The Arrival
It is 6:30pm on a Wednesday night. We have to queue to get inside. We are seated with the kind of warm generousity that means our cocktail orders are talem within a minute and it’s hummable quiet for the first half hour, then I wonder if everyone in Sydney has the same idea. ‘Apollo – Let’s go Greek!’.
Apollo Design & Vibe
Arched windows frame the street outside, concrete ceilings loom overhead and big white domes of light hang from long metal arms like modern Greek moons. Behind us, the concrete bar glows softly, dotted with real candles that flicker against the marble. It feels part Mediterranean taverna, part industrial chic and entirely alive.
By 7pm the room is humming. Actually, humming is polite. It’s more of a full-blown roar. At times it’s hard to hear Penny, my Greek/Cypriot dining companion. But somehow that’s part of the charm. The Apollo has always been a place for revelry rather than hushed conversation.
The music is pumping. Apollo also refers to Apollo located in Harlem, New York City, a vibrant non-profit organization that celebrates and presents work that centers Black artists and voices from across the African Diaspora. This our play list for dining tonight and we are lovin’ the vibe.
History and Origin – The Founders
Apollo launched in 2011 and quickly became one of Sydney’s most influential modern Greek restaurants. Famed for its lamb and that saganiki dish. The restaurant was created by the hospitality trio Jonathan Barthelmess; chef and co-founder, Sam Christie; co-founder and hospitality operator and Iain McDonald. Their goal was to create a modern Greek taverna inspired by the casual restaurants of Greece woth big flavours, shared plates, loud dining rooms and food designed for groups rather than formal dining. They nailed it. Fifteen years on. They continue to nail it.
The Menu – Greek classics that still deliver
Penny starts with a Peach Melba – Motley Cru Prossecco, Shite Possum Amaretto and Raspberry vermouth which is beautifully balanced and presented. I opt for a Mamos Greek pilsner originally founded in 1876 in Patras by Greece’s first certified brewer, Petros Mamos. It has a lovely golden color, balanced bitterness, and a crisp, light-bodied taste with three hop varieties.
We start grazing, the way everyone does here. Pillowy house-made pita arrives alongside a bowl of taramasalata. It’s topped with glossy mullet roe. This isn’t a delicate tara, but it is a slap around my face with a fiesty mullet! Bolshy, no prisoners in-your-face flavour with a creamy, salty finish which is dangerously easy to demolish. Um. More bread please.
Then comes the spanakopita. Loved by locals. Apollo took a big move a few months ago to change it up from the former traditional delicate filo version to this fiesty golden, crackling slab. OMG WE LOVE IT, but many of their regulars are finding the transition hard. The filo is now an olive oil pastry baked until defiantly crisp. Inside is a lush mix of greek cheeses including feta, kasseri, ricotta and wild greens, adding that buttery tang. It’s the kind of pastry you have to wrestle with, knife in hand, shards flying everywhere, but the reward is worth it. The other culinary defining dish for Apollo is the Saganaki cheese. OMG its as I remembered. Classically marvelous, honey, oregano, lemon and sizzling, melty cheese which is so bad its good.
I order Sheftalia, a traditional Cypriot sausage made from minced pork (or lamb) which is a risk – I feel that the outcome for my Cypriot dining companion, Penny will go one of two ways; Penny talks with love and awe about her wonderful aunt who is the most incredible cook. It’s a brave friend to order a dish which Penny knows well and her aunt has cooked a gazillion times. We can taste the finely chopped onion, parsley, and spices or cinnamon, salt, pepper, but for Penny it misses a mark she can’t put her finger on “It should be more tasty…?”
The Unexpected Hero Dish
The surprise highlight? It’s the special of the day – and it should go on the menu. It’s simply grilled mackerel.
The team are enjoying their new dry ageing machinery. This is now dry aged a few days, pin-boned, beautifully smoky and served with caper leaves that look like tiny lily pads which a frog might happily call home. Briny, fresh and perfectly balanced. Meanwhile the BBQ cuttlefish shaved into soft curls interspersed with a bed of garlicky skordalia and emulsified with roasted vine tomatoes is a great balance. We pair it with delicious roast potatoes with their golden crispy shells kissed by garlic and parlsey.
What we are Addicted too? It’s fun, great times, a honed menu over a decade, with great service from a team who always have something to prove, the house vibe is slightly raucous and in short a delicious Greek feast.
What do we need to be more Addicted? This is Greek food, with a nod to Cyprus. It is a formula works. So if you are seeking adventure or a quiet intimate night you might want to explore other options
The Apollo, Level 1, 44 Macleay St, Potts Point, Sydney