It’s 22 degrees at 8pm and the streets are filled with people dressed for going out drinking, eating or dancing – and I’m not on holiday, I’m on Nethergate.
When I rang to book a table at Andreou’s a few days earlier I was surprised when they told me they didn’t have anything until 8pm. But I quickly realised on the night that the graduates are of course out celebrating.
In my two years of living in Dundee, the city has never felt like it did that Friday night. I mostly blame the recent hot weather, but it could also be the fact that I was starving.
I’m very much an early eater – like a true Norwegian – and if my dinner time is pushed to after 6pm it better be for a special occasion.
So, as I was walking down towards town, sweating in the heat, stomach rumbling and witnessing students and graduates on their way out, I very much felt like I was on holiday.
This feeling just continued as I set foot into Andreou’s Greek taverna.
Growing up, the only place we ever went for a sunny summer holiday was Greece. I was lucky to have family in Athens and we found our paradise on an island a short boat journey away.
It’s been eight years since I was last there, but Greek food always brings back those summer memories.
Andreou’s Dundee
The first thing I noticed inside Andreou’s was the flag of Cyprus next to a huge picture of a classic Greek island with white and blue houses on a hillside overlooking the sea.
Inspired by owner Andrew McDonald’s Cypriot family, it very much feels like a Greek taverna.
It’s a shame the venue is underground because it would look even better with the sun peeking in, but the atmosphere was still spot on.
When my friend Mariam and I got in, we were welcomed by friendly staff and quickly seated. There was such a buzz about the restaurant from chatting diners that I commented on there not being any Greek music playing, but as the venue started to empty I heard the familiar notes flowing.
It had clearly been a busy evening for the Andreou’s staff, but they were still upbeat and happy to answer all our questions about the menu.
To ramp up the holiday feeling even more, I went for a Fanta Lemon (£2.50) while Mariam got a lemonade (£1), her warm weather drink of choice.
Since the menu is not halal, we went full veggie and even then struggled to pick what to order. With hot and cold meze, gyros and classics – and a charcoal grill section for meat eaters – we did our best to get a bit of everything.
The food
We started off with the mixed veg starters for two (£14.99) which included grilled halloumi, falafel, mixed olives, tzatziki, hummus, tirokafteri and pitta.
This was a great way to sample a variety of the cold meze, and we were impressed with the size of the platter. There was also lots of pitta, which was soft and airy.
The halloumi was a real winner, it had the perfect consistency and a buttery aftertaste. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the falafel did not disappoint either. Mariam said it reminded her of meat, and she thought it came from the coriander.
I am firmly in the coriander tastes like soap camp, but I’m pleased to report that I got no sudsy flavour from this dish.
What truly cast my mind back to holiday memories was the flavourful tzatziki. It had a perfectly creamy consistency, a wee kick of pepper and a good balance of lemon and mint.
The hummus was also beautifully creamy and the flavours packed a punch. With strong notes of cumin and cinnamon, and a hint of lime, I kept dipping my pitta and fork into this.
I’ve never tried tirokafteri, it’s a feta-based dip with peppers, and it was great. It was a bit spicy, but the feta balanced it out and the flavours worked well together. I did try the olives, but I’m still not a fan, so Mariam enjoyed those alone.
Mariam ordered the gyros with falafel and halloumi (£11.50) that she shared with me, and this really hit the spot. It was packed with fillings, salad and chips which were perfectly cooked.
We asked for tzatziki inside with a small pot of Andreou’s own tomata n piperi sauce on the side for a taste, but instead we got a large bowl of sauce. This might have been a blessing in disguise since we could taste the gyros with both sauces, as we had plenty tzatziki from our starter still. The tomato sauce had more of a kick to it and while tasty, we both preferred tzatziki.
I had my sights set on the sweet potato moussaka, but the kitchen were unfortunately out. Instead, I got the vegan revitha, a chickpea stew (£14.99).
The flavours were similar to the hummus, but slightly spicier. It was a warming dish packed full of veg, with a salad, pitta and rice or chips on the side. While I enjoyed it, I picked the wrong night to eat it.
The cinnamon and chilli got slightly monotonous after a while, and I kept wanting to dip into the hummus and eat that instead because it was cold. With onions, peppers, tomatoes, aubergine, carrot, sweet potato and chickpeas there was plenty to enjoy, but it was all soft and had me wanting something crunchy.
Thankfully, our portions were huge and I ended up taking most of my stew, rice and pitta home. I finished it on a rainy day and enjoyed it a whole lot more.
The verdict
We had been gazing at the dessert menu all night, but we just didn’t have space for even the tiniest piece of baklava.
The staff were all brilliant, answering all our questions with a smile. We asked if we should order both rice and chips with the stew and were told we had enough food, and they were right.
The menu was full of authentic Greek dishes that brought back many happy holiday memories for me. While the chickpea stew was a tiny let down, everything else we ate was pretty much faultless.
Andreou’s is definitely a place I will go back to for mezes, gyros and the taste of childhood summer memories.
Information
Address: 118 Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4EH
Tel: 01382 205480
Web: facebook.com/AndreousDundee
Price: £44.98 for a shared starter, two mains and two drinks.
Scores:
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Surroundings: 4.5/5
For more restaurant reviews, check out our food and drink section.
