The Real Greek Westquay Watermark

The Watermark is the newest extension to West Quay and sees the introduction of numerous restaurants and cafes whether your looking for a quick bite to eat or casual dining. With the introduction of this leisure district, we have seen the arrival of several new and exciting restaurants one of these being my new favourite: The Real Greek*.

Its no secret that I would kill to spend my summer Greek Island hopping, eventually ending up in the picturesque Santorini. A dream of mine which I will pursue just as soon as I win the lottery! The Real Greek is the perfect escape from real life making you feel like you've just hopped on a plane and landed right in the heart of Greece. The menu is based on modern Greek cuisine with a variety of Eastern Mediterranean recipes which were developed alongside Tonia Buxton - the face of Greek food in the UK. We were lucky enough to meet Tonia whose passion and dedication really shone through. Along with all the staff we were made to feel so welcome and comfortable it was almost as if we were  dining at a friends house as oppose to visiting a restaurant for the first time.

Along with the impeccable service the food was out of this world. I am quite a fussy eater so to begin with I was quite sceptical to try new things, but I tried every single dish ordered and I loved every single one. Eating in Greece is more of an experience rather than just a meal, focusing on taking your time and spending quality time with friends and family. The idea is to choose a variety of hot and cold mezze dishes to share between everyone, with the cold dishes being served first and the hot dishes arriving as soon as they are cooked. They recommend about 3-4 dishes per person and so we set about deciding from the vast selection. The restaurant focuses on healthy, wholesome ingredients mainly sourced from Greece and Cyprus to create their stunning menu.

From the cold selection we opted for Greek flatbread with tzatziki, spicy feta dip (htipiti) and green pea fava which is the Greek version of mushy peas and came recommended to us by Tonia. We also chose some Falafel to try and Tiropitakia which are handmade filo pastry parcels with creamyy leek, spinach and feta filling. When it came to the hot mezze we opted for a real variety including chicken and lamb skewers with grilled onions and peppers, grilled beef and pork sausage, grilled kalamari with a greek honey and parika marinade, handmade lamb meatballs, grilled halloumi and Med chicken which is grilled rosemary marinated chicken thighs served on top of grilled vegetables. When it came to dessert we were all pretty full and couldn't decide so we let our waitress order for us. She brought us a selection including chocolate mousse cake, greek yoghurt with walnuts in syrup, caramel and pecan cheesecake and the Greek filo custard pie. All of the desserts were absolutely divine and it was nice to be able to try a selection from the menu. 

The decor and atmosphere is bright and spacious with a friendly ambience making this the perfect spot to relax and grab a bite to eat with the girls. The white and blue used throughout really make you feel like you've stepped straight into Santorini and not just the lowest level of West Quay Watermark. Southampton is the first restaurant to introduce the Santorini bar bringing fabulous cocktails with free nibbles highlighting the authentic Greek hospitality. Their in-house mixologist went through the menu with us and offered to mix something up if there was nothing that took our fancy. 

If you haven't been and checked out The Real Greek yet I would fully recommend and they do some great offers. They offer a Athenian Set Dinner Menu which is a 3 dish menu for £11.95 as well as a set lunch menu for £8.95. They also offer 25% student discount and a free kids meal for every £10 spent by an adult on a Sunday. 

* Complimentary meal for the purpose of this review.