Russia > Greek for lunch August 1, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in GreekTaste World.trackback
Greek for lunch > Oliva Greek Taverna
When Oliva opened in the dead of winter in 2004, it felt like a ray of sunshine on Bolshaya Morskaya and a breath of Mediterranean Sea air across the glacial surface of the Neva.
A “taverna” on a Greek theme, its owners, which also ran a bowling alley business, pumped millions into Oliva’s interior design and spacious dining room. The restaurant soon became a definite favorite for the informal after-work crowd and foreigners who found its multilingual approach reassuring. By no means a “fast food” restaurant in the American sense, Oliva nonetheless thrives on its ability to serve up to 270 guests hot Greek dishes quickly, politely and at a reasonable price.
As the glare of its whitewashed walls and the polish of its brass ornaments have dulled, Oliva has begun to acquire a lived-in feel, although to some people it retains a hint of the cavernous, antiseptic atmosphere of a school canteen. At night it is nothing if not lively, with a noisy Greek band attempting to play above the chatter and the clamor of excited orders for more wine.
However, another draw of late has been Oliva’s attractively priced business lunch, running in the afternoon between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. The business lunch special was introduced last year. More than just a few lines on a menu, the restaurant installed two service counters, one for salads, one for hot dishes, in its upstairs lobby.
After you are seated the server will probably try to “sell up” by handing you the main menu, but you won’t offend them by asking for the lunch option. With it you get the opportunity to try kompot, a watered-down syrup drink, soup, salad and main course, tea or coffee, and dessert. Not offering a juice option on a hot day may seem mean to some, but the meal does come with Oliva’s famous basket of freshly baked rolls and a peppery pink dip.
Soups include cold borshch and a creamy cucumber number both of which, I suspect, have more to do with Slavic than Hellenic cuisine. The same could be said of the salad and coleslaw selection, for which you must leave your table, go to a counter and get a plate which your choice will be served. There appears to be no limit to the amount you can have, which will suit gluttons.
The hot food selection includes pork chops in sauce, chicken legs, meatballs and an economy-level mousaka, minus eggplant. There’s rice, pepper, carrots, sweetcorn in a spicy tomato sauce mix, cauliflower heads deep fried in batter to perfection and other hearty stewed and boiled vegetable dishes. The food is well-cooked, although toward 4 p.m. when the business lunch set-up is removed, it is possible for some of the dishes to become a touch dry.
Asking for the server at the food counters to pile the plate up high might be intimidating in some restaurants where the service may not be as friendly and relaxed as it is in Oliva. In the taverna such indulgences have been known to occur, and quite successfully!
Oliva’s isn’t the cheapest business lunch in the Bolshaya Morskaya area, it was introduced at 160 rubles, but only recently the price has risen, but it may be the fullest. After the main course, an espresso or green/black tea, according to preference, is served with a sweet little piece of orange sponge cake dusted with icing sugar.
The meal should take no more than 40 minutes to order and eat, depending on how many times you go up to the hot plate that is. And if that’s not enough Greek sunshine in your life, then you really do need that holiday.
Oliva Greek Taverna, 31 Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa, tel 314 6563.
Menu available in Russian, Greek, English, French and German. For more information visit > www.tavernaoliva.ru
grhomeboy
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