrough
PRAWN MANTI
Egg pasta dumplings, carrot purée, feta, candied walnuts, burnt butter currant dressing, fried mint leaves. These delectable little pillows of joy were simply lovely - the dressing was indulgent but not oily and the herbs balanced everything out on the palate. Amazing!
PORK BELLY BAKLAVA
Date & pistachio, crispy filo pastry, date & mastic sauce. This is the dish we were looking forward to the most and we had set our expectations high, and whilst it’s everything that you could wish for - sweet, sticky, pull apart pork and beautifully baked parcels of pastry and pistachio bringing it all together it was perhaps too indulgent to fit with the other elements of the meal. The great thing is that everything is designed to be shared; though so we would probably have this again if we had another couple or some friends dining with us to share the indulgence. At this point we knew dessert was not an option for this evening!
EYE FILLET
Sliced with roasted mushrooms, mavrodaphne thyme jus, olive oil potato purée.
This was the crowning glory to the meal that even Zeus himself would be proud of! Just as he was King of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice this plate of food was perfection from start to finish. Perfectly cooked meat, with just the right amount of smoked flavour to couple with the soft woodiness of the mushrooms and to meld together with the silky smooth puree and perhaps the best jus I've ever had in my life.
Now while we left entirely satisfied we felt light, which is a testament to the way the food is prepared and its freshness and quality. In terms of pricing it was very reasonable for a restaurant of this quality and stature -approx $100 per person including cocktails and a glass of wine each.
In terms of style it is large it is lavish but its not pretentious at all. This could make a great destination for an intimidate romantic dinner for two otherwise there are so many different zones within which you could enjoy a big loud Greek feast with you and another ten of your best friends without feeling out of place. We were thrilled to be taken down to the basement to the sexiest and lavish bar space we've seen for a long time. We definitely look forward to partaking in some drinks at this bar and its open until 3am on weekends.
All in all - we spent a fantastic evening at this venue and we can't wait to go back when we can sit and relax and enjoy it for everything that it is with out taking notes for our food review.
Last piece of advice - go there now before it takes weeks to get a booking.
Sydney Chic dined as guests of Restaurant 1821. Our reviews are a genuine account of our experience. If we don’t like, we don’t post. Thank you Restaurant 1821 for your generous hospitality. Please read full Disclaimer.
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