“There’s two kinds of people, Greeks and everybody else who wish they was greeks” -Gus Portokalos in “My big fat greek wedding” (2002)
Being Greek comes with a certain self-affirming mentality. In sum, it’s captured by the word “Viva El Greco” meaning that they are proud to be Greek. Having a deep rooted-sense of history plagued by war and innovation, the Greeks have developed a sense of ‘spirit’ characterised by their passionate outlook on life, loud laughter, friendliness, and emphasis on familial closeness. Also, they are known to be stubborn, arrogant, and proud. It’s just a generalization but if true, it makes them all the more charming.
My favorite characteristic of Greeks is that they are big eaters. It shows they really do know how to savour life for its good stuff.
Melbourne, being a foodies dream is unsurprisingly a very Greek place. It has the largest Greek population in the world (outside of Greece of course) and just like all other large groups of nationalities, it had formed its own cultural area right in heart of Melbourne city. It’s called “Greek Precinct” and it’s located in the eastern end of Lonsdale street, which is at Melbourne’s CBD area. It is also conveniently located next to Chinatown.
I can’t lie. Initially, I was disappointed with the small size of the Greek Precinct. When I was reading the tour guides, I was expecting something flamboyant and loud, just like Greek culture. Or at least the size of Lygon street or Chinatown which had rows and rows of restaurants. I kept walking through Greek Precinct thinking that I had missed the street. It’s so small geographically compared to the two previously mentioned lavish streets.
However, after taking my time to explore the minimal offerings offered there, its not so much about quantity as it is quality. This makes me understand the pride of the greeks; they may be a small community compared to the other nationalities but they are proud of what they are and what they do. In this case, Stalacities a greek restaurant specializing in roasted meats is certainly good at what they do. A favorite with Australia sporting teams, tourists, meat-craving locals, and post-clubbing youngsters, Stalacities has made its mark as an icon of Melbourne. If you are traveling to Melbourne, do make sure you save your stomach for their meal. Its open 24/7 so come anytime.
Generally, those in the know order certain dishes from Stalacites. Personally, I always start with some warm pita bread and mixed dips. The dips are eggplant, hommus (chickpea), tazkitki (cucumber), and tarama (caviar). And of course, some calamari. Admittedly, the calamari usually turns out soggy here. However, I find that oddly satisfying with greek food.
For my main meal I would order a chicken or a lamb giro meal (above). It consists of slow-roasted delicious chunks of meat that have a gratifying salty flavor without being too dry. One can taste the effort used to make this dish especially because of the somehow smokey smell of the meat, which is not easily attained.
A meal at Stalacities is really satisfying for all meat lovers. However, there are others who contest with my opinion. Some say that Lambs which serves the same food is better. I have never tried their food before, perhaps because of my loyalty to Stalacities (again, my drama fantasy world of competing restaurants to be the best). The address is provided below and maybe you could take a look! And let me know how it fares.
Photo taken by Walking Melbourne
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Restaurants:
177-183 Lonsdale St
Melbourne, Vic 3000
Price per meal: $25-30 AUD
(considering the above portion is meant for two people)
hints: Try to go on a weekday. They usually have to rush out orders for the weekend crowd so the roasted meat isn’t as finely roasted as the weekday ones.
Lambs
98-100 Lygon Street
Melbourne, Vic 3053
Price per meal: $25-30 AUD
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