SBT Lunch Review is back Nostos Hove

After such a tough year for the hospitality industry it was with true delight that this month we were able to return for the SBT lunch time review. It was fantastic that our first review back was at the award winning and County Business Clubs Virtual Award Finalists Nostos Hove. 

I have been following Nostos Hove since they opened their doors and was excited to visit. Being Greek Cypriot and with my passion for Greek cuisine I was keen to explore their  modern twist on some of the famous traditional dishes. 

We arrived at 12:30pm and was welcomed with a warm greeting, the restaurant has a nice modern spacious feel to it, despite the COVID safe barriers separating tables. It was a warm day and I was looking forward to a nice glass of white wine. Nostos have an extensive wine list which is predominantly Greek wine which I loved. I opted for the Thema Pavlidis which has a dash of sauvignon blanc that boosts this successful brand with grassy – vegetal character and stone fruit aromas. It certainly hit the mark. 

I was delighted to be joined at lunch by my good friend and Managing Director at Midnight Communications, Flo Powell. Also with a Greek Cypriot background Flo was my perfect guest in more ways the one. We both not only share a love for this fine cuisine but also how we should eat it, a selection of dishes in the middle of the table so we could both try a wide selection of the menu. 

For our starter dishes we had Xtenia, Pan fried scallops with ginger & orange sauce, avocado mousse and crispy leeks. I am a huge fan of scallops, although they are not always the easiest to get right, but these were cooked to perfection and melted in your mouth. We also had Xtapodi, Grilled octopus, Santorin fava bean puree and wine, fennel capua pepper sauce, again this can on occasion become quite chewy and tasteless if not cooked correctly, but again cooked perfectly and worked really well with the bean puree. Finally a truly traditional dish of Spanakopita, Traditional handmade filo pastry, spinach, feta and kale pie. Growing up this was a staple dish in our house so this had a lot to live up to, and wow it was incredible, my Mum would have certainly enjoyed this one. 

We had a short break before moving on to the mains, because despite the amazing presentation of the food, in traditional Greek style it the portions are still a good size (which I love). 

The main course for me could really only be one thing, possibly my most favourite Greek dish and one I have made many times over the years . Kleftico, Slow roasted lamb shank. Kleftico, or’Bandits Lamb’, was supposedly lamb that was stolen and cooked in a pit to avoid detection. This was accompanied by sweet potato puree, tender-stem broccoli with a red wine and rosemary sauce. The meat was so tender and literally fell of the bone, I simply couldn’t fault it (pains me to say but certainly gave our family recipe a run for its money). Flo and I also shared mains and our second choice was the Spalomprizola Stifado. Stifado is traditionally a beef style stew, this however was a 10oz ribeye steak, crushed jersey royals with a stifado sauce and pickled onions. I had never tried Stifado this way and have to say it was delicious, the steak was cooked medium rare on the chef’s recommendation and again the quality and tenderness of the meat was divine. To accompany the meat dishes I changed to a red wine, again keeping to a Greek choice sticking with the same Thema Pavlidis, which was a well balanced red with a light touch of oak. 

By now we had maybe only a little room for dessert but in true Greek style could not leave without sampling some of the delights. Those of you that know me know that cheese is my biggest vice so had to try the Mastelo Chiou, pan fried Greek cheese with a pomodoro sweet spoon and crumbled Kalamata olives. I may have used this word once or twice in this review but feel it is the best way to describe it… Wow! Finally we had the Portokalopita, orange pie, chocolate namelaka, Swiss meringue and raspberries.. The richness of the chocolate with the fruit was a perfect combination. 

To end what can only be described as an amazing feast I had a traditional Greek coffee. 

The vision for Nostos is and I quote:

‘To serve authentic, wholesome food, as it should be. Honouring our culinary heritage while taking inspiration from local ingredients to create a varied menu that includes iconic dishes as well as lesser known gems of Greek cuisine’

Well, hats off to the team at Nostos Hove because in my opinion you have certainly achieved this. It was an amazing experience from start to finish and although a certain modern twist to the dishes, the food still had a strong element of tradition, leaving me feeling like I had just left my Stede’s or Yaya’s (Nan in Greek) completely stuffed and satisfied. 

After visiting it is easy to see why this restaurant in Hove is award winning and has the support of the community. I urge our members and readers if you haven’t been then please please do pay it a visit. Although I maybe slightly biased, Greek cuisine is one of the best in the world and the team at Nostos Hove do it more than justice. I can not wait to return and bring my Mum and Uncle George – I know they will both love it as much as I did. 

www.nostos-hove.co.uk