Greece is the word
Nunhead - May 2015
I Should Be Souvlaki might have the best street food name in the northern hemisphere (no-one is ever going to top Perth's Toastface Grillah). As a frequent visitor to Greece on family holidays as a much smaller (ea)Tings, a greek street food seller rocking up in my favourite South East London boozer for a pub residence meant investigation was required.
For those that don’t know, souvlaki is essentially the Greek version of a shish kebab; meat grilled on a skewer (souvla) and then served up in a pitta, usually with tomatoes, onions and my favourite Greek offering ever, tzatziki. Seriously, I bloody love it – what’s not to like about creamy yoghurt packed with fresh mint and cucumber and a big garlicky hit? When I was a kid with those usual childish suspicions of any food that wasn't sausages, I used to live off tzatziki and pitta bread when on holiday. To this day I can eat tzatziki by the pot-full, and have been known (somewhat heretically perhaps) to put it in bacon sandwiches. Allow democracy & medicine, this is Greece’s greatest gift to the world.
Back on point – souvlaki. Hugely popular in Greece, it’s somewhat overshadowed here by the Turks and their kebabs. I've had amazing souvlaki in Athens (Thanasis in Monastiraki being the prime example), that isn't readily available over here. But with branding as on point as I Should Be Souvlaki, perhaps this can change.
But how good is the food?
Well, I'll get the one disappointment out of the way – I can't rate the tzatziki. Not enough garlic for my tastes: it needs more oomph. There is a decent twist of pepper adding some warmth. But more garlic, please.
Everything else is pretty damn decent. Best are the courgette fries; seasoned with a crunchy, semolina-like coating. They're slightly flaccid, but then a courgette is watery, so unless you're putting on more batter than vegetable (a la MEATliquor's deep fried pickles), it’s going to be a tricky ask to make them properly crispy. They’re so moreish we packed in a second portion.
The bifteki instantly tasted like holidays. The meat is well seasoned, with a hit of oregano through the meat that evokes every Greek grill ever. It's cooked well done in an age of pink patties, so is dry in places. But this is eased by the feta stuffing as well as the accompanying ‘Greek slaw’; sharp with vinegar, fragrant with mint and oregano. Fresh, light and crisp. Even the gf, who is usually pretty underwhelmed by sides of slaw, rated it.
So to the main attraction; we opt for the chicken Souvlaki. The pitta is excellent – souvlaki pitta is closer to the classic flat-bread concept; thicker, fluffier and spongier than standard pitta pockets. They hold together much better and do a bang up job of soaking up meat juices. The meat itself is tender and moist, marinated in lemon and seasoned. And they’ve thrown in chips for added carby goodness. All the constituent ingredients are great, but I've been corrupted by the Turkish and feel it lacks something. Maybe extra heat from the missing garlic, perhaps a pickled chilli? It’s tasty, it's well made, but it could do with a little to lift it. It's still the best souvlaki I've had outside of Athens. OK, I've not had much souvlaki outside Athens, but the fact it bears comparison means they're doing good work.
And that name is genius.
I Should Be Souvlaki
Thursday & Friday @ The Old Nun's Head
15 Nunhead Green
SE15 3QQ
