7-9 Pratt Street,
Camden Town,
London,
NW1 0AE
0872 148 0768
The ViewLondon Review
Should you head on down to Camden Town you’ll find a little jewel nestling on Pratt Street. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Café Corfu, London’s foremost Greek Restaurant.
According to the demographics, 70% of the clientele is non-Greek "with the remainder made of an eclectic mix of Greek students, wealthy ship-owners, City workers, embassy staff, homesick priests and Athenian tourists-in-the know."
In its 14 months of existence the restaurant has become a favoured eaterie for local celebs like George Michael and Yuri Geller. This makes it obvious that something impressive is going on down Pratt Street.
If you were to start by observing the décor you would see a confident mixture of classic Greek elements and much more modern bold colours. Indeed, the loos are so spectacular that some customers have asked to be seated there – only half joking when they’ve said it.
So, aside from stunning decoration, what is it that draws the crowds? Well, there’s the small matter of Eudoxios Bekris, Café Corfu’s chef. Eudoxios is a veteran of several Michelin starred restaurants and "leapt" at the opportunity to redefine one of the most misunderstood national cuisines.
His menu (even down to a revamped Greek Salad) is an intuitively excellent blend of tried and tested favourites and wildly innovative dishes such as "Bekri Meze" (literally translated as "Drunken Pork tenders in Kefalotiri cheese sauce").
The ingredients used in these dishes are specially sourced and imported from Greece – allowing an unparalleled authenticity in the meals. This alone could be the reason for Café Corfu’s massive popularity – but we think otherwise.
Y’see, it’s not just that the food is good (and believe us, it’s good. Try the Grilled Seabass in saffron sauce with sage if you don’t believe us!). Far from it. The prices are also outrageously reasonable.
We’re all used to paying large amounts if we want a really nice evening out at a restaurant but Café Corfu seem determined to break this wretched rule. Starters don’t get any more expensive than £5.95 (and that’s for the Dover Sole with Greek bacon and pumpkin and coriander sauce).
The most expensive main on the menu is priced at £12.95. For your information that’s for the Grilled whole Seabream (air-shipped from Greece for extra freshness) served with sautéed spinach. Where else are you going to get something like that for a similar price?
To finish then, Café Corfu is not only a visual delight but also a refreshingly down to earth and pleasant joint. The food is fantastic and the prices are friendly, what more could you want?