O Stratos Greek Taverna

Canberra has no shortage of white tablecloth restaurants, of varying quality, happy to assist you make a dent in the expense account. However, we are not overburdened with places that exude character and confidence, and dare I say it, authenticity.

I am not taking about about places that push the boundaries of culinary creativity, but rather the local eateries, doing a good job of producing consistent, honest food that is true to its origins.

O’Stratos falls into this category, giving guests a taste of Greek taverna eating, with all its generosity and sun-filled flavour. It is not cutting edge, and it is not trying to be.

After 12 years in the business, many will be familiar with the big front windows that open on to the increasingly happening Lonsdale Street in Braddon. The old building, with its high ceilings,  is all bright blue and white, adorned with pictures of Greek Islands and other paraphernalia.

We start with oysters natural ($13 for six/$24 for 12) and kilpatrick ($14.50/$27.50) and a taramasalata (fish roe) dip ($4.90).

The oysters (Sydney rock) are decent, served as they would be in a good seaside pub, on a round metal tray, with just lemon and pepper to set off the sweet richness of the bivalve. They are not fashionable, nor served with a granita, nor sold for $4 each. The kilpatrick are presented in similar style, hot from the grill, with a generous serve of bacon and worcestershire atop an oyster that has not been destroyed by overcooking.

The fish roe dip is clean and tasty, with a plentiful basket of crusty bread.

Other starters include a familiar array of dips, and other taverna favourites: dolmades, and a little platter featuring sardines, feta, tomatoes, olives and onion.

The wine list is a basic affair, with Greek as well as Australian standards, and a few available by the glass.

Most customers pop into the bottle shop a few doors down, and we follow suit, with a medium-priced riesling doing a good job of washing down dinner.

Service varies here, ranging from great to a little inexperienced depending on the night.

The separate kids’ menu is reasonably priced, and features mini versions of the adult dishes, simplified. Grilled lamb cutlets come with chips but not salad and you can decide whether you want one or two chops. Some nice little pieces of fish are also on the list, as well as pasta with creamy tomato sauce, and lamb or chicken souvlaki. Kids’ menus are so often riddled with inferior quality food, cheap because it comes straight from the freezer. It is refreshing to see offerings for young eaters that are just smaller, not nastier, based on the presumption that pervades Greek culture that kids will sit up with their parents, and eat properly.

Mains are large here, and sharing your dishes is a good idea. That said, our mains tonight are mostly one-person jobs.

We choose seafood souvlaki ($29.50), whole lemon sole (market price, but around $30), and a souvlaki pita ($25).

The skewers with prawns, scallops and dense-fleshed fish are well cooked, juicy and flavoursome, on a bed of rice and salad with plenty of tangy dressing.

The souvlaki pita is all laid out on a plate-sized pita bread, with dip, salad and skewers of your choice on top. This is a good choice if you want something slightly smaller than the big main-course dishes or you are not keen on rice, chips or veg. The lamb is tender and lean, a little crusty from the grill, and lends meaty juices to the salad and flatbread below.

Decent fish is not that easy to get in this inland city, unless you are spending up big, and one of the things that marks O’Stratos is the good range of fish on the specials board – often a few whole fish and a choice of fillets also.

The whole lemon sole is pan-fried just right, with juicy flesh pulling easily away from the bones. This dish is a reminder of the virtue of whole fish, as opposed to fillets. You simply get more flavour and juiciness, and once you master turning the whole thing over, sole is one of the easiest whole fish to manage. If you haven’t left space for dessert (all $5.50 eat in) it can be taken away. The traditional creamy rice pudding has a lovely balance of richness and tender rice, and generous cinnamon topping. It slides down nicely. Various baklava and other honeyed deserts are all made in-house, and can be shared for a final flourish.
O’Stratos is a decent Greek restaurant, with mostly reliable food that is very easy to eat.

Catriona Jackson is chief executive of peak lobby group Science and Technology Australia and a food writer.

Food: 2/4
Wine list: 1/4 
Service: 2/4
Style: 2/4
Value: 2/4

11 Something went wrong. 12 Not so great tonight. 13 Fine for a cheap and cheerful, not so for a place that aspires to the top end. 14 Good. 15 Really good. 16 Great, when can we move in? 17-20 Brilliant. These ratings are a quick reference to key highs or lows. They do not relate directly to the score out of 20.