Kyriakou is opening the Greek restaurant and food store concept with fellow founder Panos Manuelides. It will be located in the newly built Arthouse Site building, part of Argent’s new King’s Cross development. The restaurant will open between 8am and 10:30pm, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seating 85 people in the daytime and 100 in the evening.
The Greek Larder will focus on food from Greek regions and the Eastern Mediterranean, while customers will also be able to purchase Greek foods sourced from independent producers from the attached store during the day.
Return to roots
Kyriakou opened The Real Greek in 1999 and worked there until 2007, but since then has focused on other ventures. With this new Greek restaurant he intends to return to his roots.
“I was born and brought up in Greece, and felt it was time for me to return to my roots,” Kyriakou explained. “Still there are not enough Greek restaurants in London, although in the last year some very good ones have appeared, which is very welcome. Also my business partner has a well-established importing company here in London bringing Greek produce from Greece, which we will use for different classic Greek recipes done well.
“The location for the new restaurant gives me every confidence that weekend and weekday trade will have no difference, there’s a good ratio of both business and residential customers in the area and lots of activity. It’s in Zone 1 so it’s easy to get to, and the site faces onto Regent’s Canal, I’m very confident about it.”
Ethos
The restaurant will have a very Greek feel, with a ‘relaxed’ atmosphere and open kitchen so customers can see the chefs at work, Kyriakou said.
“I like casual eating,” he said. “The restaurant will give the impression of being in the middle of a large indoor market. The food will be very honest, with lots of attention focused on the raw, seasonal produce and the execution. I’ll keep the same ethos I had at the Real Greek. We’ll only serve Greek wine and Greek beer, and of course the usual suspects like quality whisky, brandy and cognac.”
The menu will encompass traditional recipes with a few twists, including dishes Grilled trahana cake with crevettes and Cretan deep fried courgette flowers stuffed with feta, sprinkled with thyme honey. There will also be a regional Meze offering, and desserts such as Manouri mousse with orange blossom honey and pistachios.
“I’m just concentrating on having incredibly good seasonal produce and cooking the dishes well,” added Kyriakou. “That sounds simple, but often simple things are the nicest.”